TENNIS HOT NEWS AS BNP PARIBAS OPEN’S RAYMOND “RAY” MOORE STEPS DOWN AS CEO & TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR FOR GIVING A BREAKFAST WITH THE MEDIA WHERE HE INSULTED WOMEN PLAYERS BIG TIME!

Written by: Staff on 21st March 2016

The BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament chief executive officer Moore poses at the BNP Paribas Open ATP and WTA tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California

TENNIS HOT NEWS AS BNP PARIBAS OPEN'S RAYMOND "RAY" MOORE STEPS DOWN AS CEO & TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR FOR GIVING A BREAKFAST WITH THE MEDIA WHERE HE INSULTED WOMEN PLAYERS BIG TIME!

The BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament chief executive officer Raymond Moore poses at the BNP Paribas Open ATP and WTA tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, March 7, 2013. The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells is widely regarded as the biggest tournament in tennis outside the grand slams and Moore intends to keep it that way. Applauded by players and fans for its superb facilities, its ideal weather in the California desert and its many innovations, the elite event has earned a reputation for being one of the sport's leading standard bearers. Picture taken March 7, 2013. To match Interview TENNIS-INDIAN-MOORE REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT TENNIS BUSINESS) - RTR3EUX1 |

Never Forget Their Tagline “You’ve Come A Long Way Baby!”

“Earlier today I had the opportunity to speak with Raymond Moore,” said BNP Paribas Open Owner, Larry Ellison. “Ray let me know that he has decided to step down from his roles as CEO and Tournament Director effective immediately. I fully understand his decision.”

“Nearly half a century ago, GLADYS HELDMAN (World Tennis Magazine Publisher), Joe Cullman (Virgina Slims) & Billie Jean King began their historic campaign for the equal treatment of women in tennis. What followed is an ongoing, multi-generational, progressive movement to treat women and men in sports equally. Thanks to the leadership of Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Venus Williams, Serena Williams and so many other great women athletes, an important measure of success has already been achieved. I’m proud to say that it is now a decade long tradition at our tournament at Indian Wells, and all the major tennis tournaments, to pay equal prize money to both the women and the men.”

“I would like to personally thank all the great women athletes who fought so hard for so many years in the pursuit of equal prize money in professional tennis. And I’d like to congratulate them on their success. All of us here at the BNP Paribas Open promise to continue working with everyone to make tennis a better sport for everybody,” concluded Ellison.