"Podium Girls"

[victoryfactory]

From TheGuardian:

Really?
In a Women's race, too!

[Russity]

Oh dear.....maybe the girls are just modelling the new Venezuelan national kit?

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Russity

Oh dear.....maybe the girls are just modelling the new Venezuelan national kit?

oooopps.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/...-models_374079

[dgauthier]

Hat's off to Helen Wyman for making the smartest comment of the bunch:

British cyclist Helen Wyman gave her views on the podium model issue.
"I think podium girls should be a thing of the past," she told BBC Sport.
"It's 2015. I'd much prefer to see the race sponsors on the podium, as it's their money that allow us to do what we do, and we'd prefer to see them rewarded."

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/cycling/33145897

[MattTuck]

ummmm, ok. I guess that is how a manager of a strip-tease company thinks... cycling is all a big peep show.

The models were arranged by Hostessen Service No Limit, a company that also provides striptease acts. Its manager, speaking with the BBC and giving his name only as Gerrid, said, “I don’t understand what the problem is.”

“Sometimes during the race, women race with their shirts open,” he said.

[Mayhem]

Better than podium boys.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Mayhem

Better than podium boys.

Or

[mg2ride]

My remaining years are dwindling so I can only hope that in the few year I have left the PC crowd doesn't have so much influence that it becomes inappropriate to admire the beauty of woman.

If someone wants to include scantily dressed men alongside the women, I'm fine with that as well. However, since 90% of the viewing audience for all sports (figure skating doesn’t count) is straight men I don't see it happening.

[choke]

I couldn't help but laugh at the last part of Audrey Cordon's (Wiggle Honda rider) opinion.

[choke]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Or

And...

[redir]

That is just plain silly looking.

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by mg2ride

My remaining years are dwindling so I can only hope that in the few year I have left the PC crowd doesn't have so much influence that it becomes inappropriate to admire the beauty of woman.

If someone wants to include scantily dressed men alongside the women, I'm fine with that as well. However, since 90% of the viewing audience for all sports (figure skating doesn’t count) is straight men I don't see it happening.

You do see the small children in the above picture, right? You think it is fine for a striptease company to organize the entertainment for a family event?

Sure, the swim suit issue is a cultural phenomenon and the male and female forms have long been celebrated for their beauty. But let's remember that there is a difference between appreciating an athletic performance as a sporting achievement and ogling a troupe of half-naked models, er, strippers put there to inject some cheap sexual thrill.

This kind of thing cheapens and takes away from the sporting achievements from these athletes. This idea that the "PC crowd" is stopping you from admiring a female's body is a straw-man argument. There are plenty of places to admire such bodies, but a cycling race is a place to admire the achievements of the racer's bodies, not to objectify them for your viewing pleasure.

Check out your local art museum, strip club, or hooters for the kind of 'admiring' that you're advocating.

[ptourkin]

Originally Posted by mg2ride

My remaining years are dwindling so I can only hope that in the few year I have left the PC crowd doesn't have so much influence that it becomes inappropriate to admire the beauty of woman.

If someone wants to include scantily dressed men alongside the women, I'm fine with that as well. However, since 90% of the viewing audience for all sports (figure skating doesn’t count) is straight men I don't see it happening.

"PC" = "not the way it was when I grew up." Things change. Also, even for a stereotypical male sport like the NFL the percentage of female viewers is closer to 40% now and over 45% for the Super Bowl.

"PC" also equals, how it was when we only catered to the desires of straight white males. Argue that if you want, but the sports advertising and marketing models in the Mad Men era were exactly that. Much as this displeases Mayhem and others, times have changed and the old white men aren't in charge of everything any more.

Bring the hate, lock this thread, it needs to be said.

[mg2ride]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

You do see the small children in the above picture, right? You think it is fine for a striptease company to organize the entertainment for a family event?

Sure, the swim suit issue is a cultural phenomenon and the male and female forms have long been celebrated for their beauty. But let's remember that there is a difference between appreciating an athletic performance as a sporting achievement and ogling a troupe of half-naked models put there to inject some cheap sexual thrill.

This kind of thing cheapens and takes away from the sporting achievements from these athletes. This idea that the "PC crowd" is stopping you from admiring a female's body is a straw-man argument. There are plenty of places to admire such bodies, but a cycling race is a place to admire the achievements of the racer's bodies, not to objectify them for your viewing pleasure.

Check out your local art museum, strip club, or hooters for the kind of 'admiring' that you're advocating.

Thankfully, you do not get to decide where I get my cheap thrills.
If sporting event organizers want to provide me with one, I'm 100% on board with it.

When it becomes a big enough issue that the athletes refuse to participate, I'm sure the sponsors will adjust. Until then I hope the PC crowd has little to no say in what or where I get my viewing pleasures from.

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by mg2ride

Thankfully, you do not get to decide where I get my cheap thrills.
If sporting event organizers want to provide me with one, I'm 100% on board with it.

When it becomes a big enough issue that the athletes refuse to participate, I'm sure the sponsors will adjust. Until then I hope the PC crowd has little to no say in what or where I get my viewing pleasures from.

Do you actually believe that? You have no problem with strippers sharing the stage with children?