sparkamovement: #1 Junior Tennis Player in the World Benched for Being Too Fat: 16-year-old Taylor Townsend is currently the number one junior tennis player in the world, bringing hope to the increasingly troubled state of American tennis. Considered a prodigy, Townsend is one of 25 junior players currently being trained at the brand-new full-time academy in Boca Raton, FL, which is funded by the United States Tennis Association (USTA). Logically, this would seem to make her a major asset for the sport. However, Townsend has been benched by the USTA until further notice. The reason? Evidently, Townsend is just too darn fat. Thursday, she won two matches at the U.S. Open’s junior tournament, the last a dominating two-set victory over Mexico’s Marcela Zacarias in which she pumped her fist after winners and jogged to her chair for every changeover. But unbeknownst to everyone outside her inner circle, the USTA wasn’t happy to see Townsend in New York. Her coaches declined to pay her travel expenses to attend the Open and told her this summer that they wouldn’t finance any tournament appearances until she makes sufficient progress in one area: slimming down and getting into better shape. The article is extra-bullshit: ‘By benching Townsend, the USTA seems to be sending a message that developing solid fundamentals (like fitness) is more important for a player’s long-term success and longevity than competitive results.’ Funny, because the message I got out of it is that no matter your accomplishments, you’re not worth looking at unless you make the people (like men) watching you want to fuck you.

sparkamovement:

#1 Junior Tennis Player in the World Benched for Being Too Fat:

16-year-old Taylor Townsend is currently the number one junior tennis player in the world, bringing hope to the increasingly troubled state of American tennis. Considered a prodigy, Townsend is one of 25 junior players currently being trained at the brand-new full-time academy in Boca Raton, FL, which is funded by the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

Logically, this would seem to make her a major asset for the sport. However, Townsend has been benched by the USTA until further notice. The reason? Evidently, Townsend is just too darn fat.

Thursday, she won two matches at the U.S. Open’s junior tournament, the last a dominating two-set victory over Mexico’s Marcela Zacarias in which she pumped her fist after winners and jogged to her chair for every changeover.
But unbeknownst to everyone outside her inner circle, the USTA wasn’t happy to see Townsend in New York. Her coaches declined to pay her travel expenses to attend the Open and told her this summer that they wouldn’t finance any tournament appearances until she makes sufficient progress in one area: slimming down and getting into better shape.

The article is extra-bullshit: ‘By benching Townsend, the USTA seems to be sending a message that developing solid fundamentals (like fitness) is more important for a player’s long-term success and longevity than competitive results.’ Funny, because the message I got out of it is that no matter your accomplishments, you’re not worth looking at unless you make the people (like men) watching you want to fuck you.