Vol. 26 No. 285 (2022)
Multicolored tennis
Tennis was regulated in the second half of the 19th century, basically copied from the jeu de pomme, created in France. The game was of aristocratic origin and those who practiced it wore white clothing, a symbol of prestige and nobility. In Great Britain, a privileged class that held power adopted tennis and other sports practices as a sign of status and distinction.
In the midst of the Industrial Revolution, the workers of factories, mills, miners, machinists and others forged the wealth of the country and were protagonists of the expansion of the limits of a global empire. In those times, the white color clearly distinguished rich and poor, it symbolized a class in power that did not perform certain jobs and it discriminated against these people whom it considered unworthy, also denying them access to certain places.
Maintaining this tradition that requires wearing that single color in clothing at the Wimbledon tournament means symbolically perpetuating improper privileges of these times. The protagonists -players, spectators, assistants, journalists and sponsors- should turn their backs on an event, which as a ritual, replicates a strict code that celebrates social exclusion year after year.
Tulio Guterman, Director - February 2022
Videos Abstracts: access to the abstract videos page of this issue
Published:
2022-02-11
