European Sports Are Ditching Scantily Clad Women

They’re known as “grid girls,” “walk-on girls” and “ring card girls” -- attractive, often scantily clad young women hired to work on the sidelines and podiums at male-dominated sports events. Now, many of them are out of a job, as European sports are having a #MeToo moment.

“This custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern-day societal norms,” Sean Bratches, managing director of commercial operations at the auto-racing circuit Formula One, said last week as he announced that “grid girls” would no longer appear on the track at races worldwide. Formula One, based in the U.K., was acquired last year by Liberty Media Corp. of the U.S.