Forty Deuce

Bepa's Winter Intersession Project

The WTA has apparently received "written assurance" that Shahar will receive a visa to play in Dubai.

Hopefully it'll come through.  Last year they had verbal promises out the wazoo, and in the end, nothing.  Hopefully if the UAE caves again (although that's hard to imagine, since they let Andy Ram in the next week), the WTA will stand firm and pull the tournament. Sports and development is a field with real potential, on both political and societal levels.  But as a players' association (although how well they're currently fulfilling that role is a whole different discussion) the WTA has to, at a basic level, ensure that all its "employees" can work at all its "sites".  If the UAE can't prove that it's willing to extend itself on a political level, the WTA has to stop paying lip-service to social development and walk away.  Some shit ain't worth the money, y'all.

Still Assholes

These people are starting to remind me rather strongly of the imbeciles from Westboro Baptist Church:

  The ASB Classic was brought to a halt by a small group of protesters
  on Wednesday morning. 

  The noisy gathering of a dozen are protesting the presence of Israeli
  tennis player Shahar Peer in the 2010 tournament. 

  The second round match between Peer and Magdalena Rybarikova
  (Slovakia) was stopped after the conclusion of the first set, won 6-1 by
  Peer.

I just love that she's winning these matches so decisively.  Eat it, asswipes.

  Arguments continued between Peer, who clearly wanted to continue
  playing, and the tournament's officials. 

  Peer's coach then left the grandstand to join the melee, telling the
  officials "If we don't finish this match now - when will we play it -
  next week?" 

  The Israeli's opponent Rybarikova remained in her chair and seemed
  unwilling to continue the match. 

  After some more debate, it was decided that the match should
  continue much to the obvious disgust of the Slovakian...

  Police soon cleared the protesters. One man was arrested but it is fair
  to say that they made their point.

That sentence construction sucks.  I hope they mean the police proved their point by arresting someone.  However, it would also certainly be true that the protesters have proved a point, as long as the point is that they're ignorant idiots.

I mean, I can't believe that they've been shouting at Shahar that she has "blood on her hands".  I wish she did, as long as it meant that she'd walked over and punched one of them in the face.  (Okay, I don't really mean that.  Mostly.)

Shut Up and Go Away

For the second year in a row, Shahar Pe'er is being harassed by protesters at the ASB Classic.

"The New Zealand protest group Global Peace and Justice earlier 

  Tuesday said it had written to Peer, 22, asking her to withdraw
  from the tournament "as a demonstration of your commitment to
  peace."

Shit like this makes me so angry.  How in God's name is Shahar supposed to prove her commitment to peace in the Middle East by withdrawing from a tennis tournament in New Zealand?  It's completely nonsensical.  She's not there competing in support of her government's policies; since it's not an ITF event, she's not even there particularly on behalf of her country.  She's there because she's a professional athlete whose job it is to play tennis.  This is not rocket science, people.

"The group said it opposes Israel's treatment of Palestinians and
  advocates a sporting boycott of Israel...

"Global Peace and Justice said sporting boycotts were 'more visible
 than a trade or investment boycott and can have an important
 psychological impact.  We saw this with the successful sports boycotts
 against apartheid (in) South Africa.'"

These people are morons.  The sports boycott against South Africa was imposed by international governing bodies.  It did not consist of individual South African athletes refusing to represent their country because they were disgusted by the government.  They're probably aiming for an international ban, but expecting that in the meantime individual Israeli athletes should give up their livelihoods is completely imbecilic.  Especially when competing on completely neutral ground.  The tournament is in Auckland, not on disputed settlement territory in the West Bank.

"'Because of your high profile in Israel you could assist peace efforts
  greatly by speaking out against Israeli government policy. Your silence
  will indicate to us your sympathy with (the Israeli government),' the
  letter said."

[facepalm]