Glamour vs talent on the playing field

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Marion Bartoli’s conquering of Wimbledon 2013 is a tale of triumph and inspiration. But the ace player has been in news as much for her victory as for the comments made on her looks. When Bartoli climbed through the crowds to hug her dad, BBC presenter John Inverdale remarked, “Bartoli’s dad told her when she was little, ‘You’re never going to be a looker, you’ll never be a Sharapova, so you have to be scrappy and fight’?”As if that was not enough, she was subjected to tweets labelling her ‘ugly’, ‘fat’ and ‘undeserving’ as she wasn’t a tall and skinny blonde. While merit can never be undermined, is it important to package oneself well if you are a sportstar to ensure a certain marketability and fan following?
“The only thing that should matter to a sportsperson is how he or she plays on court. It is your sporting talent, your mental ability to cope with the pressures and your hard work that win you matches and tournaments. However, the world is such that a better looking sportsperson sometimes tends to get more endorsements. But there are no advantages beyond that,” opines Sharmila Nicollet, Indo-French professional golfer. In Bartoli’s case, her ‘non-blonde looks’ were put under the scanner. “There is no mandate for beauty or charm. Every sportsperson has his/her inherent style and appeal,” adds Nicollet.
Tennis player Ankita Bhambhri feels if your style and looks help you bag endorsements, get sponsors and get people glued to television sets, there is nothing wrong with it. “When you are associated with a high-profile sport like tennis, it is essential to look a certain way because you have a following and become fashion trendsetter. Right from Steffi Graf, Maria Sharapova to our very own Sania Mirza, all have been presentable icons of the game. But having said that, glamour only adds to your value and is not a primary determinant for your popularity,” says Ankita.
Most famous sportswomen are the face of various brands and have a certain image to uphold. In such a scenario, is there a public pressure on them to look a certain way? “Even when one applies for a nominal job and has to go for an interview, one has to be presentable. And Bartoli was playing a sport followed by millions and looked completely ‘unpresentable’. The presenter only articulated the views of the general public and said probably what we all felt. But maybe the use of public platform to express it was not justified,” opines adman Prahlad Kakkar.
Image and looks are quite different things, believes image guru Dilip Cherian. Bartoli was criticised for her looks, for not being a tall, skinny blonde. There was no problem with her image per say and that is what matters with sportstars. “For being associated with brands and marketable, sportstar’s performance and their image both matter equally. Even if you are not a conventional good-looker, you can package yourself in a manner that you are attractive. Sportstars in the country are increasingly realising the potential of packaging and working towards it,” he says.