Sir, – I applaud Malachy Clerkin's article on the issue of sexism in sport ("Sexism a lot more insidious than the likes of Tyson Fury", December 10th). I especially liked the line that people should "save their energy for the smaller stands that are far more important". With that in mind, surely a step in this direction should be to look at the comments that occur below the line in articles by your female columnists. I am all for engaging in healthy debate but surely the level of thinly veiled misogyny that exists below the line in these articles does a disservice to all involved. – Yours, etc,
SUSAN MURPHY,
Rathfarnham, Dublin 14.
Sir, – I agree with Malachy Clerkin in many respects – sexism is insidious, it is still rampant, it is preposterous and change can be agonisingly slow. Unfortunately, I feel he misses his own point with regard to challenging it. Were Fury simply a boxer with several titles, he could certainly be considered merely a lunk and ignored. As a nominee for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, however, doing so is dangerous. Whether one views the removal of Tyson Fury from the list as a grand gesture or not, the visibility of challenging his nomination is important. If no challenge were made, it would be as if no one was bothered by his sexist, homophobic and bigoted comments. – Yours, etc,
MARTIN CLASBY,
Maynooth,
Co Kildare.