Gender pedants should give us all a day off

MARSEILLE are not the only French team to win the Champions League, because Lyon have won it in eight of the last 12 seasons. So if it was written that Marseille are France’s lone European champions it is obvious that we are talking about men’s football. Just as, if it was written that a French club were dominating the modern Champions League, this would plainly refer to Lyon and the women’s game. Yet when an official account linked to James Haskell’s rugby podcast produced a graphic of England’s most-capped front-row forwards, logic went out of the window. They were all male because, plainly, this was a discussion about men’s rugby. Immediately, however, Simi Pam of Bristol Bears waded in that the list disrespected experienced female players like Rocky Clark. Haskell replied: ‘Have a day off’ — and has been fielding accusations of sexism ever since. What confected nonsense. Pedants pointing out perceived slights that are nothing of the sort really do need to give it a rest. In 2018, some twerp in charge of the Channel 4 feed posted that it wasn’t the first time England had been in a World Cup semi-final since 1990 as was being claimed — accompanying the statement with a photograph of the women’s team who got there in 2015. It was swiftly pointed out that, if we were going down that road, the men’s Under 20 team did it in 2017. Equally, saying Andy Murray was the first Briton to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry was not disrespectful to Virginia Wade. If we’re being pedantic he was the first Briton since Jonathan Marray

in the men’s doubles the year before. But singles are different from doubles, and men from women, and women from age-group teams, and it is usually very obvious what set is being discussed just as it becomes very exhausting and dull to write about sport with the constant interruption of sub-clauses and asterisks pointing out the obvious. So let’s all have a day off, eh?