By Chris Oddo | Sunday March 20, 2016
BNP Paribas Open CEO Raymond Moore is taking heavy criticism for remarks made about the women's tour. Some are calling for him to stop down.
Photo Source: Matthew Stockman/Getty
BNP Paribas Open CEO Raymond Moore is taking heat for derogatory comments he made about women’s tennis during a press conference on Sunday morning. Moore is a former professional player from South Africa who took over as CEO of the tournament in 2012.
Watch Video of Moore's Comments Here
“In my next life when I come back I want to be someone in the WTA, because they ride on the coattails of the men,” Moore said. “They don't make any decisions and they are lucky. They are very, very lucky.
“If I was a lady player, I'd go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were born, because they have carried this sport. They really have.”
More went on to make some other disparaging remarks.
“I think the WTA have a handful—not just one or two—but they have a handful of very attractive prospects that can assume the mantle. You know, [Garbine] Muguruza, Genie Bouchard. They have a lot of very attractive players. And the standard in ladies tennis has improved unbelievably.”
He was asked by a reporter if he meant physically attractive or competitively attractive, to which he replied: “I mean both. They are physically attractive and competitively attractive. They can assume the mantle of leadership once Serena decides to stop. I think they've got -- they really have quite a few very, very attractive players.”
Moore would later apologize for his comments in a statement released by the tournament. "At my morning breakfast with the media, I made comments about the WTA that were in extremely poor taste and erroneous," he wrote. "I am truly sorry for those remarks, and apologize to all the players and WTA as a whole. We had a women's final today that reflects the strength of the players, especially Serena and Victoria, and the entire WTA. Again, I am truly sorry for my remarks."
Despite the apology, Moore’s comments immediately created a backlash on social media. Billie Jean King was quick to respond, tweeting “Disappointed in Raymond Moore’s comments. He is wrong on so many levels. Every player, especially the top players, contribute to our success.”
Current WTA CEO Steve Simon, who was Moore's predecessor as BNP Paribas Open CEO, called Moore's words "extremely dissappointing and alarming."
Patrick McEnroe, commentating for ESPN, said that Moore should step down.