Women's professional sports, with the possible exception of tennis, have always struggled to find a wide audience. The problem goes back as far as the defunct professional women's baseball league featured in the excellent movie A League Of Their Own right through today's WNBA and LPGA. It seems that every time league executives address this problem, some idiot comes up with solutions like the one offered by FIFA president Sepp Blatter for women's soccer:

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has caused an uproar by suggesting women soccer players should wear tighter shorts to bring more attention to their sport. Blatter said women's soccer needed different sponsors from the men's game and should seek to attract fashion and cosmetics companies by featuring "more feminine uniforms."

"Tighter shorts, for example," Blatter told the Swiss newspaper SonntagsBlick. "In volleyball the women also wear other uniforms than the men. Pretty women are playing football today. Excuse me for saying that."

Why is it that when men in leadership positions consider the promotion of women's activities, the first idea that pops into their heads is to tart the ladies up? Uniforms should be designed with the sport in mind, not giving the impression that the players are "sporting women" to dirty minds. It's one thing when women choose on their own to promote themselves in this manner, as golfer Jan Stephenson did in the 80s. Posing partially nude was her own personal choice; she didn't drag the entire LPGA into the photo shoot. When the male president of the league that supposedly watches out for their interests attempts to play mack daddy with their uniforms, it crosses over into the inappropriate and tacky.

Perhaps the time has come for FIFA to find new leadership.

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