A complete crock. The entire premise of the article is that if you don't like or root for Ms. Williams, you must be a racist. Really? Ms. Williams is a complicated champion. Perhaps the best athlete ever to play the game (although Navratilova in her prime versus Williams in her prime would be quite a match) and possessed of remarkable skill, for much of her career she was aloof, arrogant, ungracious, and abusive (e.g., the 2009 lineswoman incident). She is not universally loved, because she was not very likeable, let alone loveable, for much of her career. People root for Roger (against Americans I might add) because of the quality of his tennis, his success, and his grace. I doubt he would be so beloved if he was equally successful, but acted like Nick Kyrigos. So, celebrate her tennis and celebrate her acheivement, but don't label me because I don't particularly care for her public persona. And its not racial; I root for Madison Keys all the time.
56
Thanks! What a wonderful article. Ms. Williams' tenacity, grit, strength and determination are truly inspirational.
7
Serena makes me proud to be a member of the black race...just like Oprah and Obama...
8
From today's (Sunday, 8/30) NYT article about Sharapova withdrawing from the US Open due to an injury: "Asked Saturday if Williams’s dominance reflected poorly on the rest of the field, Sharapova praised Williams and defended the quality of the rest of the tour." (Maria Sharapova Withdraws From the U.S. Open, By BEN ROTHENBERG, AUG. 30, 2015) I wonder who asked this question and whether they realized that they are perpetrating exactly what Ms. Rankine is writing about here? That is, the question appears to be framed to denigrate Ms. Williams' obvious gifts and talents rather than just asking, how Ms. Sharapova feels about the rest of the field of players. Mr. Rothenberg, did you read what you wrote or, editor, why would you represent such a derogatory comment abut Ms. Williams in the article?
5
I am not a fan of Novak Djokovic or Serena Williams for very much the same reasons. Neither one is personally appealing to me as a person, despite their very obvious athletic talents. Yet, according to this writer, that makes me a racist. I was a fan of Tiger Woods until his cheating behavior, combined with his arrogance, destroyed that. I am not a fan of Patrick Reed because he is arrogant as well. So I suppose to Ms. Rankine that makes me a racist, too. This is truly one of the worst pieces of "journalism" I have ever read, certainly in the NYT if not anywhere (besides a tabloid). But I was glad to see that Ms. Williams has far more sense in her attitude (or at least what she says in the paper) than Ms. Rankine does in what she writes.
29
The strong women of tennis taught this woman who can not play sports that it is ok to work hard, be strong and play to win. Good luck Serena. Thank you for playing and working hard, and re-enforcing that it is just fine for women to want to win.
7
I am so excited for this year's US Open. Serena is coming in as the clear favorite and to see her take this title and show all her naysayers that she's still Number One would be a highlight of the summer. Let's rock Serena!
5
I doubt if race relationships will ever come to anything resembling whatever it is people are looking for with articles like this. Why do we find it necessary to mention race when it is a black person who excels. Why can't Miss Williams's just be the great tennis player she is? If we continue to see and hear everything through the prism of race I believe we are doomed to, "I'm better than you because I'm black or I'm better than you because I'm white or I'm better than you because I'm half white and have black or Indian or Hispanic and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on AND ON. What a worthless article.
19
I'm a huge tennis fan. When asked to set a new password and the question is "your dream profession", my answer is "pro tennis player". While I find Ms. Williams comments to be mature, well thought, and gracious, I find some of Ms. Raskine's comments unnecessary. There's no question of Serena's excellence; she is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, of all time. Why does Ms. Raskine find it necessary to diminish Ms. Sharapova's achievements in order to elevate Ms. Williams? She's "only" won 5 major titles and spent 21 weeks at Number 1. Why does Ms. Raskine need to even go there? Ms. Sharapova has won all four majors; Venus Williams, Monica Seles, Justine Henin, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Kim Clijsters - all Hall of Fame or future Hall of Fame players who haven't accomplished that feat. Tennis is a global sport; Ms. Williams is American and Ms. Sharapova is Russian/"European" and has a broader audience. Many European tennis players choose to live in countries with low taxes (e.g., Monaco). We should thank Ms. Sharapova for her green card and the taxes she pays to the US. Black excellence is wonderful; however, it doesn't equate to white mediocrity. Sadly, Ms. Raskine's comments reflect her lacking knowledge of tennis history, US centric thoughts, and more importantly her own racist opinions. Both Ms. Williams and Sharapova do their talking with their tennis rackets.
15
I am black and don't know the meaning of "black excellence." Is it different from ordinary excellence? Oh well, I recall in the last NYT interview of Serena Williams, the journalist was shocked that she did ordinary human things like walking down the street, having a clean and organized apartment and speaking French. Really? These things seem completely stressful and if I were Serena, I wouldn't give any interviews and would just let my tennis game speak for itself.
12
I was struck by the author's lack of understanding of tennis. She asked a spectator why he was cheering for Azarenka at the US Open. The US Open is not a Davis/Fed Cup match (where, presumably, Americans would cheer for the home team.) Tennis fans have their particular favorites and welcome the opportunity to cheer for them when they come to their country.
12
An added comment to my previous one. When I lived in Atlanta, Georgia, I was privileged to know John Lewis who was, and is, a hero to me. No matter how forcefully he spoke, I never once heard him be discourteous to any-one, no matter the views expressed. Would one of the newer generation, the me, me, it's all about me people call him an Uncle Tom?
7
Is "excellence" actually a thing? Of course not. There is excellent tennis and there is tedious journalism
16
This article depresses me. Apparently I'm a racist for not loving Serena Williams, even though I wasn't crazy about John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, and some of the other greats. That's how fandom works. And I'm supposed to feel bad for someone who is on her game, beating all opponents, making lots of money, and getting tons of good press. Ask her how she's doing. I'm guessing she's feeling pretty good about life.
One more thing: there's no doubt that she's one of the greatest tennis players of all time. But let's not mythologize her. While they didn't last as long as Serena, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters regularly challenged her when they were playing at their best. No one is unbeatable.
One more thing: there's no doubt that she's one of the greatest tennis players of all time. But let's not mythologize her. While they didn't last as long as Serena, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters regularly challenged her when they were playing at their best. No one is unbeatable.
14
You made a good point… that being a non-Serena-fan doesn't make you a racist, but then you kind of went against that point by comparing Henin and Clijsters to Serena. Great players and for a few years they were able to give her a match, but c'mon, her next major will give her twice as many as they had combined, and while they're all the same age, the other two are retired while Serena is incredibly playing the most dominant tennis of her life. You're kind of proving the "twice-as-good" trope.
12
There's a great deal of tribalism flowing through this article, even the author admitting to "needing" Serena to win. We've got to get beyond that to have a truly post-racial America. And not everyone will come along into that enlightened space: there will be yahoos in every sizable group. Let's hope they will be in a minority that is shunned. Serena seems a noble person, but all modern tennis players, she included, need to respect the history of the sport, not a s a white bastion but as a space where competition can coexist with decorum (in its broadest meanings). That was the magic of tennis. Modern tennis reminds me of mixed martial arts fighting as it has evolved from boxing to Queensberry Rules. The desire to win has been cheapened by the addition of "at all costs."
14
Conflating raw brutish power, athleticism with excellence bends reason beyond hilarity. Ms. Williams wins at tennis because she is genetically different than her opponents, she could excel at the game without practicing. Really, all quite hilarious. The art of tennis is not what's at play here. All the women tennis players would agree..
3
The article quotes Serena Williams, speaking directly to Claudia Rankine, "You don't understand me". It's a telling and insightful comment from Serena, about the author, who would go on to write this article, supposedly about Serena Williams, but was almost entirely about the author, herself.
30
AMEN
4
This article is a perfect example of why parents need to teach their children that hero worship of athletes is overwhelmingly unwarranted.
Because, despite what this fluff piece wants to promote, no athlete - black, white, man or woman - should be put on a pedestal when that individual acts as a role model for raging three-year-old who lashes out at court officials, the media and perceived racial slights and has done nothing with the millions in earnings to better anyone other than herself.
Because, despite what this fluff piece wants to promote, no athlete - black, white, man or woman - should be put on a pedestal when that individual acts as a role model for raging three-year-old who lashes out at court officials, the media and perceived racial slights and has done nothing with the millions in earnings to better anyone other than herself.
11
While I get why the author chose to focus on the racial component here, I was astonished the article made no mention of PEDs/steroids. To not even consider this shows Ms. Rankine is either naive or incompetent. When someone continues to improve at age 33, engages in classic "'roid rage" on live television, ducks steroid testing efforts, suffers undisclosed illnesses and has that build without lifting weights (as she contends), in our current climate you have to at least assume PEDs might me the culprit. The article reads like something that might have been written about Lance Armstrong in the midst of his seven consecutive TDF victories.
8
Andrew B, what a clown you are to assert Ms. Rankine as being naive or incompetent. Furthermore, you state " In our climate you have to at least assume PEDs might be the culprit"Are you serious?? Are you a medical professional? What grounds do you have to make such a comment?
Off court, Serena trains equally if not harder than her peers which is evident thru her win/loss records. Before you make such a far-fetched comment consider her body composition, genes, and lastly her work ethic.
Off court, Serena trains equally if not harder than her peers which is evident thru her win/loss records. Before you make such a far-fetched comment consider her body composition, genes, and lastly her work ethic.
9
I have mixed feelings about this article. I admire Serena tremendously for her achievements, especially as a black person in this "white world." However, I too have been somewhat offended at her treatment of lines people etc., and her sometimes rudeness to an opponent. One could hardly call me a racist as I was spat upon and called traitor by southern whites when I marched for civil rights. and still work in the black community with children who need help Perhaps, as an 87 year old ex tennis player, still a human being, I believe in courtesy and understanding towards all, no matter if they are merely lines people, and in one sense working for the players.
25
Oh, Serena is black? I look at her and see a beautiful woman. I watch Serena on the court and I see an amazing athlete. That she is black is of NO importance to her success.
3
She is undoubtedly a great tennis player. But she is not the type of person that I would aspire to be. Serena is all about Serena.
11
Serena is an athlete. When she's on the court she must be all about Serena. tennis isn't a team sport. When you're out there on the court have to have that killer attitude to win. We don't know her personality when she's at home or with family or friends, I am sure she's much more down to earth (but still bad ass).
8
Umm, glad Serena's getting her due but does anybody believe running a story about another black superathelete is going to change people's perceptions about black people? If anything it just perpetuates the stereotype that they're all brawn and no brains. Isn't there a black scientist or entrepreneur of this stature they could find?
Also, how long are we going to keep up the double standard with racial chest-beating? "Black excellence?" If somebody ran a story about "Asian excellence" or heaven forbid "White excellence" in this day and age I wouldn't be surprised if they wound up in jail. t
The really enlightened (and new and interesting) way to tell this story was not to make a big deal out of her being black -- focus on her excellence instead of her "black excellence".
But that would be coloring outside the lines, wouldn't it.
Also, how long are we going to keep up the double standard with racial chest-beating? "Black excellence?" If somebody ran a story about "Asian excellence" or heaven forbid "White excellence" in this day and age I wouldn't be surprised if they wound up in jail. t
The really enlightened (and new and interesting) way to tell this story was not to make a big deal out of her being black -- focus on her excellence instead of her "black excellence".
But that would be coloring outside the lines, wouldn't it.
9
You are missing the point. Her excellence can not simply be told without revealing the daily adversaries she faces for being excellent while also being black. A whole different ball game when one is constantly reminded of her race and made to feel inferior despite being the best in the game at every single game.
Writing a story about a great athlete that is black should not perpetuate the negative stereotypes. The fact you suggest that is concerning. There are indeed plenty of black scientists and entrepreneurs, but none have the spotlight Serena has due to the nature of tennis being a televised sport. Simple
Writing a story about a great athlete that is black should not perpetuate the negative stereotypes. The fact you suggest that is concerning. There are indeed plenty of black scientists and entrepreneurs, but none have the spotlight Serena has due to the nature of tennis being a televised sport. Simple
8
This had me in tears. A beautiful piece on a strong, vastly intelligent, and beautiful woman.
5
As a tennis fan and Serena Williams fan as well, I was looking forward to an article that would tell us something new about Serena as she (hopefully) completes the Grand Slam at the Open. Instead we get an article that is really about the writer's own issues with racism. Even from what was written you could tell that Serena wasn't interested in going in that direction. She knows who she is and handles the racism that inevitable comes her way in her own manner. By allowing Claudia to make this profile about her own anger with racism the Times editors shortchanged fans of Serena who were looking for more about her. As a white male I would pay to watch Serena play, admire her excellence whether she's playing a white or black opponent, and hope she enhances her already remarkable career by winning this year's Open.
12
Serena Williams is a great champion. Many players have gotten her down a set but getting her out of a major is another matter. She has always saved her best effort for moments when her back was against the wall. The author of this article is not a long time tennis fan and doesn't really have a good feel for Serena's career. For example, there is not a shred of evidence that Serena has been the victim of more bad calls than any other top player with a long career. If the author had watched Serena's matches over the years she would have known that.
5
Unfortunately, Serena, who became a champion as a kid (literally) wasn't always perfect in demeanor. Get over it people. Her gracious moments have outweighed her bad moments by leaps and bounds. She's been an able and credible example of American excellence to the world, and has held the American women's game on her shoulders for years. I feel privileged to have witnessed the game during her spectacular reign. Love her or hate her (I'm squarely in the former camp), she's one of the greatest athletes of our time, and I am rooting for her to get that calendar slam. And, as an American, I'd be proud to see it.
11
This article really aggravated me since it seems to presume racism at every turn. I am a huge tennis fan and there is no denying Serena's talent. But for years I wouldn't root for her because she was so ungracious, whether winning or losing. She would never give her opponent any credit. Her sister, on the other hand, was a much better sport and I think that Serena finally learned from her that a true champion becomes loved, not just by their play, but by being a good loser and a gracious winner. Roger Federer is not beloved for just his fantastic play but for his class and his demeanor toward his fellow players. Serena has improved a great deal in that area in the past few years and I think it will add to her reputation as a fantastic player.
20
I think she is awesome to watch and I'm not even a fan of tennis particularly. She looks like a goddess and excels like a champion unashamed and unafraid of her own power and talent. I imagine her with flames coming out of her hands and lightning off of her head! She is awesome as an athlete but also as a woman trained for the kind of beauty that is health and strength and energy, not for the leering gaze of others; in other words, real beauty, not obscene posing.
4
There is absolutely no denying her talent and work ethic. But she lost me forever as a fan after her expletive-laden threats towards the lineswoman at the U.S. Open and her dismissive and insincere apology. That incident spoke to me not of her competitiveness but her character and I didn't like what I saw.
12
Serena's dynamic and explosive style of play, even with her staunch "to thine own self be true" demeanor, appeals to me far more than the noisy squeals and grunts and howls of Maria Sharapova. Yet the tennis coaches and rules nev disallow these unattractive and distracting sounds on the court. Serena's demeanor is her distinctive champion attitude and (absent foul language) with her usual careful rule observance, distinguishes her game and individual style. I wish Serena all my best in achieving her sought-after Grand Slam!
2
For the author, racial identification is sufficiently strong enough for her to hope that Ms Williams 'wins'. Regrettably, this is fair enough, as most Caucasians probably hope that Ms Sharapova 'wins', too.
Translated into the marketing word, these sentiments offer two realities:
* 'Hoping' takes precedent over actually winning
** Far more Caucasians play tennis than do Blacks.
It's therefore hardly surprising that Ms Sharapova obtains the majority of endorsements; Ms Evert's sarcasm is misplaced. The advertising world ('corporate'?) likes individuals who sell products.
Translated into the marketing word, these sentiments offer two realities:
* 'Hoping' takes precedent over actually winning
** Far more Caucasians play tennis than do Blacks.
It's therefore hardly surprising that Ms Sharapova obtains the majority of endorsements; Ms Evert's sarcasm is misplaced. The advertising world ('corporate'?) likes individuals who sell products.
3
What makes this a great column is that it is NOT about racism, except incidentally. It is about how to be a human being when confronted with extreme obstinate stupid hatred.
As a deeply engaged white homosexual rights activist over the last 43 years, I know a little about that. Early on I learned both my effectiveness and my emotional well being depended on being grounded in a place far deeper than the hatred and scorn pushed at me or my reactions to pushed back. Serena has long shown and this column actually conveys the essence of what 'that' is.
How far uglier and more deeply rooted is the stupidity and hatred of racism than that of homophobia. Homophobia in the USA will be close to extinct in another 25 years -- racism seems much more persistent. Thank God for Serena, her sister, and her family -- powerful GRACE (an underrated word) under pressure, and a sign for all that can see.
As a deeply engaged white homosexual rights activist over the last 43 years, I know a little about that. Early on I learned both my effectiveness and my emotional well being depended on being grounded in a place far deeper than the hatred and scorn pushed at me or my reactions to pushed back. Serena has long shown and this column actually conveys the essence of what 'that' is.
How far uglier and more deeply rooted is the stupidity and hatred of racism than that of homophobia. Homophobia in the USA will be close to extinct in another 25 years -- racism seems much more persistent. Thank God for Serena, her sister, and her family -- powerful GRACE (an underrated word) under pressure, and a sign for all that can see.
7
Many of the comments below demonstrate how right you are about hatred. Serena has been a pro tennis player for almost 20 years and has had a handful of meltdowns like every other player on the tour. Yet, these are recounted over and over and over again.
5
It's not the meltdowns that bother me nearly as much as her absolute disregard for another player beating her because of superior play. It's always Serena had a bad day. Serena wasn't playing her best.
4
Gee, I don't know. Seems like a huge glorification of an emotionally undisciplined primadonna to me, even if she's also the greatest tennis player of all time.
Celebrate her great tennis, but crudely threatening a line official is not something to excuse because of race or because racism is perceived.
Tennis is a game. Professional tennis players excel at it and entertain us, but there are greater forms of heroism than becoming the best tennis player on the planet. It seems Serena has been well compensated for her trials and tribulations and dedicating her life to playing a game she loves. This piece seems way way over the top celebrating her greatness as a person as much as as a tennis player. Let's see what she does as a humanitarian after she retire before presenting her with these accolades.
I've never read such a piece about Michael Jordan.
Celebrate her great tennis, but crudely threatening a line official is not something to excuse because of race or because racism is perceived.
Tennis is a game. Professional tennis players excel at it and entertain us, but there are greater forms of heroism than becoming the best tennis player on the planet. It seems Serena has been well compensated for her trials and tribulations and dedicating her life to playing a game she loves. This piece seems way way over the top celebrating her greatness as a person as much as as a tennis player. Let's see what she does as a humanitarian after she retire before presenting her with these accolades.
I've never read such a piece about Michael Jordan.
16
Me thinks you never heard or saw John McEnroe play. " emotionally undisciplined primadonna" Or Jimmy Connors for that matter.Oh I'm sorry, they were both white males so I guess that makes it alright. "threatening a line official is" something that totally depends on..............white privilege? "Let's see what she does as a humanitarian after she retires before presenting her with these accolades." Seeing as how you are from Carmel NY, perhaps you should venture down to So Cal and check out some of the inner city courts where more and more kids of color are playing and using tennis as a vehicle to "level the playing field." I guess you missed the part in the article that touched on "in addition to being a phenomenon, she has come out of a long line of African-Americans who battled for the right to be excellent in a such a space that attached its value to its whiteness and worked overtime to keep it segregated." So take off the blinders and try to look at life from the POV and perspective of someone other than yourself. Its not just about you anymore. The world has moved on! Deal with it!
7
And you never will. Jordan was obsessed only with his own glory and the big bucks of selling overpriced shoes. Hey, let's get to the casinos where I don't have to tip anybody. Not at all a body to emulate.
1
Are you seriously maintaining that John McEnroe, aka The Brat, didn't get bad press for his outbursts?
4
Lost all respect after she should her true temperament cussing out lines lady at US Open couple years ago .
8
You may not like the style in which Serena sometimes expresses her disagreement but, I suspect that comments such as these only reveal how little their authors understand the true nature of world class competitiveness.
5
I don't follow professional tennis, but I am still in awe of the Williams sisters. It is Serena's time in the spotlight, and I cheer for her victories. She, like her sister, is strong, beautiful, and true.
4
Can't we just appreciate Serena's unquestionable talent without talking about her race, or worse, using it as an excuse for her bad behavior?
Claudia Rankine says of Serena that, "Her excellence doesn't mask the struggle it takes to achieve each win." Really? By this logic we should applaud when she tells a lines-woman she's gonna "f-ing stuff the f-ing ball down her f-ing throat'? This does a disservice to the majority of tennis players who also struggle to achieve and manage to be respectful to others.
This was more hagiography than profile and would've been far less annoying if it was titled "what Serena means to me" than "the meaning of Serena williams.
Claudia Rankine says of Serena that, "Her excellence doesn't mask the struggle it takes to achieve each win." Really? By this logic we should applaud when she tells a lines-woman she's gonna "f-ing stuff the f-ing ball down her f-ing throat'? This does a disservice to the majority of tennis players who also struggle to achieve and manage to be respectful to others.
This was more hagiography than profile and would've been far less annoying if it was titled "what Serena means to me" than "the meaning of Serena williams.
19
But this article does emphasize her race.
Easy for you you to type. You've clearly never "...walked a mile in her shoes." Arm chair, indeed arms length, vivisections are so trendy these days and are, well, so all just enumerated.
2
Serena is the greatest tennis player in history and the single greatest competitor I've ever seen. But equating her at-times boorish behavior on the court with "being yourself," or portraying those who see her immature on-court moments of "rage" as racist is a bit silly. John McEnroe was boorish and brilliant on the court and writers rationalized his adolescent, self-centered outbursts as his "artistic temperament." By his own admission, he was simply being a petulant kid. So is Serena. Mac grew up once he left the sport. I"m sure Serena will too. Let's not simplify the systemic issues of racism in this country with a magnificent champion's journey to understand and master her own behavior.
10
Serena is among the top three finest tennis players ever, male or female. Margaret Court won several Australian Opens at a time when it had become so devalued that the top players didn't even bother to compete.
All of Steffi's Graf's grand slam wins after the tragic stabbing of Monica Seles should have an asterisk next to them.
Serena, however, competes in a totally different era. Today's top players are faster and fitter.
Serena will never be as popular as Maria Sharapova or ridiculously, this year's blonde, whoever that might be (Kournikova, Bouchard, etc). Some of this disdain she's brought upon herself due to her bullying and outbursts on the court, but much of it comes how our society still perceives women and race.
Alas, as enlightened as we like to believe we are, old superficial stereotypes regarding female behavior and attractiveness continue to pervade.
P.S. The author's rude, jingoistic comments to that poor man trying to simply enjoy the match were uncalled for. It almost made me stop reading. I remember when you were allowed to cheer for your favorite player (Goolagong, Borg), regardless of which country they were from.
All of Steffi's Graf's grand slam wins after the tragic stabbing of Monica Seles should have an asterisk next to them.
Serena, however, competes in a totally different era. Today's top players are faster and fitter.
Serena will never be as popular as Maria Sharapova or ridiculously, this year's blonde, whoever that might be (Kournikova, Bouchard, etc). Some of this disdain she's brought upon herself due to her bullying and outbursts on the court, but much of it comes how our society still perceives women and race.
Alas, as enlightened as we like to believe we are, old superficial stereotypes regarding female behavior and attractiveness continue to pervade.
P.S. The author's rude, jingoistic comments to that poor man trying to simply enjoy the match were uncalled for. It almost made me stop reading. I remember when you were allowed to cheer for your favorite player (Goolagong, Borg), regardless of which country they were from.
18
Serena is an all-time great champion (soon to be the greatest?).
But I find this article a bit off-putting.
"There is nothing wrong with Serena, but surely there is something wrong with the expectation that she be ‘‘good’’ while she is achieving greatness."
What is wrong with being "good"? That is what I expect of all the champions I root for. That is what I expect from any human being. No one is saying to submit meekly to insult, of course not, one should strike back. But what can be wrong with expecting someone to be "good"? Does the author see this as a new fronteer of racism that white people secretly invented? I must be missing something.
But I find this article a bit off-putting.
"There is nothing wrong with Serena, but surely there is something wrong with the expectation that she be ‘‘good’’ while she is achieving greatness."
What is wrong with being "good"? That is what I expect of all the champions I root for. That is what I expect from any human being. No one is saying to submit meekly to insult, of course not, one should strike back. But what can be wrong with expecting someone to be "good"? Does the author see this as a new fronteer of racism that white people secretly invented? I must be missing something.
16
The reason the guy (in this story) was rooting, as so many of us were, for Vika Azarenka, is because Azarenka had the courage to believe she could stand-up to and win against Serena's hegemony over "big-babe tennis," the tennis of the big hitters.
People similarly hope for Sloane Stevens to upset the apple-cart. Also Belinda Bencic of Switzerland (who just beat Serena in a summer tournament.) Also, Madison Keys: All of these are likely opponents for Serena Williams in her half of the draw.
Let's see an upset!
Serena was reportedly not able to rely on her best serving earlier this summer, due to some sort of arm soreness. I'd love to see an upset, and I'd love to see Bencic break-out and beat Serena again, this time for more marbles, as it were, and I'd love to the Swiss kid win the U.S. Open.
People similarly hope for Sloane Stevens to upset the apple-cart. Also Belinda Bencic of Switzerland (who just beat Serena in a summer tournament.) Also, Madison Keys: All of these are likely opponents for Serena Williams in her half of the draw.
Let's see an upset!
Serena was reportedly not able to rely on her best serving earlier this summer, due to some sort of arm soreness. I'd love to see an upset, and I'd love to see Bencic break-out and beat Serena again, this time for more marbles, as it were, and I'd love to the Swiss kid win the U.S. Open.
5
may be because of her un -sportwoman like behaviour earlier on in her career
has left a some what sour taste in many peoples minds
that being said, she is undoubtedly the greatest tennis player of today......
has left a some what sour taste in many peoples minds
that being said, she is undoubtedly the greatest tennis player of today......
I love Serena Williams Hurricane is the game Good Luck Open US
With all due respect to the heart and determination Serena Williams has displayed, has anyone seriously explored the possibility of performance enhancement as a contributing factor for her success? This is not to judge or condemn her, but she does look unnaturally muscular both in terms of muscle volume and muscle tone from an objective standpoint. It's important to keep in mind the current sports environment that has given us repeated steroid/performance enhancement abusers in baseball, football, bike racing, and other high visibility/high pay-out sports. It sounds all too cynical, but I'm hesitant to lionize today's champions before knowing all the facts, as we've been burned before all too often, especially when the story involves a comeback with an athlete who has almost miraculously revived his or her athletic career and performance.
6
A remarkable piece and it was an great learning about one of the greatest American athlete of our time, undoubtedly in same league as Jesse Owens.
Jesse Owens America's four-time Olympic gold medalist was credited with single-handedly crushing Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy perhaps the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history. His achievement of setting three world records and tying another in less than an hour at the 1935 Big Ten track meet has been called "the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport" and has never been equaled.
"a symbol to all who run
for the freedom of sport,
for the spirit of humanity"
tribute to Jesse Owens can equally true of Serena too.
Jesse Owens America's four-time Olympic gold medalist was credited with single-handedly crushing Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy perhaps the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history. His achievement of setting three world records and tying another in less than an hour at the 1935 Big Ten track meet has been called "the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport" and has never been equaled.
"a symbol to all who run
for the freedom of sport,
for the spirit of humanity"
tribute to Jesse Owens can equally true of Serena too.
5
What we really need, forget black or white or other, is someone to lead our country to greatness again.
"On tennis and black excellence."
That title offends me.
How about "On tennis and human excellence."
She is beautiful, lovely of face, and a graceful strength of body. She moves about the court ,, it is a dance, purposeful, strong. She wacks the ball as hard as anyone, breaking concrete with a sledge hammer.
By all appearances, by her public persona, a superior human being.
What does 'black' have to do with anything? Get your head on straight. We,,, WE,,every blessed one of us,, have left 1965 behind. Or should have.
That title offends me.
How about "On tennis and human excellence."
She is beautiful, lovely of face, and a graceful strength of body. She moves about the court ,, it is a dance, purposeful, strong. She wacks the ball as hard as anyone, breaking concrete with a sledge hammer.
By all appearances, by her public persona, a superior human being.
What does 'black' have to do with anything? Get your head on straight. We,,, WE,,every blessed one of us,, have left 1965 behind. Or should have.
8
Excellent, excellent article.
2
First off - I generally cheer for Serena. I think she's a fantastic athlete and probably the best tennis player who has ever lived. I don't doubt she, like probably every single other black person, has experienced racism. She also experiences it on the court - for this there is plenty of evidence.
My issue with this article in particular and with calls of racism in general is that not every single thing that goes wrong for a black person IS actually attributed to racism. Please let us not forget to examine the evidence before rushing to judgement. Is there a serious problem with racism in the US (and the world)? YES! But it cannot always be the knee-jerk, absolute reason for every ill that befalls someone of color.
The author here clearly cannot write an article about Serena Williams without drooling over her subject with every word. Serena is a fierce tennis player, a gorgeous woman, and someone I love to watch play her sport - but she can also be a selfish opponent and a mean-spirited, temper-tantruming child at the same time. There are plenty of other people who go through life with the deck stacked against them in a much harsher way than our subject here, at the same time managing to keep a modicum of self-control.
I'm rooting for Serena in this year's Open - not because she's black and successful, but because I'm hopeful she can break some records. She has definitely earned it!
My issue with this article in particular and with calls of racism in general is that not every single thing that goes wrong for a black person IS actually attributed to racism. Please let us not forget to examine the evidence before rushing to judgement. Is there a serious problem with racism in the US (and the world)? YES! But it cannot always be the knee-jerk, absolute reason for every ill that befalls someone of color.
The author here clearly cannot write an article about Serena Williams without drooling over her subject with every word. Serena is a fierce tennis player, a gorgeous woman, and someone I love to watch play her sport - but she can also be a selfish opponent and a mean-spirited, temper-tantruming child at the same time. There are plenty of other people who go through life with the deck stacked against them in a much harsher way than our subject here, at the same time managing to keep a modicum of self-control.
I'm rooting for Serena in this year's Open - not because she's black and successful, but because I'm hopeful she can break some records. She has definitely earned it!
14
The thing is, if you are a person of color and "things go wrong," you always have to wonder is it me? Is it racism? "Things" tend to "go wrong" more often for some of us than others.
1
Too darned bad the designer put the type over the main picture so that we cannot totally enjoy the wonderful portrait of Serena Williams.
2
It might come as a surprise to some that Black children are taught that they have to be twice as good in order to achieve their ambitions in a White world.
the William sisters, of course, were no exception. Entering an elitist, white sport, as harsh as it seemed, they had to be conditioned to withstand the racism they would, without a doubt encounter.
these young sisters were never embraced as the phenoms they clearly were. For years they were insulted and dismissed on air by white women commentators . Often I was forced to turn down the sound on my television screen. The more extraordinary the play of the sisters on the court, the more the snide, sneering, and petty remarks became.
It has only been in the past few years, when the numbers based on Serena's Herculean efforts, have muted the blatant derision. Nowadays one of the main offenders makes a point of bringing up some game in the past where Serena was "beat" after some spectacular play made by the athlete.
In reality, Blacks have to be more than twice as good as Miss Williams has illustrated.
the William sisters, of course, were no exception. Entering an elitist, white sport, as harsh as it seemed, they had to be conditioned to withstand the racism they would, without a doubt encounter.
these young sisters were never embraced as the phenoms they clearly were. For years they were insulted and dismissed on air by white women commentators . Often I was forced to turn down the sound on my television screen. The more extraordinary the play of the sisters on the court, the more the snide, sneering, and petty remarks became.
It has only been in the past few years, when the numbers based on Serena's Herculean efforts, have muted the blatant derision. Nowadays one of the main offenders makes a point of bringing up some game in the past where Serena was "beat" after some spectacular play made by the athlete.
In reality, Blacks have to be more than twice as good as Miss Williams has illustrated.
9
Serena has unquestionably had to endure racial (and other) indignities throughout her life. And there is no doubt in my mind that a significant racial element comes into play when Maria Sharapova out earns Serena in global commercial endorsements.
But why do so many of the people who have cheered on James Blake, Sloane Stephens, Chanda Rubin, Donald Young, Gael Monfils, Alexandra Stephenson, Mal Washington, Zina Garrison, Scoville Jenkins etc cheer against Serena? Does a white tennis fan have to cheer for all black players to be considered not racist? Who does the white American fan root for if a white American is playing a black foreigner?
But why do so many of the people who have cheered on James Blake, Sloane Stephens, Chanda Rubin, Donald Young, Gael Monfils, Alexandra Stephenson, Mal Washington, Zina Garrison, Scoville Jenkins etc cheer against Serena? Does a white tennis fan have to cheer for all black players to be considered not racist? Who does the white American fan root for if a white American is playing a black foreigner?
7
While you make some valid points, one does have to recognize that of the list of very fine tennis players you mentioned, none approaches the level of achievement of Serena Williams. So one could answer that some white fans may root for good or even great black players, but not the once-in-a-lifetime dominant black player. Is that true? I don't know. But it's worthy of a discussion. Interestingly many white fans cheered for Tiger Woods in the just-as-white-world of golf and his endorsement earning dwarfed those of any other golfer of his time, as all as those of Sharparova. Is it the combination of blackness and femaleness that keeps Williams from this sort of payday. Do other factor's play a role? Again, questions that merit an in depth multi-sided conversation which neither your comment not this article fully address.
5
None of those players integrated the sport and at the same time changed the game of women's tennis forcing some of their most celebrated white, elite players to retire from the gane.
None of those players mentioned, so emphatically threatened the racists sense of inate superiority. I have no doubt that if any of those players had so emphatically dominated the game as has Serena, they too would be subjected to the same treatment.
None of those players mentioned, so emphatically threatened the racists sense of inate superiority. I have no doubt that if any of those players had so emphatically dominated the game as has Serena, they too would be subjected to the same treatment.
2
Never mind her ducking tests for doping. Never mind illnesses that mainly occur in athletes who dope. Never mind that time she refused to answer the door when an official came to giver her a drug test (she claimed, laughably, that she though it was an attempted home invasion robbery). Never mind that John McEnroe was given plenty of flack for his on-court behavior. Never mind she's playing in a stadium named after a beloved African-American tennis player. People just don't like her because she's black.
12
"Only after they give one hundred and fifty percent will white Americans recognize black excellence for what it really is."
I thought I would be reading an article about Serena's exuberance, joy, excellence. However, the point of the article seems to be stated somewhat questionably above, questionably in that one would expect the "they" in the sentence to refer to "white Americans." The author uses Russians and short Asians to make her case against white Americans. And she finds it surprising and unjust that a tall, thin and "blonde" tennis player is more "marketable" than Serena without even recognizing the irony of the term.
The "feel good about Serena" article has turned into a "feel bad about yourself if you're white" article. I hope that the author has some white friends who don't fit the stereotype she offers of white Americans.
I thought I would be reading an article about Serena's exuberance, joy, excellence. However, the point of the article seems to be stated somewhat questionably above, questionably in that one would expect the "they" in the sentence to refer to "white Americans." The author uses Russians and short Asians to make her case against white Americans. And she finds it surprising and unjust that a tall, thin and "blonde" tennis player is more "marketable" than Serena without even recognizing the irony of the term.
The "feel good about Serena" article has turned into a "feel bad about yourself if you're white" article. I hope that the author has some white friends who don't fit the stereotype she offers of white Americans.
4
I am continuously bothered by the term "racism." There is only one race, the human race, homo sapiens. Is there prejudice? Yes, but it is not based on race. Get another term. We are not going to solve programs unless we are all talking about the same thing. How about ethnic differences?
8
Racism exists. It's a social construct. It's a system of power sustained through white privilege and white supremacy.
3
What's the prejudice based on then?
1
I'm guessing that you are white.
5
Because of Serena I became a fan of tennis -- have never played -- but Serena inspires me. She has great and amazing energy, spirit, courage, and talent. She is Beautiful. She is also extremely intelligent and in that regard surpasses everyone in terms of her mental game. I want Serena to win because she's great, she has a great heart and because every victory is a defeat of the racists who disparage her. I am always for Serena and love how she has matured and grown and how her graciousness shines through more and more. She's an inspiration to all women, whatever color, and I just love her. Go Serena!
14
She'll be playing in a stadium named after a beloved African-American tennis player and you think her critics are racists? Here's the thing: Arthur Ashe didn't dope.
3
I get so tired of manifestos essentially telling me I must be racist if I'm not black and that racism in sports is an exclusively American phenomenon. Haven't you noticed the extensive and appalling problem of racist fans in international soccer? You don't see much of that in baseball or American football. But you insist on making Serena your personal manifesto. To me, as a regular whi
15
What article did you read? Nowhere in this article did it state that if you are non Black you are a racist. Or are you saying that just because you share or support the denigrating of opinions and actions with which Serena has had to contend, you are not a racist?
Because there are racists denigrating Black athletes in the world does not justify that kind of racial hatred happening here.
Because there are racists denigrating Black athletes in the world does not justify that kind of racial hatred happening here.
5
What a gorgeous and powerful cover photo. I see a lot of sensitivity and strength in her expression.
7
There's one Venus and one Serena. Sometimes Venus beats Serena. I don't know how they manage to play against each other. In the beginning it was absurd and unbelievable. But as the years went on, we saw two champions really give her all to beat the other. With Love.
Any comparison to Sharapova, who calls herself Russian, is absurd. That girl lives in America, earns her money in America, is consistently beaten by Americans, and is an unsuccessful Cougar.
I cheer for Serena. People who only see her as black, don't really understand the progress of America. Serena epitomizes that progress.
I look forward to 22 this coming September, and many others afterwards. I'd hate to be a woman, period, but to be a woman playing against Serena must be frightening.
Any comparison to Sharapova, who calls herself Russian, is absurd. That girl lives in America, earns her money in America, is consistently beaten by Americans, and is an unsuccessful Cougar.
I cheer for Serena. People who only see her as black, don't really understand the progress of America. Serena epitomizes that progress.
I look forward to 22 this coming September, and many others afterwards. I'd hate to be a woman, period, but to be a woman playing against Serena must be frightening.
7
I've been watching her for years, and it's awful when she loses because you can tell it's just anxiety and not lack of athletic prowess, so just like her, I'm just thinking about her getting through the US Open. I'll breathe a sigh of relief. She's the best, but there is no guarantee!!! The US Open will be exciting to watch!
3
It's obvious what's wrong. She was caught "Being Excellent While Black."
The fact that even Americans will often not support her, and so many mock her appearance, and are so reluctant to give her or her sister their due tells you how much racism we still have running through the fabric of this nation.
The fact that even Americans will often not support her, and so many mock her appearance, and are so reluctant to give her or her sister their due tells you how much racism we still have running through the fabric of this nation.
15
Most people don't dislike her because of race but because she is a spoiled primadonna. Connors and MacEnroe are white and also were jerks at the height of their careers.
3
It seems to me that the ugly comments made online about her appearance are in the same hateful vein as all the comments made about women's appearances online (and elsewhere) and have much less to do with race than with being female in America. One of the reasons I find Serena Williams awesome is that her presence seems to say that she's standing up for all women in some way, maybe for black women in particular, but all women in general. She's FIERCE and she doesn't sound like a little whiney girl with a question mark at the end of every sentence and she's from California but she doesn't talk "valley girl" and she's just so powerful. The old song, "I am woman, hear me roar" reminds me of her.
3
Serena's power, beauty, faith, and athleticism absolutely stun me. I want to shove a [expletive] ball down the throat of all who dare to judge her by race or body type. Serena Williams you are a true inspiration for all!
7
Reading this article reminds me of a story I first when living in Mallorca.
Two lions are strolling in the galleries of a museum looking at the paintings when they come upon a painting of a man pulling apart the jaws of large lion on the verge of tearing the lion apart.
The two lion look at each other and smile and one of them tells the other:
"Obviously this was painted by a man."
Simon Bryquer
The
Two lions are strolling in the galleries of a museum looking at the paintings when they come upon a painting of a man pulling apart the jaws of large lion on the verge of tearing the lion apart.
The two lion look at each other and smile and one of them tells the other:
"Obviously this was painted by a man."
Simon Bryquer
The
2
I think she has mellowed with time. I've watched most of her recent matches and noticed that she even applauds her opponents' good points even when she is trailing. I admire her grit and as a true sports lover I just want to keep watching her play..Go SERENA!!
8
I guess as much as ever, when I read this it reminds me how the struggles of Black America, are in essence the struggles of America.
1
Serena is so fierce, so affecting, that I sometimes weep in awe after her victories. She represents power and intelligence in sport like no one I can think of male or female.
A person can mean more than her greatness, and, for me, I cannot separate the simpatico that I feel for her from the fact that she is Black as I am from a rough and tumble neighborhood (I grew up in the South Bronx) and has survived in a predominantly white milieu (I am an ivy-league grad who works in a corporate law environment).
I love Serena partly because she has been so unapologetic about every emotion she reveals on court — her joy, her anger, her competitiveness, her self-criticisms, her ups, her downs, her steel resolve, her love for what she does. She gives you every single emotion. Little else matters than being excellent in her sport while showing us a human side that disregards playing games about whom she is and whom she wants to be.
Thank you Serena for being all of you and for letting us experience the sport in a way that lets us see just a bit of the process of surviving and thriving both when the tennis world begrudged your presence and when they welcomed it. It seems trite, but I share the author's sense that I walk a little taller because you allow me to not only root for you, but you also help me root for me in my little battles.
A person can mean more than her greatness, and, for me, I cannot separate the simpatico that I feel for her from the fact that she is Black as I am from a rough and tumble neighborhood (I grew up in the South Bronx) and has survived in a predominantly white milieu (I am an ivy-league grad who works in a corporate law environment).
I love Serena partly because she has been so unapologetic about every emotion she reveals on court — her joy, her anger, her competitiveness, her self-criticisms, her ups, her downs, her steel resolve, her love for what she does. She gives you every single emotion. Little else matters than being excellent in her sport while showing us a human side that disregards playing games about whom she is and whom she wants to be.
Thank you Serena for being all of you and for letting us experience the sport in a way that lets us see just a bit of the process of surviving and thriving both when the tennis world begrudged your presence and when they welcomed it. It seems trite, but I share the author's sense that I walk a little taller because you allow me to not only root for you, but you also help me root for me in my little battles.
10
"I love Serena partly because she has been so unapologetic about every emotion she reveals on court — her joy, her anger, her competitiveness, her self-criticisms, her ups, her downs, her steel resolve, her love for what she does. She gives you every single emotion."
For most of U.S. history, black Americans have been allowed only two emotions: "happy" or "go-lucky". It's great that Serena displays all of the emotions, including anger, that every human being has.
I'm reminded of the criticism against black NFL players who dared to dance in the end zone to celebrate having sacked a (white) quarterback. Now, they're criticized for praying on one knee. Tim Tebow?
It seems to me, if you work twice as hard, you're likely to die twice as young. Exceptional people like Serena will always rise to the top. If this nation was just, the average black American would not have to work any harder than the nearest mediocre white American to receive the same rewards.
For most of U.S. history, black Americans have been allowed only two emotions: "happy" or "go-lucky". It's great that Serena displays all of the emotions, including anger, that every human being has.
I'm reminded of the criticism against black NFL players who dared to dance in the end zone to celebrate having sacked a (white) quarterback. Now, they're criticized for praying on one knee. Tim Tebow?
It seems to me, if you work twice as hard, you're likely to die twice as young. Exceptional people like Serena will always rise to the top. If this nation was just, the average black American would not have to work any harder than the nearest mediocre white American to receive the same rewards.
2
Magnificent is the right word. Maybe some corporations don't sign Serena because she would eclipse them. Just look at those photos. But as to the question of African-Americans needing to be excellent, or needing to give 150 percent to be recognized by white Americans... Every human being - champion or not - deserves respect. The idea that an African-American should strive to be doubly accomplished in order to get that respect can be quite destructive. If I am only modestly capable in a given area, the notion that I must be twice as good as others could just cause me to fold my tent and give up altogether. That's not a good outcome.
2
A great but arrogant player and one of the poorest sports I've ever seen. She's turned her back on fellow players by playing exhibitions and tournaments in countries that openly discriminate for a princely appearance fee. She's never been beaten by an oponent - only by her own poor play - just ask her!
10
Envy is a destructive disease!
3
@Brains, envy, and ignoring the truth I might add.
1
That L.S.M. was telling for two reasons. 1) Only 3 women total even made it on the top 100 list. 2) Sharapova, who is *dominated* by Serena, and isn't even close to being as good as she is, makes *double* Serena's endorsements. Women athletes are not prized by our male hierarchical system for their athletic endeavors. They don't receive endorsement deals for being great at their sport; they get them for being attractive. In our white male hierarchical system only white (especially blonde) women are considered the epitome of beauty and so rake in the endorsement deals. Serena is fighting both misogyny and racism, as black women are forced to do.
Her sister Venus is a hero for fighting for equal pay for women tennis players.
Serena and her sister are heroes for many reasons and I'm cheering hard for their continued success!!! Rooting hard for Serena to win her 4th Slam this year and many beyond that!!!
Her sister Venus is a hero for fighting for equal pay for women tennis players.
Serena and her sister are heroes for many reasons and I'm cheering hard for their continued success!!! Rooting hard for Serena to win her 4th Slam this year and many beyond that!!!
8
We will not be free of the past until there is no longer such a thing as "Black Excellence," and only "excellence" remains to be admired.
12
Empty sloganeering. All the haters posting here and railing against Serena, do so for one reason, and that is her skin color. Had Serena been white and blonde like Sharapova, she would have been hailed as the next greatest thing since sliced bread.
2
Sorry, but I was brought up on having basic manners, even in the heat of play. What she said to the ref was way over the top. I have no more respect for her than for Jimmy Conners.
15
Serena Williams is "Excellence" personified. She is not perfect -- But as one of the most passionate female tennis players in the modern era, she strives to be the best player on the court -- she wants to win each and every time. We will never see another athlete play the game like Serena in our lifetime and that is why I relish watching her play match, after match, after match because she teaches us all how we can be champions in life-- We fight our hardest to win or we lose gracefully and rebound to play this game of life on another day...
6
Claudia Rankine, I think this is a very good article that covers issues surrounding the same old crusty narrative that blacks athletes are causing the end of racism because of their excellence in sports. Now far as the 523 comments—and counting, please (re)read this article I think most of you all may have missed read the true intentions of author in this piece. Mrs. Rankine is telling us the truth about our world, about fame and the difficulties of being success and Black in our world.
3
As a Serena fan for so many years, I'm a bit concerned that this author identified the chair umpire as the one that called the infamous foot fault. I have seen that clip live and in my head so many times that it seems like an inexcusable mistake. Also, the focus on Serena receiving bad line calls in general sounds like bitter whining that the player herself would never lower herself to. That is part of what makes her so amazing.
4
Exactly how I feel. She does me proud as a Black girl from Compton flourishing in this previously all White world!! You can now deny when watching; that is a Black woman achieving at the All England Club!!
...Beyond proud.
...Beyond proud.
5
I used to be a fan (still am of Venus), but as a tennis player myself, i just find that she goes too far in her gamesmanship. O.K., fist pump. but she's just not a good sport. And please, it has nothing to do with racism. I don't care for Djokovic either. She's a great tennis player, but i don't respect her on-court demeanor. And lots of folks i know feel the same.
10
Please, they all do it, and a good point AGAINST her is sometimes celebrated like winning the lottery. She only gives as good as she gets.
1
Serena's gift is more related to her acting as any person of any race without regard to the burden of carrying one's race on one's sleeve. The author's attempt to drive Serena towards establishing her race as a primary motivation for her determination and hard work seems forced to fit the author's respectable agenda. Serena's strength of character allows her to be the champion she is and that in itself makes her a true national role model.
3
That tennis loss she experienced in a major, in my opinion, was the main reason for moving to electronic scorekeeping. I have never EVER seen a sporting event that made blatant incorrect calls so that Serena could not win the match. Yes, I saw the US basketball team lose to the Soviets at the olympics. That was bad...this was worse. There was no political nationality issue involved with Serena losing. It was bigotry in its worst form, and I'm white not an african american.
1
Wish I could sit down with Ms. Rankine and go over this article, as a white, male fan of Serena's, and discuss many of the points. I came away admiring the article in many ways but not agreeing, or perhaps better said, differing from her perspectives and with a desire to discuss them. No use discussing with the "fringe people" who are so biased they can't discuss, be they white or black racists, but I believe there's value in Ms. Rankine's article because she's not fringe, though I agree she took some liberties interpreting Serena's position and attitudes. One easy, and lesser important, issue is the highest paid athletes for endorsements...those are not strictly correlated to performance, as was pointed out, but with what the public likes, which is not strictly correlated to race. In the case of Sharapova there are, simply, more people who buy the products being promoted, who find Sharapova more attractive. For the record, I'm one of them (though I don't buy the stuff being sold)...which doesn't mean I don't find Serena attractive, I do. I also find Serena far more athletic, far, far more interesting, and would rather have dinner with her than Sharapova. Two different things. I'll conclude that I am not a fan of Kanye West's "That's what it is, black excellence, baby"; it's tennis excellence, athletic excellence and I was pleased to see Ms. Rankine's conclusion to her fine article where she said..."knowing that is is simply her excellence". It is.
5
Wake up corporate America! I relate more to Serena Williams than any other female athlete in the world, and I am not black: I am tall and blonde and American. I have been following her and her sister since I first saw an article in Vogue magazine in the 90's. Talk about staying power. They made tennis exciting again. Her grit and physique keep me in awe of how amazing she is. Her success story is one of the greatest of all times.
3
I do not root for Serena because I don't like her. Just like I would never root for Jimmy Connors. Both she and he are just mean people. Do you remember the last final she lost when she screamed at a lineswoman that she would kill her. Check out that video....she could have apologized but what she said about the incident afterward was luke warm at best.
Don't like her as a person. I don't consider skin color, just sportsmanship and humanity.
Don't like her as a person. I don't consider skin color, just sportsmanship and humanity.
14
How about the 99 per cent of the time when Serena took all kinds if abuse and unfair calls without rightfully being angry? Did you think she was "mean" then? It seems that you were just waiting for the opportunity to stereotype her.
3
After reading this article I feel I really understand the inner workings of her mind.
And by her, of course, I'm referring to Claudia Rankine, the author of this piece. Precious little of the article spoke about what Serena Williams thinks or feels. We get to hear quite about of what Ms. Rankin thinks Williams feels, but very little of that is confirmed in what few snippets we're given of the author's brief (or so it seems) interview with her subject and almost none of that is in Ms. Williams words.
Are we to trust that because Ms. Rankine is a gifted poet, she can look into the soul of another and tell us what resides there without confirmation? Or is it just that Rankine and Williams share gender and race, so each must know how the other feels?
Pretty writing. Poor journalism.
And by her, of course, I'm referring to Claudia Rankine, the author of this piece. Precious little of the article spoke about what Serena Williams thinks or feels. We get to hear quite about of what Ms. Rankin thinks Williams feels, but very little of that is confirmed in what few snippets we're given of the author's brief (or so it seems) interview with her subject and almost none of that is in Ms. Williams words.
Are we to trust that because Ms. Rankine is a gifted poet, she can look into the soul of another and tell us what resides there without confirmation? Or is it just that Rankine and Williams share gender and race, so each must know how the other feels?
Pretty writing. Poor journalism.
13
I wouldn't be surprised at all to find that tennis fans that cheer against Serena still cheer for Venus, Sloane, and cheered for Chanda. It's not about race to lots of people, just whether you like a person independent of ethnicity.
3
As the daughter of a tennis-loving mother who always watched matches on televison, I grew-up worshiping Serena Williams (and her sister) and wanted to be just like her. Granted I soon discovered I had no talent for tennis or any other type of sport but still look up to her this day. She is one of the best role models today for girls and women of all races and ethnicities.
2
The author is trying to do way too much here. Serena's story writes itself, no need to make it about race.
5
I thought Ms. Williams displayed uncommon grace and determination in declining to be baited into a litany of racial grievances by an interviewer who grossly insulted her under the guise of asking empathetic questions. Game. Set. Match.
4
First - I cheer for Serena ALWAYS! I love watching her play tennis. She is a captivating athlete. And, I also happen to find Serena to be gorgeous. Seriously people, are you naysayers all so brainwashed by the paper thin models preferred by Madison Avenue that you can no longer see beauty in a different sort of feminine form? Are people that scared by muscles on women? The bigger issue is why do members of the press (and wacky foreign tennis officials) even talk about her looks? Do any of the top male athletes have to put up with the press REPORTING on their looks??? Good golly, can't we just admire Serena for her many accomplishments?
26
Derek Jeter comes to mind although he (and other male athletes) probably doesn't mind...
Because she cares about her look as much or more than tennis.
She is a clothing designer. look at her earrings, shoes, underware.
Watch her at US OPen.
She is a clothing designer. look at her earrings, shoes, underware.
Watch her at US OPen.
while I admire Serena's acumen and mental toughness on the court, I find her overall conduct to be repulsive. The author never addresses the fact that Serena has a consistent track record of (1) belittling her opponents on those (relative rare) occasions when she loses, stating variations of "she didn't beat me, I played poorly", or "I was struggling with an injury", and (2) over the top on court conduct that would get a lesser player point penalties, and in the instance of the incident with the lineswoman at the US Open, should have earned her an ejection. Some of the readers like to compare Serena's behavior to the worst of John McEnroe, Connors and Nastase. Connors and Nastase were punks, and disgraces to the game. Nearly all of McEnroe's rages were at the absence of perfection - in himself, and in the officiating, which by most knowledgeable tennis observers was wildly inconsistent at best 25-35 years ago in his prime. At McEnroe's worst - the 1992 Australian Open, when he directed a obscene insult toward a chair umpire, he was ejected. McEnroe may be many things, but he has always been self aware, and apologized later for the outburst. Serena prefers to live in a cloud of self-victimhood, and to my knowledge has never apologized for any of her excesses. She is a champion in terms of her play, but hardly a role model otherwise
21
Then you really must've hated John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors.
1
She will never be a role model for most. She can't. It will be like asking water to flow up hill.
1
Careful, you'll be called a racist. it's all the rage! With a smattering of 'white privilege (which is really majority culture privilege, which apparently exists in any culture where a majority exists, who'd have thought?) and 'black this' 'white that'. It's all about diversity!
1
I feel sorry for people who don't appreciate what they can experience by following Serena Williams' career. She sets high standards for herself and is one terrific athlete. The only person I enjoy watching more is her sister, Venus, who has a different expression of passion, talent, and grit. I avoid Sharapova's matches, much as I did Monica Seles, because I find her orgasmic screaming upon striking each and every ball grating and frankly, too weird. A shame no trainer ever made her quit that habit.
Much as Barack and Michelle Obama are excoriated by some whites about everything, so is Serena. It's good they are all sufficiently self-confident and secure with themselves to not let it block them from achieving their great successes.
Much as Barack and Michelle Obama are excoriated by some whites about everything, so is Serena. It's good they are all sufficiently self-confident and secure with themselves to not let it block them from achieving their great successes.
12
"Whites need to know that it is no big deal?"
Which part?
The blatant racism or the body shaming (which in this case is impossible) or just the all around idiocy of envious trolls?
No - that is something us pigment challenged folks need to remember everyday. None of this garbage will ever happen to us - getting thrown off a wine train for enjoying time with your friends, being run down and arrested because we look vaguely like a suspect, or getting shot by a cop.
The (white) female MMA fighter on the cover of SI is held out as a paragon of combining grit and femininity. Nothing against her, but Serena is a champion who has dealt with the pressure of being expected to win ever time she plays most of her life, has dealt with some terrible, inexplicable treatment by tennis officials and handled with more grace than I would under those circumstances. JK got it right - the woman is beautiful and carries herself like a champion.
And it would be a TRAGEDY if she accidentally hit Trump with a serve when his is sitting in his box at the Open. A tragedy. It would be worse if it were to happen a dozen times. That would be awful.
Which part?
The blatant racism or the body shaming (which in this case is impossible) or just the all around idiocy of envious trolls?
No - that is something us pigment challenged folks need to remember everyday. None of this garbage will ever happen to us - getting thrown off a wine train for enjoying time with your friends, being run down and arrested because we look vaguely like a suspect, or getting shot by a cop.
The (white) female MMA fighter on the cover of SI is held out as a paragon of combining grit and femininity. Nothing against her, but Serena is a champion who has dealt with the pressure of being expected to win ever time she plays most of her life, has dealt with some terrible, inexplicable treatment by tennis officials and handled with more grace than I would under those circumstances. JK got it right - the woman is beautiful and carries herself like a champion.
And it would be a TRAGEDY if she accidentally hit Trump with a serve when his is sitting in his box at the Open. A tragedy. It would be worse if it were to happen a dozen times. That would be awful.
20
I have a hard time believing that Serena condones the use of her personal story - both the struggles and the stardom - as a platform to bring Ms. Rankine's narrative to light, despite how undoubtedly important that narrative is.
Serena is just as put off by Ms. Rankine's insistence on delving into the topic of race as the majority of this article's audience. Take this excerpt from the article:
"'You don't understand me,' Serena Williams said with a hint of impatience in her voice. 'I'm just about winning.' ...She looked at me with wariness as if to say, Not you, too."
Ms. Rankine recognizes Serena's impatience, but tragically misinterprets it as a reluctance to talk about record-chasing, when in reality, Serena is clearly frustrated with the realization that the interview will be used for yet another article where her race - not her racquet - is at the forefront.
Serena's on-court demeanor is so juxtaposed to her off-court tenderness that sports fans find her polarizing in a way comparable only to a list of GOATs. She's the Ali, the MJ, the Tiger of tennis. Willing to sacrifice just enough likability (and yes, marketability) off the court, she maintains her reputation as the possessor of an unrivaled killer instinct on it.
I'm less interested in Ms. Rankine spinning Serena's words to paint a picture Serena never intended them to, and more interested in celebrating Serena's tennis career for what it is: the greatest of all time - male or female, black or white.
Serena is just as put off by Ms. Rankine's insistence on delving into the topic of race as the majority of this article's audience. Take this excerpt from the article:
"'You don't understand me,' Serena Williams said with a hint of impatience in her voice. 'I'm just about winning.' ...She looked at me with wariness as if to say, Not you, too."
Ms. Rankine recognizes Serena's impatience, but tragically misinterprets it as a reluctance to talk about record-chasing, when in reality, Serena is clearly frustrated with the realization that the interview will be used for yet another article where her race - not her racquet - is at the forefront.
Serena's on-court demeanor is so juxtaposed to her off-court tenderness that sports fans find her polarizing in a way comparable only to a list of GOATs. She's the Ali, the MJ, the Tiger of tennis. Willing to sacrifice just enough likability (and yes, marketability) off the court, she maintains her reputation as the possessor of an unrivaled killer instinct on it.
I'm less interested in Ms. Rankine spinning Serena's words to paint a picture Serena never intended them to, and more interested in celebrating Serena's tennis career for what it is: the greatest of all time - male or female, black or white.
23
I doubt if you understand Serena Williams. You don't know her nor have you met her but it doesn't stop you from painting the worst portrait you can find. Ms. Rankine's portrait of Serena is not tragically misinterpreted. She did an interesting piece with a forthright perspective. Including Serena's race is unavoidable. Its the first thing most like you notice which is why many whites & others don't, won't or can't embrace Serena's excellence. Ms. Rankine is the professional writer not you and I liked her writing. "Black life wears you down," this is well researched by the CDC. Why? Because of bad treatment, false assumption based on racism. Why should Serena be silent about race when no one else is silent? We all know if Serena were white no way Sharapova would be ahead of her in endorsements--no matter what color hair. Indeed, Maria would be cast in the role of the Eastern bloc "bad villainess." Serena is a game changer she's brought an athletic seriousness & an excellence to women's tennis. She gives it substance placing the emphasis rightfully on achievement w/o losing any of her femininity. She's still a woman. She's not trashy like say, Jenifer Capriati. The abuse Serena gets is not even normal for an American sports champion---unless that champ is black. Race is a four letter, dirty word to you. That's why some don't want black folks to talk about just keep silent. But its time to deal with realities. Serena is held to a false standard.
3
Joelle, I don't think you understood my comment. I don't mean to paint 'the worst portrait [I] can find of her,' in fact, I was hoping to do the opposite. The main point of my comment was to illustrate that I, along with the majority of tennis fans and sports fans, love Serena, and think she's the best to ever play.
You're correct - I don't know Serena. I love that Serena is proud of her race and understands the social significance of her success, but as a lifelong tennis fan, and someone who follows the sport more closely than Ms. Rankine (though I'm sure her research on this topic is very extensive) I've picked up on the numerous times Serena has hoped to simply be recognized for her Excellence without it having be qualified as 'black.' Though I could be wrong, I recognized her quote in this article as another one of those instances.
I agree that Serena's race is something that should be mentioned with her story, it's an incredible part of it. I just believe that the tremendous obstacles she's overcome, and continues to overcome, because of her race should ADD to her legacy, not define it. When the majority of focus rests on the color of her skin, it prevents us as sports fans from rooting for the new script that Ms. Rankine illustrates, "one in which winning doesn't carry the burden of curing racism, in which we win just to win."
I just happen to think articles of this nature continually hold us back from getting to a climate where that script can thrive.
You're correct - I don't know Serena. I love that Serena is proud of her race and understands the social significance of her success, but as a lifelong tennis fan, and someone who follows the sport more closely than Ms. Rankine (though I'm sure her research on this topic is very extensive) I've picked up on the numerous times Serena has hoped to simply be recognized for her Excellence without it having be qualified as 'black.' Though I could be wrong, I recognized her quote in this article as another one of those instances.
I agree that Serena's race is something that should be mentioned with her story, it's an incredible part of it. I just believe that the tremendous obstacles she's overcome, and continues to overcome, because of her race should ADD to her legacy, not define it. When the majority of focus rests on the color of her skin, it prevents us as sports fans from rooting for the new script that Ms. Rankine illustrates, "one in which winning doesn't carry the burden of curing racism, in which we win just to win."
I just happen to think articles of this nature continually hold us back from getting to a climate where that script can thrive.
1
The author sure did a great job telling his readers about his thoughts and needs. Along the way, we got a glimpse of what we already knew - Serina Williams is an enormous tennis talent and an extraordinary individual who has made her share of mistakes.
3
I thought her pointing her finger in the air was acknowledging G-d's role in her win. Either way--the Almighty or "I'm #1"--it's a good thing!
3
Oh, good grief. Would this silly writer have scolded all the Bjorn Borg fans when Bjorn played McEnroe (an AMERICAN!!!) at the U.S Open? Makes you wonder why anybody shows up to watch a match between Sharapova and Azarenka (two white blondes), since racism is the only reason for liking one player over another. Yep, no white lady has ever had a door slammed in her face or turned "invisible" after 50. Yep, when white athletes accept a trophy, they only thank themselves. Good grief.
20
You are not making any sense. I would venture to guess that you are white (a safe bet) and that you react this way because you see yourself too much in this critiques for comfort. It is sad to be so unlucid as this.
3
Serena is a remarkable woman. She is a hard working focused athlete that excels at her sport and, I believe in public relations as well. I am white and grew up inner city poor along with 8 siblings and my parents. Though I am 68 years old at present, beginning at a very young age I worked hard to escape poverty. My admiration of people is one connected to their decency of nature, hard work and focus on the present and future. That admiration has nothing to do with color, nationality or wealth. I am certain that even today I would not be welcome in the country clubs of life or with those who have attained material riches. I'm fine with that and have never felt disadvantaged because of my humble or socially low class beginnings. I have no doubt that Black Americans, at the lower rungs of society, have had and continue to have a harder row to hoe than White Americans. I also believe that for anyone who spends their life living in the past and blaming others for their lack of accomplishment, however defined, pretty much sets themselves up for failure or at least feelings of failure. I salute you Serena for the shining light you are to all of us. In you, I don't see a Black woman. I see a remarkable woman.
14
wish I could "recommend" this a hundred times! I'm similar to you, and think similarly, only just a couple years younger!
"She points her finger at the sky, indicating she's number 1"
Unlike all the white athletes who point at the sky as a show of reverence to their Lord?
Unlike all the white athletes who point at the sky as a show of reverence to their Lord?
4
I for one much rather see Serena showing her grit in her commercials than all of the fluffy luxury brand advertising her "rival " signs up to, but to use sports earnings a measure of racism doesn't even pass the flimsiest smell test. Does Maria work harder on the commercial side while Serena focuses on her game? That is likely given the domination of Serena. Is she more aggressively represented? Who knows? Not me, and I suspect not the author.
Should Messi be upset that Ronaldo outearns him? Maybe Argentineans should. What about Tiger outearning McIlroy? Why did Mayweather take so much more home than Manny? Does Alonso really earn more than Vettel? And boy did Joe Johnson cut a great deal vs. about 100 other NBA players. So many injustices, let's analyze these. Or let's conclude that there are so many factors beyond performance and race that such comparisons are futile.
Serena is the best. Yes she has detractors with less than pure motives, but let us celebrate the strength and tenacity with which she has attacked life that has led her to her results. Please let us not use her as a vehicle to create yet another wedge with half-baked rants about unwitting spectators and endorsement earnings.
Should Messi be upset that Ronaldo outearns him? Maybe Argentineans should. What about Tiger outearning McIlroy? Why did Mayweather take so much more home than Manny? Does Alonso really earn more than Vettel? And boy did Joe Johnson cut a great deal vs. about 100 other NBA players. So many injustices, let's analyze these. Or let's conclude that there are so many factors beyond performance and race that such comparisons are futile.
Serena is the best. Yes she has detractors with less than pure motives, but let us celebrate the strength and tenacity with which she has attacked life that has led her to her results. Please let us not use her as a vehicle to create yet another wedge with half-baked rants about unwitting spectators and endorsement earnings.
3
I have to agree! I especially enjoy Serena's "Chase" commercial where her vibrant self confidence and complete love of her sport is so evident.
Let's see here..... that just isn't supposed to happen! A strong absolutely dominant -in-your-face player of the century that isn't white and isn't male! Some people are flummoxed and mortified- this doesn't compute in their perfect world order- consciously or unconsciously. Serena doesn't fit into a comfie stereotype, and unlike the women on the train in wine country that were LWB (laughing while black) she cannot be kicked off the train! She is awesomely beautiful and the greatest athlete of this century!!!!
9
Serena is often complimentary to her opponents and is polite & diplomatic during interviews. She is not what I would term "in your face." Richard Sherman is a good example of an in- your- face kind of athlete. Sorry but Serena is far from in your face.
1
I totally understand what racism, overt or otherwise that the Williams sisters have had to deal with. But two things: first, I take issue with the assertion that she has been the TARGETED recipient of bad line calls. Two, I do think manners and how respectful you are to others counts. Zina, Venus, Chandra Ruben and the epitome, Arthur Ashe, all have shown grace under pressure. Yes it's hard. Yes it's harder when you have even a well deserved chip on your shoulder. But Serena has non fans because of her behavior in large part, NOT because she is black. REALLY! and By the way, she is a beautiful woman, certainly! No excuse for the cretins that have attacked her looks, that is totally inexcusable. And racist, yes.
8
Actually, she has been "the TARGETED recipient of bad line calls". Go see the quarter final USO match between her and Capriati. That was the main reason why the Hawk Eye got introduced. The line calling was atrocious and blatantly biased. And no, it was not after her "I will shove..." incident in 2009. It was in 2004. These girls (she and Venus) had done nothing to court that kind of behaviour. But it had been happening in more ways than one.
Should she have responded differently? Perhaps yes. There is always a better way. The high road. But let the one who had never offended throw the first stone. It looks like you are the 'sinless' one. A saint. Although the very few saints I've met never judge. They are accepting and forgiven. Trust me, I am not one. I just keep praying to be a better person.
I am sure Serena probably prays to get better too. We've seen changes over the past few years. Have you?
Should she have responded differently? Perhaps yes. There is always a better way. The high road. But let the one who had never offended throw the first stone. It looks like you are the 'sinless' one. A saint. Although the very few saints I've met never judge. They are accepting and forgiven. Trust me, I am not one. I just keep praying to be a better person.
I am sure Serena probably prays to get better too. We've seen changes over the past few years. Have you?
2
All black must act alike. All blacks who play tennis must any resentment, must not react to any insult, or slur. They must always swallow their anger and fury whenever they are disrespected, insulted, attacked, demeaned or cheated by linespeople, umpires and officials no matter how frequent that may be. Black players when living under the media microscope must never show irritation, get flustered, insulted anyone, show annoyance, boredom or any emotions other than thankfulness, patience, gratitude and forgiveness at all times no matter how rudely or badly their treated. Black players must never make mistakes or upset anyone. Black players must be bland, dull, respectful of all players no matter how undeserving of respect they may be. Yet black players should never expect respect. Black players must never be human. Times have changed--Thank God! Serena is dragging tennis into the 21st century.
2
On the brothers thing, I can't resist sharing this in case anybody missed it. JK Rowling tweet:
""she is built like a man". Yeah, my husband looks just like this in a dress. You're an idiot."
https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/619886370081869824?lang=en
""she is built like a man". Yeah, my husband looks just like this in a dress. You're an idiot."
https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/619886370081869824?lang=en
5
This article is largely about racism, but the writing itself reeks of racism. The author points a lot of fingers... maybe she should take a look in the mirror.
30
Unfortunately, you are part of the problem; not part of the solution.
5
It's interesting how easily you discard the realities that people of color live with everyday. Merely because you don't think something occurs, does not invalidate its existence. I would posit that based on your unequivocal inability to understand what it means, much less, what it feels like to be black in this country, even less so what it means to be a black woman in this country, that your insensitive remarks highlights the extent of your passive, covert racism. If the writer of the piece had been white writing about a white woman, then I am certain you would have thought her words were life affirming like the morning dew. Instead you reach to label the author as racist, an impossible label based on her presentation of facts and experiences. You should be ashamed! How dare you insult and impugn. But then, is that not the way of the so-called civilized white man - to marginalize and then silence those that do not match their ideas of what is acceptable?
9
As a well-educated and, more importantly, as a cognizant and empathetic, female I took little issue with this piece. I found it fluent and I truly think she is a magnificent athlete and her very human approach to her sport and seemingly the world around her despite her fame is something I appreciate.
I won’t pretend to be the level of versed in such topics (realities) I believe to be necessary to use phrases like: “why does it always have to be about race”. However, there were two instances that stood out that compelled me to comment.
A) “...constant onslaught of racism…something as mundane as the guy who let the door slam in my face.” If anything, it was because the author is a woman, but it’s actually more likely that the author was in attendance at a massive sporting event and someone let it slip or maybe that guy was a jerk who, in which case, would’ve let the door also fall on me: a 23 year old blonde whose physical features fit the stereotypical ideal of what (white) men find attractive.
B) “A crucial component of white privilege is the idea that your accomplishments can be, have been, achieved on your own.” As a young professional living Manhattan, I have only ever credited my success to my hard working, single mother, who similarly credits her success to her hard-working mother. The notion that we, as an entire race group, swear off the successes of our predecessors as reason for our own is an irresponsible one. Entitlement comes in all colors, shapes, and sizes.
I won’t pretend to be the level of versed in such topics (realities) I believe to be necessary to use phrases like: “why does it always have to be about race”. However, there were two instances that stood out that compelled me to comment.
A) “...constant onslaught of racism…something as mundane as the guy who let the door slam in my face.” If anything, it was because the author is a woman, but it’s actually more likely that the author was in attendance at a massive sporting event and someone let it slip or maybe that guy was a jerk who, in which case, would’ve let the door also fall on me: a 23 year old blonde whose physical features fit the stereotypical ideal of what (white) men find attractive.
B) “A crucial component of white privilege is the idea that your accomplishments can be, have been, achieved on your own.” As a young professional living Manhattan, I have only ever credited my success to my hard working, single mother, who similarly credits her success to her hard-working mother. The notion that we, as an entire race group, swear off the successes of our predecessors as reason for our own is an irresponsible one. Entitlement comes in all colors, shapes, and sizes.
11
It is hard for me to separate out what is racism from other issues. I know I have unconscious biases against blacks having grown up in the United States. But I know that I enjoy watching Serena play and watching what she can do. Because she is so good, I don't enjoy watching women's tennis as much as men's these days. In men's tennis, Novak Djokovic is clearly the best. But in 2015 he lost to Wawrinka in the French, to Murray in Montreal, to Federer in Cincinnati. Her skill, power and court tactics are so far above the next best players that she rarely loses. So when I watch, it is to admire what she can do. When I watch men's tennis it's more engaging for me because anything can happen.
1
Did you watch men's tennis during Federer's reign? What about Nadal's domination? Djokovic is pretty dominant right now too. Wonder did you ever watch tennis when Steffi Graf reigned? How about Hingis and her brief time of domination? If you don't like dominant tennis then you shouldn't be watching the sport right now period. I can appreciate the sport in every era during eras of parity or sole domination. I prefer to see a few athletes or even one distinguishing themselves from the top with uncommon excellence. I prefer domination because that's when the history is made.
An athlete who does commercials for Pepsi is demonstrating contempt for the health and well-being of her fans.
3
@Pesach:
Anyone who drinks Pepsi (or Coke or Gatorade or Red Bull--take your pick) because a paid spokesperson (be she, athlete, musician or politician) endorses it, already has little or no regard for her health or well-being.
"Demonstrating contempt?" Since when did spokespersons for commercial products become responsible for citizens' "health and well-being?"
Your comment is such a non sequitur. "Did you even READ the very fine article Ms. Rankine has written?"
Anyone who drinks Pepsi (or Coke or Gatorade or Red Bull--take your pick) because a paid spokesperson (be she, athlete, musician or politician) endorses it, already has little or no regard for her health or well-being.
"Demonstrating contempt?" Since when did spokespersons for commercial products become responsible for citizens' "health and well-being?"
Your comment is such a non sequitur. "Did you even READ the very fine article Ms. Rankine has written?"
In the words of the urban prophet, Taylor Swift:
"[...] The haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off"
"[...] The haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off"
3
Two words: Arthur Ashe
10
Yes, A great American who played tennis. Are you implying that there is only one way for black athlete to "behave" . Jonny Mac was no Arthur Ashe. But what, is it ok because he is white?
1
A terrifically written essay about a terrifically talented and inspirational woman.
Beyond the meaning to African-Americans that is the focus of the essay--which touched me even though I am not black--the piece reminds us all of the importance of joy and humor and the need to express those emotions. Which is impossible unless you also share the frustration, rage and disappointments.
This paragraph in particular struck me: ‘‘I play for me,’’ Serena told me, ‘‘but I also play and represent something much greater than me. I embrace that. I love that. I want that. So ultimately, when I am out there on the court, I am playing for me.’’
Ms Rankine is to be congratulated on a piece that is insightful about Serena, the wider society and the commercial marketplace. By framing it in terms of her personal experience, she further enriched my understanding and appreciation not only of Serena, but of the power of compelling writing.
Beyond the meaning to African-Americans that is the focus of the essay--which touched me even though I am not black--the piece reminds us all of the importance of joy and humor and the need to express those emotions. Which is impossible unless you also share the frustration, rage and disappointments.
This paragraph in particular struck me: ‘‘I play for me,’’ Serena told me, ‘‘but I also play and represent something much greater than me. I embrace that. I love that. I want that. So ultimately, when I am out there on the court, I am playing for me.’’
Ms Rankine is to be congratulated on a piece that is insightful about Serena, the wider society and the commercial marketplace. By framing it in terms of her personal experience, she further enriched my understanding and appreciation not only of Serena, but of the power of compelling writing.
15
That's the only thing to which we can agree. It was good writing.
1
Good manners are a good idea regardless. McEnroe and others were pathetically repulsive. Ms. William is a fabulous woman: period. Our country is racist, hypocritical and overtly, and I am glad to see more and more condemnation instead of people starting sentences with I'm not racist but... or antisemite but, or sexist but. So here it is I am white therefore I am racist, a man therefore sexist but I am always gratified when an article such as this one helps me be less like that little by little. Thank you.
21
In defense of McEnroe it is an American trait to expect "fairness" and if you don't get it then you demand fairness. Add to that the notion that sport is supposed to be the most meritorious arena of all, combine this with being in the heat of battle, with a lot at stake then, you get McEnroe's rage. I'm not judging. Athlete's are people they aren't cookie cutter. I immensely enjoy the struggle, the battle of bodies & wills. I enjoy competition and I like to see the differences in personalities, competitive temperament and more. Yes, even in sport the boorish brute or the intense competitor has a place as well as the well behaved sportsperson of "fair play" and "perfect manners."
1
Umm, she's clear proof of what HGH can do for the human body. Same with Nadal. Absolutely no way those two are clean. Serena also has some clear behavior that proves she's doping, from outbursts to missing tests, to locking her changing room door.
Leaving race out of it, she's a doper.
Leaving race out of it, she's a doper.
10
there is more proof to question your minimal intelligence to question her on HGH. And btw, any athlete can be accused of PEDs. So, we should say they are all guilty until proven innocent (or in Serena's case, NEVER, according to the haters)
2
HGH makes one grow tall that would probably apply to Sharapova (with her Eastern Bloc pedigree). But seriously. None of the champion players of this era are doping--especially in women's tennis. The sport issued Olympic level doping tests soon as the Williams sisters began winning the big titles. Guess who they kept testing? Guess who kept passing the tests? Serena is clean try again. You can order the list of those who failed the test---the usual suspects. If it were a matter of doping they'd have run Serena out of the sport long ago. No she's real she trains when half the players are afraid to life a weight for fear of gaining muscle. You've got nothing. Try again. When Navratilova and Steffi Graf competed they didn't test--even at the 1988 Olympics tennis was re-entered as a "test sport." That's when Steffi won everything in sight. Maybe those two were so dominant because they were doping? Keep trying hater.
1
I was disappointed reading this article. Although racism is very much alive and well, not everything is about race. I for one, am not a big fan of Serena because of her attitude on court, for the same reason that I was not a big fan of McEnroe (a white male). It is quite disturbing to think that I would potentially be considered a racist purely because I am not a fan of Serena.
I sympathize with the writer and the African American community who have long suffered from hate and racism in this country. However, I find some aspects of this article dangerous and made me feel uncomfortable - and I am a person of color. How will we move forward if everything is seen through a racial lens?
I sympathize with the writer and the African American community who have long suffered from hate and racism in this country. However, I find some aspects of this article dangerous and made me feel uncomfortable - and I am a person of color. How will we move forward if everything is seen through a racial lens?
34
I couldn't agree more. To me Serena Williams has never been anything more than 'that awsome tennis player who seems to win every match.' When I started reading the article, I was insulted by the notion that I should look at her as a struggling African-American in a society still struggling with racism. Something wasn't right. I guess some people hold a hammer and all they see are nails.
2
I am overjoyed that someone finally covered this topic, specifically about Serena. An amazing article that encapsulates everything I've been thinking about Serena's fame (or lack thereof).
6
Thank you for this. I have no quarrel with your assessment of the meaning of white and black in the world of tennis and beyond. I do think black players face struggles that white players don't face and that many fans don't understand. I would like to say, however, that there is another layer of complication for Serena that is only hinted at here. And that has to do with judgment of the female body simply as female (or not). Serena is all muscle and power. There is still a great deal of unease with women who are so incredibly strong. Chris Evert was not just white and blond, she was not Martina Navratilova. If Serena owes a debt to the great black players who came before her, she also owes a debt to the women who came before her who dared to defy stereotypes of the female body and often paid the price for doing so, no matter their race.
12
Serena has the curves of a woman. She has large breasts, hips and a butt. What are you posting?
Game...Match...Championship Point...Calendar Slam...22...Hello Steffi!
Then its done...
Then its done...
Serena will never have as much class as Steffi. Not even close!
4
Steffi won 22 because Seles was stabbed. Before Seles got stabbed, she dominated everything as a teenager, and won 8 of the 9 slams she had entered. Seles stabbing was a god given gift to Steffi. Sans the stabbing, Steffi was looking at a dozen slams at best, most of them won before Seles began playing.
1
@Love Tennis and here I thought the article was talking about an athlete performing at the highest level in terms of performance. your comment that Serena will never have as much "class" as Steffi to me implies that she will never "be" Steffi and to that I reply that Isner will never "be" Federer. So your point is? We are talking titles and competition and I didn't see "class" holding a racket at any time during a match.
2
Is there any truth to the statement about "outrageous line calls" against Sernea Williams? Were there any calls in her favor that should not have been?
2
Serena's match against Jennifer Capriati is credited with the tennis association's decision to use HawkEye technology during tennis matches.
"In Serena Williams's quarterfinal loss to Jennifer Capriati at the 2004 US Open, many crucial calls were contested by Williams, and TV replays confirmed that the calls were indeed erroneous. Though most of the calls themselves were not reversed, there was one crucial overrule of a clearly incorrect call and the chair umpire Mariana Alves was removed from consideration for further matches at that year's U.S. Open. These errors prompted talks about line calling assistance especially as the Auto-Ref system was being tested by the U.S. Open at that time and was shown to be very accurate.[11]"
citation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawk-Eye
"In Serena Williams's quarterfinal loss to Jennifer Capriati at the 2004 US Open, many crucial calls were contested by Williams, and TV replays confirmed that the calls were indeed erroneous. Though most of the calls themselves were not reversed, there was one crucial overrule of a clearly incorrect call and the chair umpire Mariana Alves was removed from consideration for further matches at that year's U.S. Open. These errors prompted talks about line calling assistance especially as the Auto-Ref system was being tested by the U.S. Open at that time and was shown to be very accurate.[11]"
citation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawk-Eye
6
Beautiful artical
4
Serena Williams is the greatest female player of all time, and Venus is probably the second greatest. This "article" is beneath her. Leave the academic feminism/racial jargon in the classroom Ms. Rankine of Jamaica.
4
I feel really bad for the poor spectator who was hassled by Ms. Rankine. What a bummer. They guy is there to enjoy a match and he gets judged and scrutinized by this woman with an agenda. He could have scraped pennies together for that special day - she wouldn't know or apparently care. Tacky!
13
Two women in my lifetime have dramatically changed tennis - Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams. Both are "outsiders", although in different ways, and I think this contributes to their excellence. Serena has known, from the beginning, that she would have to utterly dominate on the court to have a shot at some of the off court recognition, and income, that far lesser white players enjoy. Two Serena Williams matches stand out for me - her utter demolition of Martina Hingis for her first U.S. Open win, and the supreme display of mental resilience in her match against Heather Watson at this year's Wimbledon. The mature combination of intelligence, psychology, and strength that are on display now are what makes Serena Williams the greatest.
I also want to thank the author for putting out the truth that all successful Black people were taught and internalized. We do have to be better to even have a chance. It is not fair, but it is true and if we don't teach it to future generations, it is only to their detriment.
I also want to thank the author for putting out the truth that all successful Black people were taught and internalized. We do have to be better to even have a chance. It is not fair, but it is true and if we don't teach it to future generations, it is only to their detriment.
21
A "bad call" is NOT a racist act. It happens to all of us, white, black, yellow, red, on and off the court. A champion, white, black, yellow, red, whatever, must be expected to respond to a bad call without threats of violence or uncontrolled anger.
Sorry, but black rage is no more important than Armenian rage or Palestinian rage, or Jewish rage or American Indian rage, or the rage of any other group that has been discriminated against throughout history...
Sorry, but black rage is no more important than Armenian rage or Palestinian rage, or Jewish rage or American Indian rage, or the rage of any other group that has been discriminated against throughout history...
12
Clearly you don't understand the motivation behind the calls nor do you understand the protocol in the sport of tennis. Order the rule book for 2009 before you post something uninformed.
It depends upon where you live. If you live in the geographic region of black rage than its more important.
i find her insufferable -- a little humility would not hurt, not to mention respect
10
Her success enrages you. That's your problem---not hers, not mine. You need to change because that's the only person you can change.
2
At first I thought the article was a wry, satirical piece and I was waiting for the payoff. When I realized that it was serious, then it got really funny to me. I live near the stadium here in the desert and, yes, Indian Wells is very rich and very white. But it's not Selma in the sixties.
They also had a black mayor for a while. I've met him and he seemed like a very nice man, but he's not Dr. King. And Serena is not Rosa Parks.
They also had a black mayor for a while. I've met him and he seemed like a very nice man, but he's not Dr. King. And Serena is not Rosa Parks.
9
'I don't like her excessive displays of self-indulgence... She is certainly not the female Arthur Ashe. Quite the opposite. Nor does she seem to aspire to be or care. Unfortunately.'-And see...that's the thing: How does Serena's self-confidence translate to 'displays of self-indulgence'?? Also, who says she has to be the 'female Arthur Ashe'? Do today's white female tennis players have to aspire to be a revered white male tennis player? It's a shame that we even have to have these sort of conversations regarding this formidable, extremely brave, one of a kind athlete. It's also embarrassing obvious that because she happens to be black & female, she is constantly forced into these limited 'lanes'-always being picked apart: her body, her hair, her face, her athleticism; her femininity. She's too Black/she's not Black enough. She doesn't humble herself/ she cares too much. She's too emotional/she's too blase. It's exhausting for me looking in on the outside. I could NEVER even imagine how she handles this and still manages to be a sane person on top of being one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
17
Perusing some of these comments and I am not surprise cannot accept racism and sexism exists in today's society. It seems people forget Serena is not the only athlete in history who has reacted badly in sport. Many comment bring up the umpire incident. Apparently, they do not remember Natase, McEnroe, and Connor. Baseball, Football, or American Football. Oh, but these are men, so it is ok. Have you watched a soccer game with elbow are deliberately directed toward faces. But this comment hits a nerve "But her looks simply don't appeal to many people, and it has nothing to do with her skin color. If she looked like Halle Berry or Skin Diamond, she'd be a lot more popular."
I think intensity is being mistaken for arrogance. I think people are uncomfortable with strong women. Martina N went through a similar drumming during her physical transformation in the 80s.
I think intensity is being mistaken for arrogance. I think people are uncomfortable with strong women. Martina N went through a similar drumming during her physical transformation in the 80s.
9
"strong women"......I don't remember McEnroe threatening to jam a tennis ball down a little girls throat. That's not a strong woman to me.
I don't think she has been good for tennis. Just the opposite. i think she has brought racism back to the courts.
I don't think she has been good for tennis. Just the opposite. i think she has brought racism back to the courts.
1
Did you like her prior to that lines woman episode which happened somewhat late in her life?
The sisters were NEVER loved. People found excuses to hate them from the beginning. "their matches are boring, rigged, Richard is a piece of work so I am gonna hate the sisters, yadda yadda"
She was booed incessantly, from the begin to the end, as a barely more than a teenager, by a near 100% white crowd, playing a foreigner, 100 miles from her home, because her sister withdrew.
ANd you and other haters want to tell me that it is all down to her behavior. And yet you never had problems with Roddick who berated a lineswoman at the same USOPen the following year, not for a few minutes but for 2 entire sets.
The sisters were NEVER loved. People found excuses to hate them from the beginning. "their matches are boring, rigged, Richard is a piece of work so I am gonna hate the sisters, yadda yadda"
She was booed incessantly, from the begin to the end, as a barely more than a teenager, by a near 100% white crowd, playing a foreigner, 100 miles from her home, because her sister withdrew.
ANd you and other haters want to tell me that it is all down to her behavior. And yet you never had problems with Roddick who berated a lineswoman at the same USOPen the following year, not for a few minutes but for 2 entire sets.
9
Verbal abuse is verbal abuse no matter who makes it. Your quote "i think she has brought racism back to the courts." is a misguided and smacks of inner racism. what you meant to say is "racism was brought forward from the public toward her when she walked on the court" . Comments like yours reflect racism as oppose to combating it.
3
Sometimes it doesn't seem fair. Serena is so powerful, accurate and agile. That's why it was such a kick when little Justine Henin seemed to be the one woman who could take her on. But I really have a problem with the whole sport going back almost 40 years, with the change from the wood racquet. The game was once aesthetically pleasing, full of movement and grace. Now it is power and resembles ping pong.
1
Serena has the dominant head to head record against Justine Henin, who competed for a while. She was never dominant like Serena but losses to Henin probably helped to motivate Serena. Justine was a great player but Serena is an all time great. Serena's head to head against all the great champions is outstanding compared to Justine who got beat by Seles, Mary Pierce, Capriati & Davenport a lot.
1
Its not always about race like some people make it out to be. The next time Serena is gracious to one of her opponents will be the first. She never gives them any credit. Its always something she did wrong or she didn't play hard enough or she wasn't feeling well. Just once would it be that hard for her to say that the better player won on this particular day?
3
In America, its always about hate against the Negroid race--period. Serena and Ms. Rakine represent the miniscule "talented tenth" of black high achievers. People of extraordinary talent, drive or intelligence combined with opportunities. Now if they still endure double standards, slurs, unfairness, mean spiritedness amongst their peers in their field imagine the toll the rest of the "average" Black Americans who have lack of opportunities, limited resources, average talent & intellect have to endure.
1
In no way denying that racism is pervasive, but the fact is that many of us find Serena Williams unsympathetic, arrogant and verging on nasty at times. This does not negate her skill on court, but the fact that we don´t like her does not make us racist. I also find Kayne West's (mentioned in the article) assumption of superiority over everyone else horrendous and he sounds an absolutely loathesome character. Defending these clown's character by saying if you get offended by their behavior, you are racist, demeans other cases of much more pernicious racism so omnipresent in US society.
8
I started out as a big, big Williams sisters enthusiast and supporter, but I've become less and less enamored with Serena over the years. I think athletes should be role models for youth, and I find Serena severely wanting in this regard. She-and she is certainly no exception among professional tennis players-makes no great effort, if any at all, to curb her profanity. I don't like her excessive displays of self-indulgence. Her press conferences and interviews are less than illuminating and insightful. I find her extremely vague. She is certainly not the female Arthur Ashe. Quite the opposite. Nor does she seem to aspire to be or care. Unfortunately.
13
BUNK!!
i'll take serena williams as a role model for my daughters any day of the week.
9
You don't like all these things about her, but you love how hard she's worked her entire life to be in this position... You call her self indulgent but she's indulged our athletic imaginations for almost two decades now.. The article was specifically talking about how she shouldnt be conforming to what you think is right to be good...
7
I really hesitate to say this, but maybe, just maybe, criticism of Serena is not just about race. Maybe she's so successful that, like the Yankees or the New England Patriots, some people simply want to root against her.
"Only after they [i.e., African-Americans] give 150 percent will white Americans recognize black excellence for what it is." The author is stereotyping whites with that statement; she's making a racial (or to be frank, racist) remark. There are black celebrities who are worshiped by whites (young whites in particular). There is an African-American president that I and millions of other whites like and support, despite his deficiencies as a leader (those deficiencies, of course, have absolutely nothing to do with his race).
Maybe Serena would be more popular if she didn't do things like threaten to jam a tennis ball down the throat of an official whose calls she didn't like. Serena is the best female tennis player of all time, and a millionaire several times over. I wouldn't deny that some whites dislike her because of her race. But her looks simply don't appeal to many people, and it has nothing to do with her skin color. If she looked like Halle Berry or Skin Diamond, she'd be a lot more popular.
There's obviously nothing wrong with venting about and acting against the racism that undeniably exists in America. But the author has painted with too broad a brush. Lumping all white people into an undifferentiated mass is overkill, and wrong.
"Only after they [i.e., African-Americans] give 150 percent will white Americans recognize black excellence for what it is." The author is stereotyping whites with that statement; she's making a racial (or to be frank, racist) remark. There are black celebrities who are worshiped by whites (young whites in particular). There is an African-American president that I and millions of other whites like and support, despite his deficiencies as a leader (those deficiencies, of course, have absolutely nothing to do with his race).
Maybe Serena would be more popular if she didn't do things like threaten to jam a tennis ball down the throat of an official whose calls she didn't like. Serena is the best female tennis player of all time, and a millionaire several times over. I wouldn't deny that some whites dislike her because of her race. But her looks simply don't appeal to many people, and it has nothing to do with her skin color. If she looked like Halle Berry or Skin Diamond, she'd be a lot more popular.
There's obviously nothing wrong with venting about and acting against the racism that undeniably exists in America. But the author has painted with too broad a brush. Lumping all white people into an undifferentiated mass is overkill, and wrong.
33
The fact that you compared her to Halle Berry and Skin Diamond shows that actually yes, it has a lot to do with her skin color. White America has shifted to accept some African American women into their popular culture, but these women typically possess lighter skin complexions and more Eurocentric facial features ie. Halle Berry, Beyonce & Tyra Banks. You specifically referencing two biracial African American women shows that its okay to be black, but not too black. And that's the reality that Black women struggle with.
6
Oh dear! Where to begin? Let's focus on the obvious:
"But her looks simply don't appeal to many people, and it has nothing to do with her skin color. If she looked like Halle Berry or Skin Diamond, she'd be a lot more popular."
In two back-to-back sentences, you reveal your own prejudice/colorism -- and the challenges of communicating the complexities of racism or blackness with liberal whites, who are inclined to feel defensive from the distance of their homogeneous communities. Halle Berry is, like the President, half white. Her features are more Caucasian. Since the first slave was raped by her master, biracial features have conferred preferential treatment. The *porn star* you've compared her to is similarly light-skinned with "good hair."
There's a legacy that, despite your progressive intentions, you've missed. While busy being defensive you've also missed the point of this article, which is that an entire race of people (including those on the whiter end of the 1/8th rule spectrum) have been shrinking and shying away from their blackness, their accomplishments, their joy, their feelings, the celebrations of achieving excellence! All in an effort to be acceptable to Whites, the resident ruling class.
Quite frankly, you've been far more elegant about it than the majority of commenters that couch their icky comments in "not everything is about race, sheesh!" But subtle, well-intentioned racism undermines understanding and growth all the same. #notallwhites
"But her looks simply don't appeal to many people, and it has nothing to do with her skin color. If she looked like Halle Berry or Skin Diamond, she'd be a lot more popular."
In two back-to-back sentences, you reveal your own prejudice/colorism -- and the challenges of communicating the complexities of racism or blackness with liberal whites, who are inclined to feel defensive from the distance of their homogeneous communities. Halle Berry is, like the President, half white. Her features are more Caucasian. Since the first slave was raped by her master, biracial features have conferred preferential treatment. The *porn star* you've compared her to is similarly light-skinned with "good hair."
There's a legacy that, despite your progressive intentions, you've missed. While busy being defensive you've also missed the point of this article, which is that an entire race of people (including those on the whiter end of the 1/8th rule spectrum) have been shrinking and shying away from their blackness, their accomplishments, their joy, their feelings, the celebrations of achieving excellence! All in an effort to be acceptable to Whites, the resident ruling class.
Quite frankly, you've been far more elegant about it than the majority of commenters that couch their icky comments in "not everything is about race, sheesh!" But subtle, well-intentioned racism undermines understanding and growth all the same. #notallwhites
12
@LeeLee: In the first place, I don't consider myself a progressive, nor do I necessarily have "progressive intentions," despite your judgment based on the few hundred words I wrote.
How does the fact that Halle Berry is half-white mean anything? If you polled 1,000 men, or just 1,000 African-American men, how many of them do you think would prefer Serena to Halle? We all have our individual standards of beauty, but in fact most heterosexual men prefer a more "gracile" look in a woman. That's just a fact. Like it or not, if Serena were prettier, she'd be more popular.
Skin Diamond by the way is very pretty, whether you like her choice of work or not. You can't have it both ways -- you're picking on me for putting forward women of mixed race as being prettier than Serena. I would also say the two women I referenced are prettier than Scarlett Johansen. But the article was about Serena, not Scarlett. Apparently there has to be a racial angle to everything.
My "defensiveness" was purely rhetorical, in that one can't criticize certain things or talk about them openly without being labeled at best insensitive, or at worst a racist. I was setting up for the fact that people like yourself were bound to jump on me.
I chose not to comment on the matter you raise in your fourth paragraph, simply because the NYT only allows commenters so much space. Therefore I decided to write about what stood out for me, the reader of the article.
How does the fact that Halle Berry is half-white mean anything? If you polled 1,000 men, or just 1,000 African-American men, how many of them do you think would prefer Serena to Halle? We all have our individual standards of beauty, but in fact most heterosexual men prefer a more "gracile" look in a woman. That's just a fact. Like it or not, if Serena were prettier, she'd be more popular.
Skin Diamond by the way is very pretty, whether you like her choice of work or not. You can't have it both ways -- you're picking on me for putting forward women of mixed race as being prettier than Serena. I would also say the two women I referenced are prettier than Scarlett Johansen. But the article was about Serena, not Scarlett. Apparently there has to be a racial angle to everything.
My "defensiveness" was purely rhetorical, in that one can't criticize certain things or talk about them openly without being labeled at best insensitive, or at worst a racist. I was setting up for the fact that people like yourself were bound to jump on me.
I chose not to comment on the matter you raise in your fourth paragraph, simply because the NYT only allows commenters so much space. Therefore I decided to write about what stood out for me, the reader of the article.
I'm a huge Serena fan--and a big tennis fan generally. I don't always love watching serena as sometimes she outplays her opponents so much that the game gets boring to sit through. I'm excited about the possibility of Serena achieving a calendar slam and love that she's getting so much press right now. I was turned off by the part of this article that demonized the white guy who left Serena's match when she was winning. He may have been racist, but the idea that you naturally root for the person with the same passport you have is a failure to understand tennis, a global sport lacking the provincial nature of most American sports.
Serena's gift is that she's a phenomenal athlete, in a riveting sport of endurance and skill that is played in a global context. For Serena to be the best in the world is so much more meaningful than a US baseball team winning the (very comically named) world series. No mention of French black male tennis players--the writer seems to think all black players are American.
Also, as someone who primarily lives in Europe--where the countryside is not marred by grotesque advertising and not everything has to be named for a corporate sponsor--focus on advertising earnings says more about the US (and US-leaning UK) than it does about Serena or tennis. Americans think advertising is MEANINGFUL, not some psycho-babble rubbish which deserves to be ignored. Sad NYT is perpetuating that silliness.
Serena's gift is that she's a phenomenal athlete, in a riveting sport of endurance and skill that is played in a global context. For Serena to be the best in the world is so much more meaningful than a US baseball team winning the (very comically named) world series. No mention of French black male tennis players--the writer seems to think all black players are American.
Also, as someone who primarily lives in Europe--where the countryside is not marred by grotesque advertising and not everything has to be named for a corporate sponsor--focus on advertising earnings says more about the US (and US-leaning UK) than it does about Serena or tennis. Americans think advertising is MEANINGFUL, not some psycho-babble rubbish which deserves to be ignored. Sad NYT is perpetuating that silliness.
12
This is about America---not France because the reporter is American.
‘‘I swear to God I am [expletive] going to take this [expletive] ball and shove it down your [expletive] throat.’’
If I had been the referee there at the time and if it were technically legal (I am not up to date of the rules) I would have ejected her.
That kink of comment is completely unacceptable from anybody - unrelated to race, creed, national origin, or whatever. I'd have done the same to McEnroe years ago for similar antics. Ditto other players for similar behavior. Unfortunately that kind of ego display is applauded and gets great ratings.
‘‘We’re at the U.S. Open. Why are you cheering for the player from Belarus?’’
What?! Is there some kind of citizenship requirement to cheer for only US players? Would you have asked him the same question if he had cheered for Heather Watson (black woman, British No 1)?? Maybe the guy just likes blonds and would have cheered for Serena had the Belarus player been brunet.
For crying out loud, not everything is racist!
And yes, Serena is a great tennis player!
If I had been the referee there at the time and if it were technically legal (I am not up to date of the rules) I would have ejected her.
That kink of comment is completely unacceptable from anybody - unrelated to race, creed, national origin, or whatever. I'd have done the same to McEnroe years ago for similar antics. Ditto other players for similar behavior. Unfortunately that kind of ego display is applauded and gets great ratings.
‘‘We’re at the U.S. Open. Why are you cheering for the player from Belarus?’’
What?! Is there some kind of citizenship requirement to cheer for only US players? Would you have asked him the same question if he had cheered for Heather Watson (black woman, British No 1)?? Maybe the guy just likes blonds and would have cheered for Serena had the Belarus player been brunet.
For crying out loud, not everything is racist!
And yes, Serena is a great tennis player!
17
Ed, Serena received escalating penalties that resulted in loss of the match, which is the tennis equivalent of being ejected. She was also fined. At the time, some people were calling for a lengthy suspension or worse, greater penalties than other players had suffered for obnoxious conduct. So, she committed the offense and received the prescribed punishment, and moved on to continued greatness. Good for Serena Williams.
5
I wonder if Ed found Johnnie Mack's rants similarly offensive?
The article was not nearly as illuminative as the comments have been; it's amazing how after twenty years of dominance, AMERICANS have such a hard time supporting one of the greatest athletes of all times.
The article was not nearly as illuminative as the comments have been; it's amazing how after twenty years of dominance, AMERICANS have such a hard time supporting one of the greatest athletes of all times.
6
I don't remember McEnroe ever threatening to hurt anyone. She should have been ejected from the tournament. That would have been a good day for tennis. Instead, everyone just let it happen because the fans she draws brings in money. Let's face it, that's what professional sports is really about.
This article seemed to me to be more about Ms Rankine's thoughts and biases
than about the fantastic athlete Serena is. Serena (whom I have met) is a beautiful, charming and funny person who has faults like any one of us, her threatening to kill the umpire was not one of her finer moments. However I do not think she thought racism had anything to do with it.
Ms. Rankine if racism is holding Serena back from making more endorsement money, in which from endorsements alone she makes more than 99% of the population, how on earth is LeBron James in demand than any other athlete or entertainer alive?
than about the fantastic athlete Serena is. Serena (whom I have met) is a beautiful, charming and funny person who has faults like any one of us, her threatening to kill the umpire was not one of her finer moments. However I do not think she thought racism had anything to do with it.
Ms. Rankine if racism is holding Serena back from making more endorsement money, in which from endorsements alone she makes more than 99% of the population, how on earth is LeBron James in demand than any other athlete or entertainer alive?
8
i don't think using LeBron as an example is a good sample size. There are always exceptions and we need to look at the whole population. That's like saying sammy davis jr was very popular and made a lot of money in the 1950's and that shows there were no racism back then.
3
Why does the writer say 'Black' excellence in the sub-title. The word 'black' smacks of racism. It is immaterial if a great player is black or white or brown or yellow. I think it is high time we get rid of this colour consciousness and look at a human being as a human being.
V.M.Mohanraj, India
V.M.Mohanraj, India
14
If she were Indian how would you refer to her??
2
There is a difference between idealism and reality. Are you paying attention to the Trump campaign and his supporters, for example?
1
If you don't understand the history & sub-context of race in America you should refrain.
3
What an awful piece. Ms. Rankine makes it seem like every interaction Ms. Williams has with anyone not black is colored by racism. Is this the lens through which African Americans view all interactions with anyone not African American? If it is have race relations evolved at all?
So if you don't root for Ms. Williams at the US Open then you might be an unpatriotic racist?
So if you don't hold the door open for the woman behind you who's not black you might just be jerk but if she's black you might be racist?
I am not denying Ms. Williams is treated differently because of the color of her skin but this piece implies the default explanation is racism. It seems like it was written to explain, defend, justify and rationalize her responses to such interactions.
So if you don't root for Ms. Williams at the US Open then you might be an unpatriotic racist?
So if you don't hold the door open for the woman behind you who's not black you might just be jerk but if she's black you might be racist?
I am not denying Ms. Williams is treated differently because of the color of her skin but this piece implies the default explanation is racism. It seems like it was written to explain, defend, justify and rationalize her responses to such interactions.
26
Does U.S. Tennis test for doping?
5
Yes. I posted this earlier.
" Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Serena Williams were tested 11 or more times by the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme last year, according to figures released by the ITF.
Seven or more of the tests for Nadal and Federer were “out-of-competition,” while 4-6 were for Djokovic and Williams. The other tests were administered “in-competition...Top-ranked players were generally tested more often, both in and out of competition.”
citation: http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2014/04/drug-testing-tennis-increases-not...
" Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Serena Williams were tested 11 or more times by the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme last year, according to figures released by the ITF.
Seven or more of the tests for Nadal and Federer were “out-of-competition,” while 4-6 were for Djokovic and Williams. The other tests were administered “in-competition...Top-ranked players were generally tested more often, both in and out of competition.”
citation: http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2014/04/drug-testing-tennis-increases-not...
2
I imagine watching Serena Williams in this sports era for Americans and African Americans in particular is akin to what it felt like for an older generation to follow Sugar Ray Leonard, Althea Gibson, Jesse Owens, or Muhammad Ali. It is exhilarating to watch her play, but it is also excruciating. I often feel as though I am on the court with her, that her wins somehow prove something, however ephemeral.
6
Marvin Hagler beat Leonard
I believe *Robinson* is your intended Sugar Ray.
2
Oh my god. This is rich.
The author, the holder of a prestigious, endowed chair at one of the most elite universities in the United States, is easily in the top 1% of all Americans in income. And her subject, the sublime Serena, Is in easily in the top 1/10 or even 1/100th of 1 percent of Americans in wealth and income. But oh, how horribly they are treated as the racial victims of The Man!
Not that anyone who writes for or reads the New York Times would notice this contradiction, as any complaint about racism--even by those fabulously honored and rewarded by American society-- is always and everywhere true as far as the Times is concerned.
The author, the holder of a prestigious, endowed chair at one of the most elite universities in the United States, is easily in the top 1% of all Americans in income. And her subject, the sublime Serena, Is in easily in the top 1/10 or even 1/100th of 1 percent of Americans in wealth and income. But oh, how horribly they are treated as the racial victims of The Man!
Not that anyone who writes for or reads the New York Times would notice this contradiction, as any complaint about racism--even by those fabulously honored and rewarded by American society-- is always and everywhere true as far as the Times is concerned.
9
because if people are successful, then they certainly haven't been the subjects of racism and they definitely shouldn't have anything to say about it?
i fail to see your point.
i fail to see your point.
10
Maybe she is writing this in support of the 99.9% who are not in the upper echelon of income or career positions?
1
Riddle me this, lancelot lamar: given the honors, riches, intelligence and prestige gracing these two women, would you willingly swap your white skin for either's black?
Thought not.
Thought not.
5
All players in all sports, even those among the best, have flaws. I've objected immediately and strongly when encountering overt or implied racist remarks aimed at her, but I don't think I'd allow her a pass for the behavior she exhibited toward the lines person and later the chair umpire in those two US Opens by stating she was just being somehow true to herself, revealing, authentic, or anything else. Going to far is just that, whether it's McEnroe berating officials or Serena doing it.
As for Sharapova taking in more endorsement money, she committed to play in far more smaller tournament stops on the tour that Serena often skipped for several years on end, thus creating and strengthening ties and commitments to and from big sponsors and tour officials that negotiate with them. I wouldn't blame Serena for not trying to fill that role, as she has every right to decide what is worth sacrificing the finite resource of time on, but it's pretty clear Sharapova, a player I've never found particularly endearing on a personal level, certainly did put in real time and sacrifice.
If a player wants to be on top for endorsement money, they have to make appearances and be front and center more than the norm, not less.
As for Sharapova taking in more endorsement money, she committed to play in far more smaller tournament stops on the tour that Serena often skipped for several years on end, thus creating and strengthening ties and commitments to and from big sponsors and tour officials that negotiate with them. I wouldn't blame Serena for not trying to fill that role, as she has every right to decide what is worth sacrificing the finite resource of time on, but it's pretty clear Sharapova, a player I've never found particularly endearing on a personal level, certainly did put in real time and sacrifice.
If a player wants to be on top for endorsement money, they have to make appearances and be front and center more than the norm, not less.
43
Shriekapova doesn't play the small tournaments out of the goodness of her heart. She gets appearance fees and points that she needs to keep her ranking up.
1
Serena is a great athlete, and probably the best singles player of all time, but everybody gets bad calls. One does not lose one's cool and threaten an official for having a foot-fault called in such a way that a penalty point loses the match. I think she's learned more self-discipline since then, and she's probably gooing to set all the singles records there are.
1
Serena is more than the color of her skin. She is more than what history, tennis and this author define her as. She transcends it all not only because if her extraordinary accomplishments but because she is a Christian. Her faith informs her of her beloved humanness and elevates her spirit. And it gives her the freedom to say, "You don't understand me. I'm just about winning."
2
You and others like you CHOOSE to ignore the reality that thousands of us who are either atheists or agnostics can be ethically and morally humans of high quality who are good to their fellow humans AND animals.
It is a person's own psychological make-up which determines these things and NOT a belief in any MAN MADE entity.
While we do not attempt to belittle YOUR human qualities, whatever they may be, the reverse is not true of you.
Serena is who she is and where she has gotten to due to what/who she is as a human being and would be so without this "faith" as you call it.
I am a sports fan, a former semi-pro athlete and still do spend a lot of time at the gym for my health.
As such, I fully realize that Serena has achieved what she has and gotten there through hard work and dedication in the REAL world.
And, I very much respect her for that and the human being she is.
It is a person's own psychological make-up which determines these things and NOT a belief in any MAN MADE entity.
While we do not attempt to belittle YOUR human qualities, whatever they may be, the reverse is not true of you.
Serena is who she is and where she has gotten to due to what/who she is as a human being and would be so without this "faith" as you call it.
I am a sports fan, a former semi-pro athlete and still do spend a lot of time at the gym for my health.
As such, I fully realize that Serena has achieved what she has and gotten there through hard work and dedication in the REAL world.
And, I very much respect her for that and the human being she is.
4
The best thing Serena can know is that she will be number 1 in Majors and everyone will have to chase her. People can talk, make allegations, body shame her all the want, but her name will be at the top and all of the allegations and body shaming won't change that. What is ironic to me is that people claim that Serena is too "too mean" and things like that, but yet people are calling her a man and saying that she is taking steroids...really makes you think, "Who really is the mean one(s)?" Is it Serena or the people who are saying these things?
3
Serena has faced many obstacles in her path to greatness, a lot of them to do with race, some not. I think the writer has boiled all of them down to that single issue. The perceived support sometimes lacks because people are genuinely looking for the sport to be competitive. Federer dominated the ATP but you always felt it was competitive with Nadal and Djokovic. There isn't a single match that Serena starts that i think she might lose here genuinely cause the person on the other side of the net is better, often when she loses is cause she defeated herself. So people sometimes aren't necessarily rooting against her, just for the underdog.
The marketing issue is a mixture of racism and sexism. In the sense that the marketing world only likes a certain kind of female look, the tall slender and yes white female.
I do want her to complete the calendar grand slam and to have more than 24 GS titles to solidify the case that yes, she is the greatest of all time.
The marketing issue is a mixture of racism and sexism. In the sense that the marketing world only likes a certain kind of female look, the tall slender and yes white female.
I do want her to complete the calendar grand slam and to have more than 24 GS titles to solidify the case that yes, she is the greatest of all time.
4
Thanks. Your article let me exhale. I'm a Black (73) year old Connecticut native cancer survivor and I've watched matches at Forest Hills. I still go back east every year for the Open.You captured the racial essence and expressed it eloquently. Your piece serves as chemo for some of these comments. Thanks again,
13
I am white, male. and old. I find Serena Williams, magnificent, exuberant, powerful, beautiful, and I am in awe of her athleticism. I enjoy the total show of her, including her fashion. I wait to see what she does after tennis.
13
Black excellence?
Serena is about excellence. Period!
Serena is about excellence. Period!
9
To see a vivid example of the shameless racism by which Serena is victimized, just look at this photograph:
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/roger-federer-serena-williams-maria-shar...
Serena is shunted into the background even by Nike, her own sponsor, while lily-white Maria Sharapova, a vastly inferior player, gets front-and-center treatment.
If Serena wins the U.S. Open this month and then the Australian Open first thing next year, she will have done something no other tennis player, male or female, has ever done: She'll have won six grand slam titles in a row.
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/roger-federer-serena-williams-maria-shar...
Serena is shunted into the background even by Nike, her own sponsor, while lily-white Maria Sharapova, a vastly inferior player, gets front-and-center treatment.
If Serena wins the U.S. Open this month and then the Australian Open first thing next year, she will have done something no other tennis player, male or female, has ever done: She'll have won six grand slam titles in a row.
6
What great story, written with compassion and insight!!! Serena Williams represents far more than a great tennis star. She is a measure of our progress, or lack thereof, in defeating racial prejudice and accepting every individual for who they are as human beings.
7
Serena has transcended athleticism and entered into the realm of the heroic.
It is difficult to identify with her because on the court, hers is the presence not of a winning athlete, but a demigod. It is not a matter of race, it is quality that makes race irrelevant. What the ad industry knows but can't articulate, is that she is awesome in the original sense of the world. I think what Ms, Rankine fails to apprehend is her aura. In plain speak, Rankine sees Serena as mortal; an exceptional individual but merely an individual.
Chase Bank has made the same error, which is why their work with Serena fails to motivate. Serena is too large, strong, powerful to be contained in an endorsement.
It is difficult to identify with her because on the court, hers is the presence not of a winning athlete, but a demigod. It is not a matter of race, it is quality that makes race irrelevant. What the ad industry knows but can't articulate, is that she is awesome in the original sense of the world. I think what Ms, Rankine fails to apprehend is her aura. In plain speak, Rankine sees Serena as mortal; an exceptional individual but merely an individual.
Chase Bank has made the same error, which is why their work with Serena fails to motivate. Serena is too large, strong, powerful to be contained in an endorsement.
12
Sounds like someone is engaging in wordplay, RWordplay, to set someone up to fail.
2
Mr. McCoy,
As should be obvious by my comment, I deeply admire Serena.
Have I set her up to fail? No, fate has.
As all readers of Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian literature are instructed, the hero—suspended between the Gods and Mortals—are fated to fail. But their failure is necessary, as their triumphs.
Serena is a hero not in the sense of a commodified celebrity, but in the sense of the eternal dream life of men and women.
As should be obvious by my comment, I deeply admire Serena.
Have I set her up to fail? No, fate has.
As all readers of Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian literature are instructed, the hero—suspended between the Gods and Mortals—are fated to fail. But their failure is necessary, as their triumphs.
Serena is a hero not in the sense of a commodified celebrity, but in the sense of the eternal dream life of men and women.
Best athlete competing in any sport right now. Serena >> Lebron.
12
I have been waiting for this article for a long time. I am a 52 year old white woman who has worshipped the pure talent, the gorgeous body, the intelligent play and yes, the patience Ms. Williams has exhibited throughout her career at the obvious racism and sexism - I personally think she has been more than patient, she's a saint. I would have thrown more than my racket if someone, let a lone the entire world dogged my career with the prejudices she has faced. Yup, she's glorious, gorgeous and I'm happy for this article, finally. It's sad after it came on the heels of another NYT article about how Ms. Williams muscles make her somehow more masculine. That was a shame. I hated that. I guess stupid people can't see the gorgeous woman in the red dress.
41
My appreciation for Serena has had its ups and downs, just as her game has. What Forbes or other corporations deem as her monetary "worth" is a commentary on the business of sport, but not the woman, or her remarkable athletic achievements. She's legendary, to be sure. I have a hard time buying the premise of this piece that she's been cheated all along the way, by deliberate or unwitting racism, but ok, I'm white (and male).
Tennis has some unique aspects, including a slightly more particular (and more particularly enforced) Code that few other sports can match. The foot fault business was an outrageous violation from my point of view. The hindrance call for the too-early celebration was possibly legitimate, but pales in comparison to the quite awful shrieking of Sharapova and Azarenka. Regardless of how blonde are marketable those two women might be, I hate what they've done to the game, and I cheer their opponents, whoever they may be, to please, please, get them off the court and out of the draw as soon as possible.
Tennis has some unique aspects, including a slightly more particular (and more particularly enforced) Code that few other sports can match. The foot fault business was an outrageous violation from my point of view. The hindrance call for the too-early celebration was possibly legitimate, but pales in comparison to the quite awful shrieking of Sharapova and Azarenka. Regardless of how blonde are marketable those two women might be, I hate what they've done to the game, and I cheer their opponents, whoever they may be, to please, please, get them off the court and out of the draw as soon as possible.
7
YES!!!
I cannot stand the shrieking of those two and join you in cheering for whoever is playing them.
I absolutely and totally enjoy it when Serena beats down the Russian screamer and, I don't think that I'm imagining it butt, I think the mad shrieking is not quite as evident when Serena is demonstrating who the very clearly superior one is.
I cannot stand the shrieking of those two and join you in cheering for whoever is playing them.
I absolutely and totally enjoy it when Serena beats down the Russian screamer and, I don't think that I'm imagining it butt, I think the mad shrieking is not quite as evident when Serena is demonstrating who the very clearly superior one is.
It is not a matter of race, it is quality that makes race irrelevant. What the ad industry knows but can't articulate is that she is awesome in the original sense of the world. I think what Ms Rankine fails to apprehend her, and, also, however unconsciously, diminish Serena aura and approach her as a mere mortal.
This is what Chase has done with its use of Serena, and the work fails miserably because Serena is too large, strong, powerful, mythic to fit into an endorsement.
This is what Chase has done with its use of Serena, and the work fails miserably because Serena is too large, strong, powerful, mythic to fit into an endorsement.
2
But the cash from any endorsement deal, RWordplay, fits nicely in anyone's portfolio.
3
Great article! Serena Williams is the greatest tennis player of all time! I will be rooting for you at the US Open.
13
The article contains some information about non-tennis obstacles in Serena's path. However there's also a lot of simplistic reasoning and unfair assumptions. An American cheering against Serena is not to be assumed to be racist for starters.
Put this one in the "Worst tennis article not a Bleacher Report" category.
Put this one in the "Worst tennis article not a Bleacher Report" category.
18
Glad to read the piece but disappointed...looked forward to learning more about Sarena as a person...her upbringing, her views onrace her personal life...
2
Martina Navratilova dominated Chris Evert during the second half of their rivalry in the 1970s and 1980's. Yet it was Chris who was the darling. Chris who had the good looks. Chris who got all the big dollar endorsements. Martina had to endure insults about her body and her "masculinity".
If Martina had been white, things would have been different.
If Martina had been white, things would have been different.
30
Not if she had been white, but if she had been straight.
4
You are comparing apples and oranges, Mr. Gibbons. Martina was born and raised in Czechoslovakia during the Cold War when it was behind the Iron Curtain. She speaks English with an Eastern European accent. Chris was born and raised in sunny South Florida, the daughter of a Canadian tennis champion. Ms. Evert was on her way to being America's tennis sweetheart before she graduated from High School. Before Martina had won her first professional tournament, Chris had twice been #1 in the World.
2
Wrong. If she'd been heterosexual, things would have been different.
There are more kinds of bigotry than just racism, even if you prefer to imagine racism is just a figment of Serena's and the author's imagination.
There are more kinds of bigotry than just racism, even if you prefer to imagine racism is just a figment of Serena's and the author's imagination.
3
Great article. Point blank.
6
Defend her all you want, but when the day comes when she is found to be the "Lance Armstrong" of tennis, then those of us who look at her and say "no way" will be able to say we told you so.
8
I don't think there's anything anyone can say to make you think otherwise Joe. Not all the testing in the world will satisfy you. I guess you will have to die and go to Heaven (or elsewhere) to find out the truth - and God will say "I sent you perfection, a gift of abundant power, natural talent, and indescribable joy - her name was Serena Williams - and you spit on my gift - why?"
20
I don't think it's right to suggest that someone is a cheater. It's an allegation that should only be made alongside some strong evidence.
16
Serena could be tested everyday for the rest of her life and it will not satisfy people like you. So what is the point of you making this comment again?
3
I am a white male who has played a lot of tennis starting as a teenager. As a teen, I was a real jerk on the court. I yelled, swore, threw my racquet around in disgust and generally dissed my opponent verbally. Then I decided to be "true to myself" and grow up. Become an adult able to control my emotions on court. I continue to progress at age 49. So Serena I can relate in some tiny way. I know you can win and win with grace. I will be pulling for you to do both!
2
I love Christopher Griffith's photography for this article. In the picture in which she holds the racket ready to return, Mr. Griffith has exposed Serena's extraordinary beauty, and a kind of vulnerability to which only precious few are given privy. Beautiful! This photograph is one of the ages.
12
Yes, nice picture , very well photoshopped. This Woman has an athletic body, in no way is she slender.
I have followed Serena and Venus' career from the time they were preteens, seeing them on international flight after a tournament in Europe. Like most commentators I too have not been able to become intimate with Serena the way I was with Sampras; I hated Agassi, Connors, McEnroe. I can't even stand McEnroe as the opinionated commentator he is. I mute the sound when he talks. I am so glad NY Times published this article. It is an eye opener for me, not beacuse I am not aware of racism, but the insightfulness of the writer, her literary force, and most of all her justified bitterness, for Claudia Rankine too is a champ. Thank you, Claudia.
5
Wow!!!!
This article was very thought provoking. I always questioned how Americans at the U.S Open want to see a competitive match when Serena is playing but during the Open in France and Australia they are with there countryman from the first ball. Racism or un-american?
How can Serena be #1 for so long and not be #1 in endorsements? Racism or bad business?
This article was long overdue. I hope during this U.S. Open.. All Americans can cheer for an American playing a competitive match!!
This article was very thought provoking. I always questioned how Americans at the U.S Open want to see a competitive match when Serena is playing but during the Open in France and Australia they are with there countryman from the first ball. Racism or un-american?
How can Serena be #1 for so long and not be #1 in endorsements? Racism or bad business?
This article was long overdue. I hope during this U.S. Open.. All Americans can cheer for an American playing a competitive match!!
13
The author is reading way too much into this.
Serena Williams, as an individual, is arrogant and has no sense of sportsmanship.
There are lots of other professional athletes like this, and none of them have earned my respect, including Serena.
It's funny how no one had a problem with her sister.
Serena Williams, as an individual, is arrogant and has no sense of sportsmanship.
There are lots of other professional athletes like this, and none of them have earned my respect, including Serena.
It's funny how no one had a problem with her sister.
16
Venus plays a more interesting game. It's too bad she got sick. Remember the Wimbledon final with Venus and Lindsay? I've never seen Serena play like that! Maybe she has and I missed it. In any event, I much prefer to watch Venus play. Re Serena's game - I think it would be more interesting if she played five sets. I think the women should play five sets anyway. There are too many boring two set matches in women's tennis.
No one can dispute the talent, style of Ms. Willians when playing tennis...but, she is tough to take when she is not playing...it is not about being black and excelling in tennis...it is her treatment of others, her faux responses to questions..she seems immature and filled with herself....perhaps that goes with being excellent in such a power sport....I do not know...
9
Serena Williams is strong, confident, talented beyond imagining on some days, and I salute her without reservation. May she live long and thrive in every way!
8
Trying to see the inner workings. Maybe just leave her and whoever her latest interest alone.
Drake and her just finding their way.
Serena the busting of rackets has to end. It is not the equipment.
Drake and her just finding their way.
Serena the busting of rackets has to end. It is not the equipment.
Why do you care if she breaks a racket? If that helps her relieve stress to win, then so be it. Stop focusing on the small petty stuff.
2
"her impatience" was with the author, bet on it...this disgRACEful screed contradicts just about everything ms williams has achieved through her superior talent and discipline...even her occasional displays of questionable sportsmanship (not even remotely close to the connors /mcenroe standard, btw) contribute to the complete picture of a top, THE top in this game, athlete...the extra burden she's carried because of the virulent racism in this county is not eased by the of exploitaton of her in pieces like this one-note reduction .
5
I am a 69 year old African-American woman, born and raised in the Jim Crow south. I admire Serena, applaud her perseverance against the odds, the taunts about her looks (racist & sexist)-and believe she is a great athlete. However, she has to suffered more racism than Arthur Ashe, Leontyne Price, Jackie Robinson,Sydney Poitier, Oprah (before she became a success), and on and on--but the blacks mentioned above never used racism as an excuse to lower oneself to the level of ones abuser--the goal was to maintain ones dignity, self-respect, pride, integrity--to be admired not only for ones talent, but ones humanity in the face of others ugliness/mean-ness/racism/sexism--the journey is never just about winning, even against overwhelming odds, but how one wins and loses. So, I can not admire John McEnroe's spoiled brat temper tantrums of rants and curses, nor Serena's "bad-girl ghetto behavior"-- it takes away as opposed adding to the strengths of winning, and the odds overcome--but we do live in a meaner, crude twitter world these days of testy people, bullies, road/work/school/home/everywhere rage ---not a good development to me--lots of cracks in the civil society we must all live in.
22
It is hard to not admire Williams' athleticism, incredible will to win and "I-don't-care-what-the-world-thinks-of-me" attitude. She is a champion's champion. However, I feel that Rankine simplifies the controversy associated with Williams. The 2009 U.S. Open outburst at the line judge (not the chair umpire as Rankine incorrectly reported) is one of many questionable acts of sportsmanship from her over the years. For instance, she did not endear herself to a fellow American African American player (see http://atlantablackstar.com/2013/05/07/sloane-stephens-exposes-serena-wi... nor her "non-rival" Sharapova
(e.g., http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2013/06/22/wimbledon-2013-ma....
Regards, I do believe that racism has heightened the poor sportsmanship allegations against Serena. It is important for fans and reporters to ask themselves whether they are truly judging Serena's behaviors or the color of her skin and the ugly racist stereotypes associated with it.
(e.g., http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2013/06/22/wimbledon-2013-ma....
Regards, I do believe that racism has heightened the poor sportsmanship allegations against Serena. It is important for fans and reporters to ask themselves whether they are truly judging Serena's behaviors or the color of her skin and the ugly racist stereotypes associated with it.
4
"Approaching the lineswoman who made the call, shaking her racket and pointing, Williams said: "I'm going to shove this [expletive] ball down your [expletive] throat," according to CBSsports.com."
But she’s a competitor, so it’s OK.
The lines woman was ,really, about half her size.
But she’s a competitor, so it’s OK.
The lines woman was ,really, about half her size.
9
When I consider Serena Williams, I compare her to Jackie Robinson. She cannot carry his glove.
1
This article is a good example of the "OJ Black/White disconnect". Serena worked hard and became successful. One commentator referred to himself as an "old white guy" said she "is the embodiment of everything that is truly American." Many white people do not see Serena in terms of her race, or if they do, it is far down the list of identifiers, with athlete, business woman, sister, etc., being higher on the list. Many African American people simply cannot understand that view. For them, Serena is an “African American Athlete”, or a “Black business woman”. For many African Americans Serena's race is more important than it even is to her. Similarly, if Serena were asked to identify herself, she would likely say, "Athlete, daughter, sister, friend, business woman". Yes, African American will be on the list, and that is a significant part of her identity, but not the number one identifier as it is for the author. When an African American becomes successful, white America feels that they've followed the rules and we can now accept them and not see them in terms of their race. But to African Americans, the successful African American is thought to have become successful despite the disadvantages of their race and therefore, their race must be acknowledged first and foremost. So we have a situation of Whites thinking “why are you always seeing things from a racial perspective?”, and African Americans feeling “why do have to deny race even for our heroes?” And the world spins on.
12
I think this is a great article. I love how it touches on Serena's indomitable spirit. Some people seem to be very disappointed with the theme of race in this article but it's without a doubt fitting. Race has everything to do with how we perceive not only our stars, but also one another. Just because the article brings to light the myriad of ways in which race affects our perception of Serena and her success does not mean it's a fallacy. Part of moving forward with race relations in this country has to do with the acceptance of wanting to understand and learn how race affects the many facets of our interactions with one another. Just because you didn't see it before doesn't mean it didn't exist.
With that being said, Good luck Serena and win the U.S Open!
With that being said, Good luck Serena and win the U.S Open!
11
Serena is a brave black woman, a fantastic tennis player who stares down systemic racism in society and goes out in this lonely sport to beat the world for so many years now. She may be angry on court and not the most gracious to her opponents, however it doesn't take away from her claim to tennis greatness over odds that most of her opponents never had to face. The response of American crowds to a Serena Williams vs "latest European blonde player" makes clear to even the casual observer that whiteness (and increasingly East Asianness) matters more in this country (and I dare say, everywhere) than sharing the color of your passport.
The author, on the other hand, is projecting her insecurities and inferiority complex onto Serena, and trying to use Serena's success as an antidote to the injustices that she perceives against herself. Serena shouldn't have to bear the cross of this author's insecurities and deliver teachable moments of combating racism, she just has to do what she wants to do. Also, the author lives in fantasyland if she believes endorsement value has to scale with athletic performance. There is no entitlement to endorsements just because you can hit a tennis ball better that anyone else. It is a reality that race is a big factor in marketability, and just because a black athlete is at the pinnacle of her sport, it doesn't translate into brand value as much as the privilege of whiteness does; at least as long as black purchasing power doesn't increase.
The author, on the other hand, is projecting her insecurities and inferiority complex onto Serena, and trying to use Serena's success as an antidote to the injustices that she perceives against herself. Serena shouldn't have to bear the cross of this author's insecurities and deliver teachable moments of combating racism, she just has to do what she wants to do. Also, the author lives in fantasyland if she believes endorsement value has to scale with athletic performance. There is no entitlement to endorsements just because you can hit a tennis ball better that anyone else. It is a reality that race is a big factor in marketability, and just because a black athlete is at the pinnacle of her sport, it doesn't translate into brand value as much as the privilege of whiteness does; at least as long as black purchasing power doesn't increase.
13
Great article. Emotional, revealing, and deep. The writer clearly crossed the line between journalist and human being. And I loved it.
And I love Serena. Such a personage will alway keep walls between herself and the public, but I don't think she has ever lied to the public. She is awesome!
And, if Serena is complex, or private, please consider Richard. Clearly, he did not do everything right. But...What a Father!
He makes Tiger Mom look tame...and sane. Serena has let him go, much as Barack Obama has let his mom drift into the back ground. Well, I get it. America is not ready for these extreme personalities. But, when the history of the 21st century is written, please remember Serena's black (very black, indeed) dad and Barack's very white mom.
...an old white guy with a grudge against casual conformity and great respect for people who try harder.
And I love Serena. Such a personage will alway keep walls between herself and the public, but I don't think she has ever lied to the public. She is awesome!
And, if Serena is complex, or private, please consider Richard. Clearly, he did not do everything right. But...What a Father!
He makes Tiger Mom look tame...and sane. Serena has let him go, much as Barack Obama has let his mom drift into the back ground. Well, I get it. America is not ready for these extreme personalities. But, when the history of the 21st century is written, please remember Serena's black (very black, indeed) dad and Barack's very white mom.
...an old white guy with a grudge against casual conformity and great respect for people who try harder.
4
williams is a great player. quite possibly the best of all time. i enjoy watching her skill and determination. however, her treatment of officials including the threatening outburst against the lineswoman she towered over lost me. mac, connors and nastase were all obnoxious at times. no use for that. the aussies had the right idea when they kicked mcenroe out of their open for boorish behaviour. they also taught sinatra a lesson when he called aussie women journalists whores. from a physical point of view, williams' size and strength obviously set her apart; however i think she's a very attractive woman. finally, i'm canadian and i've rooted against canadian athletes especially if they were jerks. just because i'm canadian doesn't mean 'my country right or wrong'....that attitude has often not helped the usa. the man mentioned in the story who didn't back serena might've been racist or maybe he paid big $ and didn't want to see a two set slaughter. maybe he was a person who doesn't respond in a knee jerk way just because one player was american. i can recall many americans cheering for bjorn borg vs mcenroe.
13
Serena is a continuation of her father's (Richard) autobiography. The first part is a pretty good read. The 2nd part is more about Tennis so I stopped. I think the NYT has a long article on him which is a good summary. This is quite an exceptional odyssey whenever it is finished and part of history.
I confess that I've never been able to feel warm and fuzzy about Serena. She is a great champion...possibly the greatest of all time in the sport...but she has never been the credit to the game that I've hoped that she would become. Andre Aggassi was another player that seemed doomed to be almost great...the irratating adolescent who was so sadly self-sabotaging. And then he evolved into a spokesman for the game...a noble fighter who endured withering serves as he meticulously dissected his opponent's game and went on to grind out victories that would have been easy wins in his youth. Serena is still distant...a thumb in the eye of fans...a tough player with a list of slights. Go Serena!
2
So clearly about her having to navigate race. Them blondes am so comfortable.
Really, really don't get the premise of this piece. Does anybody say she should sit quietly and no respond to racism? Does anybody feel it is inapropos for her to celebrate not just her wins, but being alive and on the top of her sport in the first place?
Yes, there are crazies out there. But not all that many of them. But they exert a vastly disproportionate influence on the world because they get so much attention. Like in pieces like this, where we actually seem to take them seriously.
Yes, there are crazies out there. But not all that many of them. But they exert a vastly disproportionate influence on the world because they get so much attention. Like in pieces like this, where we actually seem to take them seriously.
47
The "I don't get the premise of this piece" speaks to the level of incomprehension or care. There are crazies out there? Why would Serena, in a sport that exalts decorum be subjected to any racist comments? Why would black soccer athletes be subjected to fans throwing bananas on the pitch. Not that many of them??? I would disagree with that statement but if you aren't someone who is a target of overt or subtle racist behavior, you wouldn't know. No one took Dylann Roof seriously until he walked into a church and murdered nine people.
6
For reference, please see Gabby Douglas.
What a relief it must be to see the suffering and challenges in the lives of others through a semiopaque refusal to understand! When all you see are the bright lights and discount the detail, you've missed the picture (and the humanity) completely.
What a relief it must be to see the suffering and challenges in the lives of others through a semiopaque refusal to understand! When all you see are the bright lights and discount the detail, you've missed the picture (and the humanity) completely.
2
I have watched women's tennis since 1967. Serena is an amazing champion. While Maria S. may be the striking white blond, Serena has the refuse to lose, I want to win attitude that is actually closer to the values that American businesses love to tout. They should use her more.
5
Both Ms. Williams and the author courageously inspire me -- each one in her own profession -- for having this honest, centuries-long conversation with us. For that is what Serena has done all these years, spoken to us while gesturing, communicating, entertaining, winning and losing -- but mostly winning -- and making us understand clearly who she is and who we are. Those true fans of hers around the world of all races can be proud not only of her, but of themselves for having shed so many notions of white superiority and of privilege -- or for at least questioning these notions. When we watch this phenomenal tennis player we understand what it means to be deserving, to be excellent, and, against the odds, to the best. Why some would prefer to bypass a moment of introspection and to silence this most needed conversation would be anybody's guess. Whatever the case, thanks to open-minded people everywhere the conversation will continue long after Serena Williams has reached her goals; and she will have played an important role in continuing it.
6
Serena didn't say ‘‘I swear to God I am [expletive] going to take this [expletive] ball and shove it down your [expletive] throat’’ to the chair ump at the U.S. Open. She said it to a diminutive Asian linesperson who called a foot fault. It was an ugly act of bullying that was a disgrace to tennis. Players have their own opinions about what happens during their play, but they can have no evidence whether or not their foot was on the line while serving. It's doubly wrong to turn this distasteful episode into a positive for Serena.
12
Mr. Elzinga, compared with what some legendary white male tennis players have said, some of whom have been retired for decades, and still make handsome incomes as a result of their former glory, Serena was mewing like a kitten.
16
Does that make it OK?
3
AND it was on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 in NEW YORK. She was disgraceful and I've never watched her since. Awful "champion."
3
Honestly, I think she is the greatest athlete of all time. I never really followed tennis until the Williams sisters emerged on the scene. I'll admit that prior to their entry, tennis seemed very dull and boring. But after the sisters appeared, it suddenly became more intense and exciting. I love watching Serena play because she embodies that winning, resilient --never give up spirit.
I recall reading in another magazine that Richard Williams taught Venus and Serena how to play tennis on a run-down tennis court (in the middle of a drug infested neighborhood) in Compton. Imagine, having a book in one hand a tennis ball in the other. Truthfully, her ability to excel while facing such adversity is truly amazing.
Richard Williams certainly deserves a lot of credit, but the bulk of the accolades should be extended to Serena. She is the embodiment of excellence and perseverance.
At the end of the day, Maria Sharpova may earn more money, but Serena is truly in a class by herself.
Bravo Serena, Bravo!
I recall reading in another magazine that Richard Williams taught Venus and Serena how to play tennis on a run-down tennis court (in the middle of a drug infested neighborhood) in Compton. Imagine, having a book in one hand a tennis ball in the other. Truthfully, her ability to excel while facing such adversity is truly amazing.
Richard Williams certainly deserves a lot of credit, but the bulk of the accolades should be extended to Serena. She is the embodiment of excellence and perseverance.
At the end of the day, Maria Sharpova may earn more money, but Serena is truly in a class by herself.
Bravo Serena, Bravo!
22
Serena would be a gem in any profession. Only uptight white people would think this article is overheated rhetoric.
15
Any profession? If she were a dog groomer I wouldn't let her do mine. If it misbehaved I'm sure she would threaten to kill it. Like that poor ball girl in the tournament where she should have been removed.
"Overheated rhetoric".....absolutely. And I am not white.... or uptight.
I don't like her and I don't think she has been good for women's tennis.
"Overheated rhetoric".....absolutely. And I am not white.... or uptight.
I don't like her and I don't think she has been good for women's tennis.
2
I was thinking the other day about DFW writing about Federer for the NYT, and daydreaming, "In my wildest imagination, who would I like to see write about the greatness, the brilliance, the beauty, the swagger, the strategy, the finesse, the fist-pumping, the EXCELLENCE of that all time great, Serena Williams? Claudia Rankine, obviously. Nah, will never happen. Too good to come true."
Imagine my face when I saw this headline and byline. THANK YOU Claudia Rankine, thank you Serena Williams, and thank you New York Times!
Imagine my face when I saw this headline and byline. THANK YOU Claudia Rankine, thank you Serena Williams, and thank you New York Times!
6
What an excellent and provocative article. I will point out that I am white, since the subject is racism. I find Serena Williams a heroic figure. Show me one heroic figure of any description that did not have a temper. John McEnroe received only tut-tut comments for his spoiled-white-brat tantrums. Let Serena call out and yes, curse out a judge, and the racial snakes begin to coil. A female black athlete such as Serena can do no such thing in the whitey world of professional tennis without being ripped apart. To her critics: Do as Claudia says -- put yourself in her place, if you can even muster the magnitude to do that.
6
Had she cursed out the 'judge?" Are you referring to the lines person whom she verbally threatend with bodily harm and and physically seemed about to attack?
I formed my opinion of her sportswomanship years ago, especially in he post-loss interviews. It seemed impossible for her to say that, on the day, her opponent played better. As I have said elsewhere she appears to have mellowed since that Kim Clijsters match.
I formed my opinion of her sportswomanship years ago, especially in he post-loss interviews. It seemed impossible for her to say that, on the day, her opponent played better. As I have said elsewhere she appears to have mellowed since that Kim Clijsters match.
Since after every match she wins, in the on-court interview, Serena thanks "God, Jehova" I have always interpreted her index finger pointing skyward as a reference to that--not the fact that she is signaling that she believes she is #1.
I've never seen any confirmation of that by Serena, but that's how I interpret it.
I love watching her play. Just listen to the comments about her physicality--let alone the racism and it's a marvel she is as polite as she is.
I've never seen any confirmation of that by Serena, but that's how I interpret it.
I love watching her play. Just listen to the comments about her physicality--let alone the racism and it's a marvel she is as polite as she is.
5
I see a lot of pure racism here. If Serina had been white, the same people would have been falling all over themselves praising her
6
In America, we always say "work hard, sacrifice and you will succeed". Well then, Serena is just one of the greatest examples of the embodiment of the American value (we say) we hold dear. But the level of hostility shown to her and her sister, is really unforgivable. When McEnroe behaved so un-gentile in the halls of tennis, we was not as reviled as Serena has been. In fact, he is one of her staunch defenders. Serena for all her faults is human. Humans express emotions. She leaves it all on the court. If she were white, none of this would be said of her. She would the American hero and the richest women in history of sport. It's a shame the she is more popular outside of the US than she is in her own country.
9
She is a kind and caring person too. My daughter cared for her dog at the vet in Palm Beach Gardens. She was polite and gracious always.
6
"polite and gracious" Wait till the playoffs.
1
Let me see if I understand the author correctly. Serena made 24 million, Sharapova made 29 million ergo its because of racism. Well what about Tiger Woods, as according to the article she cited he makes more in endorsements than Phil Mickelson?
She would have been better off concluding the issue was sexism rather than racism.
I'm old enough to remember when Serena and Venus started their careers. Every article that I recall was Venus is going to do this, Venus is the second coming etc...
I remember thinking at the time that the younger sister isn't getting as much "press" but she is going to blow by her sister. Why do you think the "media" back then was promoting Venus so much more than Serena?
Your article was terrible! Serena has undoubtedly faced both sexism and racism in her career but when you make $24 million its hard for me to feel like she hasn't gotten past those unfortunate realities quite handily!
She would have been better off concluding the issue was sexism rather than racism.
I'm old enough to remember when Serena and Venus started their careers. Every article that I recall was Venus is going to do this, Venus is the second coming etc...
I remember thinking at the time that the younger sister isn't getting as much "press" but she is going to blow by her sister. Why do you think the "media" back then was promoting Venus so much more than Serena?
Your article was terrible! Serena has undoubtedly faced both sexism and racism in her career but when you make $24 million its hard for me to feel like she hasn't gotten past those unfortunate realities quite handily!
11
About the millions: I have heard such an argument so many times when blacks are trying to negotiate fairness in compensation, regardless of how much or little. If your good friend were making 200k per year (far more than I in my public service position), but their coworker was being paid 20 percent more for inferior performance in the same position, what would you think? Should we tell your friend that 200k is a great salary when others (like myself) have a household income of only 50k? It's true that 200k is quite a good salary, but that does not erase the unfairness of the matter.
2
I really don't get this article. For many tennis fans, Serena is not a likable athlete. Yes, she wins, but that's not the only issue that inspires fan loyalty. Barry Bonds hit the most home runs, but even before the scandal, he was not well liked--for reasons that had nothing to do with race. Michael Jordan was similarly successful to Serena and everyone loved him. Tiger Woods, before the scandal, similarly loved as a great athlete. Race never came into it. I find it a bit annoying that race is brought into the discussion with Serena who has been worth millions from her teen years and has not likely personally suffered any significant racism in her life. It just really feels like a reach to try and connect Serena and race. I daresay, the piece could only have been written by an older person who continues to see the world in racial terms. I doubt most people under 25 even think of Serena in terms of her race.
11
Serena is arguably the best female player ever, however it's too bad that her father instilled in her from the beginning to be provocative & act with a chip on her shoulder. I don't care how many more Slams she wins she will never reach the grace, stature & elegance of an Ashe, Evert or Federer......
10
That's really big of you! And if you can try to squeeze a drop of compassion out of that last setence, I will sell you Manhattan—cheap!
They didn't have racist judges, and the French Open to contend with.
They didn't have racist judges, and the French Open to contend with.
Serena Williams is bigger than some list of "most marketable sports stars", her accomplishments are grander than some marketing ploy.
Can anyone remember any products that Jackie Robinson endorsed? Exactly.....
Can anyone remember any products that Jackie Robinson endorsed? Exactly.....
7
Different times. But he was an executive at Chock full of Nuts.
1
You got into Serena's sinews and looked around and told us a little about what you saw. She is to tennis what Leontyne Price is to opera — the very best there is.
5
How wonderful to have a writer of Claudia Rankine's brilliance write about Serena's brilliance!
6
In a class survey of my fellow sport-marketing and sport sociology students, Serena was voted the Best Athlete of our Millennial generation - male or female. The survey was a combination of:
1) On-court performance. (she was one of 2 athletes this generation who ranked the best of all time in her sport. Tiger was the other. Definition of 'our generation' was that the prime of the athlete's career fell between 2000 - present: sorry MJ)
2) Off-court marketability (comparable to the likes of Federer, Phelps, Jeter; just below echelon of Tiger, LeBron, Peyton
3) General sense of likability/morality (mentioned with ironclad brands LeBron and Federer)
The notion that athletes are "chosen" by corporations is true to an extent. But athletes of Serena's magnitude are in a position to be doing the choosing of which (and how many) to endorse. Perhaps the reason Serena touts an 18-2 record over Maria is because she chooses to spend her time improving her game on the court, and Maria often appears to focus on improving her brand off of it. With her clothing line, Venus has also dipped into product creation on the back of her athletic success. There's a clear give-and-take, and those decisions shape Serena's brand in a way that is strategic on her part.
For (pre-scandal) Tiger Woods, his race created a uniqueness to his brand in the golf marketplace that arguably enhanced his sponsorship opportunities. The same has been true for Serena in tennis, despite what Ms. Rankine suggests.
1) On-court performance. (she was one of 2 athletes this generation who ranked the best of all time in her sport. Tiger was the other. Definition of 'our generation' was that the prime of the athlete's career fell between 2000 - present: sorry MJ)
2) Off-court marketability (comparable to the likes of Federer, Phelps, Jeter; just below echelon of Tiger, LeBron, Peyton
3) General sense of likability/morality (mentioned with ironclad brands LeBron and Federer)
The notion that athletes are "chosen" by corporations is true to an extent. But athletes of Serena's magnitude are in a position to be doing the choosing of which (and how many) to endorse. Perhaps the reason Serena touts an 18-2 record over Maria is because she chooses to spend her time improving her game on the court, and Maria often appears to focus on improving her brand off of it. With her clothing line, Venus has also dipped into product creation on the back of her athletic success. There's a clear give-and-take, and those decisions shape Serena's brand in a way that is strategic on her part.
For (pre-scandal) Tiger Woods, his race created a uniqueness to his brand in the golf marketplace that arguably enhanced his sponsorship opportunities. The same has been true for Serena in tennis, despite what Ms. Rankine suggests.
1
As a black, I read this well intended article and think, "my, how white of you to say." Ms. Rankine, I don't care, most blacks don't care, and certainly SERENA doesn't care, what you or other whites, think about her in particular, or us in general. Whites, especially, liberals, think we blacks are obsessed with proving ourselves to them. We are not. That era has passed. We are now more concerned with breaking down your more sophisticated barriers to socio-economic and political parity. In one way or another, we all are developing our own 120 mph serve. I am sure you take THAT meaning.
2
Mr. Isaac - "Other whites"? You may want to do a little research into Prof. Rankine's ethnicity.
9
Mr. Isaac: Ms. Rankine is black. I am white and I wholly agree with her. And, I will go on to assert that the same thing applies to women when it comes to having to give 150% just to be thought equal to men. How absurd is that?
10
You do realize Ms. Rankine is black, right?
3
WOW - what a gorgeous, artful photo portrait of Serena posing with her racquet by Christopher Griffith - the perfect image of beauty, strength and style.
She is a goddess!
She is a goddess!
8
I'm very fortunate that I get to attend two U.S. Open sessions next week, and I really hope I get to see Serena Williams play. I agree with those who believe she's one of the best tennis players in the history of the game, if not the best ever. She's certainly the greatest athlete I've ever seen in person.
I also agree that she's been subjected to racism throughout her career, some of it subtle and much of it not. For instance, in Cincinnati, where I live, the very same people who post comment after comment about they love Pete Rose will write moments later that they don't like Williams because she's "not a good sport" or she "doesn't respect other players." Really? That's why you don't like her?
All that said, this article isn't very good. It's overheated and offers very little insight into its subject. Next time, more Serena and less Claudia.
I also agree that she's been subjected to racism throughout her career, some of it subtle and much of it not. For instance, in Cincinnati, where I live, the very same people who post comment after comment about they love Pete Rose will write moments later that they don't like Williams because she's "not a good sport" or she "doesn't respect other players." Really? That's why you don't like her?
All that said, this article isn't very good. It's overheated and offers very little insight into its subject. Next time, more Serena and less Claudia.
4
Only a non-tennis fan could have written this article. The bit about the fan rooting for Azarenka is cringeworthy and ignorant. It's been really interesting to watch this summer, as Serena's been in the limelight of the general public more than ever, how many general commentators try to project themselves onto her and write so reductively about a sport they don't really understand - this is probably the worst example I've seen so far.
11
Why cite the London School of Marketing's most marketable sports stars study as if there is a rhyme or reason to it? Consider the other inequities on the list -- at #5, Kevin Durant with zero NBA titles; at #4, Lebron with two titles; and way back at #11, Kobe with 5 titles and SEVENTEEN all star game appearances! I don't doubt the art and science behind the London School of Marketing's list -- it just shows that success in terms of titles does not necessarily equate to marketing power. Oh, and the fastest man in the world, with the coolest name in the world, Usain Bolt, is #14, five places behind Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a cricket player.
4
I don't find being no. 20 vs. 12 on the Forbes list so conclusive. The difference is probably extremely small anyway, and we are talking nuances here. There is indeed a lot of racism in the world, perhaps agains Serena in particular, but the fact she is under Sharapova in someone's list I would not attribute it to race. In the end, it is the sexiness that's marketable, and that does depend on the eye which is looking. We tend to like people that look like us, or we can fantasize about, and perhaps a strong and powerful figure such as Serena has few equals. I would say this article is looking to find racism where perhaps there isn't any.
1
Serena's long career attests to her focus on tennis and everything else. But in the 90's I remember the drumbeat vs. her father, he did not love his daughters, he was an irresponsible nig-x-er, if he cared about his daughters and not himself he would have gotten them a professional coach and put them on the junior tennis tour. While he was being dismissed simultaneously there were accolades for Lindsey Davenport giving up tennis for a week to go her high school prom--of course, Venus and Serena were to high school full time.
Interesting also that Richard Williams and Tiger's father both prepared their children in the same way for what they knew would be repeated racial attacks on, let's be specific, on simple teenagers.
Interesting also that Richard Williams and Tiger's father both prepared their children in the same way for what they knew would be repeated racial attacks on, let's be specific, on simple teenagers.
5
This article articulates the realities that African Americans face every day in the public in the USA. Whites do not have these "burdens" and are largely unable to comprehend the extra physical and psychological stresses that happen if you are a Black in a "White Country". Some people simply have to walk in our shoes for a week or so, to truly understand this problem. Folks who read books about the Black experience have some knowledge of these things, but are fortunate in not having to live it every day.
6
Oh give me a break. Everything is about race nowadays and it's tiresome. I don't even think about it anymore nor do I care . She has no class she has Compton written all over her and she may be a great tennis player but I don't like watching her and I certainly will be so happy when she and her sister are not playing tennis anymore
These three quotes from the article and their proceeding discourse resonated with me and had me nodding at my screen. They beautifully illuminate the crossroads of gender and race and the 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' choices Serena faces.
"A crucial component of white privilege is the idea that your accomplishments can be, have been, achieved on your own."
"I suggested that this had to do with race. Serena, on occasion, has herself been a blonde. But of course, for millions of consumers, possibly not the right kind of blonde."
"Because just as important to me as her victories is her willingness to be an emotionally complete person while also being black."
"A crucial component of white privilege is the idea that your accomplishments can be, have been, achieved on your own."
"I suggested that this had to do with race. Serena, on occasion, has herself been a blonde. But of course, for millions of consumers, possibly not the right kind of blonde."
"Because just as important to me as her victories is her willingness to be an emotionally complete person while also being black."
4
So let me see if I understand this correctly. I stopped cheering for Jimmy Connors, because I thought he was uncouth. I stopped cheering for Lleyton Hewitt because of his constantly yelling "come-on" after each point, even after an opponents double fault and I stopped cheering for Serena Williams because she continually screamed, glared and shook her fist at some poor little thing on the other side of the net, who she just clobbered 6-1, 6-0 in 25 minutes. But that last one means I'm a racist...correct? Some of us just like to see good sportsmanship along with good tennis.
19
I was so disappointed in reading this flowery tribute to an outstanding human being, a gifted woman who happens to be black.
Claudia Rankin's approach to her accolade for Serena Williams serves to continue to isolate and to maintain a dividing line based on skin color. I don't applaud and admire Serena Williams because she is African American, I stand up and shout my support for her based on excellence, her drive and her spirit.
What also bothered me about this piece is that I have a 4 year old grandson who is black and who I hope realizes his potential - not as a 'black' person but as a human being. And I don't want to read that he is being complimented on his achievements yet to come - in spite of his skin color. That is offensive.
Claudia Rankin can take what she will out of Serena Williams achievements and so will I. The difference would appear to be that I could care less what color she is.
Claudia Rankin's approach to her accolade for Serena Williams serves to continue to isolate and to maintain a dividing line based on skin color. I don't applaud and admire Serena Williams because she is African American, I stand up and shout my support for her based on excellence, her drive and her spirit.
What also bothered me about this piece is that I have a 4 year old grandson who is black and who I hope realizes his potential - not as a 'black' person but as a human being. And I don't want to read that he is being complimented on his achievements yet to come - in spite of his skin color. That is offensive.
Claudia Rankin can take what she will out of Serena Williams achievements and so will I. The difference would appear to be that I could care less what color she is.
6
I don't like the way Serena Williams plays tennis. The clobbering two-handed backhands, the ripping high-velocity hit-or-miss forehands, the drone-missile serves. It is basically the Bradenton Academy style of attacking every ball that comes over the net. When this style was being wielded by Monica Seles or Andre Agassi, I didn't like it then. When it was later adopted by Andy Roddick and Serena Williams, I still found it an inartful and clunky version of tennis. One that relied on the newer big-head rackets and endlessly repetitive high-tempo drills. More like dentistry than sport. Boring. Uncreative. I would add that Maria Sharapova's and Novak Djokovic are equally uncreative. Roger Federer plays with style and creativity and he is worth watching.
6
I would add that, on the women's side, Justine Henin typified the kind of style and art that I've see in Federer in the men's game. Martina Hingis, too, had the same sort of brilliant court movement and art as Henin. (When Martina was No.1, she often had to get past both Williams sisters to get to the tournnanent title.)
The author claims "racism" as the reason for Serena's limited marketability off the tennis court. In considering this charge let's consider the possibility of Serena Williams becoming a fashion model or TV personality without being a professional athlete. I'm thinking one in a billion but maybe I'm being too generous. Now let's consider Maria Sharapova's modeling career chances without her being a star athlete- I would give her one out of ten- she could do some modeling. And let's remember, there are plenty of black and other non-Caucasian models hawking fashion to rich white women. So let's dismiss the charge of racism and attribute Serena's somewhat limited commercial marketability to the merits- i.e., the general unpleasantness of her personality and the fact that she isn't very pretty. I know it's hard for the NYT to believe but there are things in this world that cannot be attributed to racism and white privilege.
7
I am active social tennis player for over 30 years playing in the USTA leagues even as my knees and body complain about the quick moves required to be competitive. I immigrated from a country where tennis is loved but has produced no champions. And seen the greats: Laver, Rosewall, Emerson, the dynamo Chuck McKinley and yes, Gardner Mulloy several decades ago when he was then an "aging" star. But the phenomenon of the WIlliams sisters and Serena in particular is simply wondrous. For a family "straight outta Compton", promising his girls will win more than 20 Grand Slams in a game that was very lily white could be seen as arrogant, brazen, and frankly foolish. But here he is. And here they are. And here she is. For them/her to overcome all the slights, blatant racism on and off the court the cool receptions they must have received in the "cathedrals of tennis" and yet produce great tennis like Serene did at Wimbledon speaks of fortitude, courage and guts to be the a champion. Great going, Serena and get the Grand Slam!
9
UGOGIRL!!! Thank you for this perspective, the one line brought tears to my eyes, "opening the door for someone else" CLASSACT!!! Love me some Serena, DOU!!!
3
Serena is a great player - maybe the best woman ever - but I find nothing wrong with a Caucasian American rooting for a tall blonde from overseas instead of an African American, any more than I have a problem with an African American having an Obama picture hanging up in their house - support your 'homey', so to speak, just like Irish Catholics had JFK pictures everywhere because they identified with him. You can admire Serena's talent and skills, but not identify with her, IMHO....
Oh, and by the way, I used to watch [and play] a lot of tennis, but when Monica Seles introduced 'grunting' into the game it lost me as a fan. That is so awful..... And modern equipment that encourages long baseline rallies have made the game much more boring than the old style clashes between baseliners and serve-and-volley daredevils....
So good luck Serena, play your best... when does the NFL start?
Oh, and by the way, I used to watch [and play] a lot of tennis, but when Monica Seles introduced 'grunting' into the game it lost me as a fan. That is so awful..... And modern equipment that encourages long baseline rallies have made the game much more boring than the old style clashes between baseliners and serve-and-volley daredevils....
So good luck Serena, play your best... when does the NFL start?
2
Radness endures. Winning or losing, Serena will always be a star.
2
Doesn't anyone remember Althea Gibson, who probably would have won several dozen grand slams if tennis wasn't considered an "amateur" sport, forcing players to turn pro or just get a paying job.
3
African-Americans excel in, and in some cases dominate, U.S. sports by merit. Thousands have given the country and the world a huge amount to enjoy and to admire. And, in great contrast to the past, they are well-rewarded, with many making hundreds of millions.
Portraying Serena and other African-Americans stars as victims, reuiqring that they function as racial symbols, provides easy gratification, primarily in the form of diminishing jealousy. Caucasians, no matter how obscure and struggling, can (and clearly now do) glory in being told they have "white privilege," even as they consciously decry racism. African-Americans who are struggling can (and clearly sometimes do) think, "So and so may a multi-millionaire, but he or she is a victim, still one of us." Pleasure for all! Except that ultimately, the athlete's achievement is diminished.
Portraying Serena and other African-Americans stars as victims, reuiqring that they function as racial symbols, provides easy gratification, primarily in the form of diminishing jealousy. Caucasians, no matter how obscure and struggling, can (and clearly now do) glory in being told they have "white privilege," even as they consciously decry racism. African-Americans who are struggling can (and clearly sometimes do) think, "So and so may a multi-millionaire, but he or she is a victim, still one of us." Pleasure for all! Except that ultimately, the athlete's achievement is diminished.
3
"White privilege", is a phrase that has been used for the very very rich the people who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths'. But for the average white person there is no privilege , they have to work very very hard and they don't get that extra card which is their race to help them out.
One of my favorite parts of being a tennis fan is getting to root for players that you like, regardless of nationality. A lot of that has to do with who you identify with, I think, especially if you yourself are a tennis player. I have always admired Serena, she's an undeniably amazing player, but I could never identify with her, not because of her race, but because of her style of play and her demeanor. I always liked the smaller women who were able to play with the big hitters (like Justine Henin), since I myself am a smaller person who will never have Serena's power, or her raw emotions.
So root for whoever you like. However, don't hate the person next to you rooting for Azarenka. We all have our reasons for who to root for, sometimes nothing more than wanting an underdog. Don't take it as a personal affront (and I hate the idea that we all have to pull for the American player).
So root for whoever you like. However, don't hate the person next to you rooting for Azarenka. We all have our reasons for who to root for, sometimes nothing more than wanting an underdog. Don't take it as a personal affront (and I hate the idea that we all have to pull for the American player).
9
‘‘I swear to God I am [expletive] going to take this [expletive] [article] and shove it down your [expletive] throat.’’
Now do you get it professor? How would you like it yelled at you in your face by a physically intimidating athlete in front of millions of spectators?
Maybe the professor could use a class in sportsmanship. Oh, sorry, sportsmanship is just racism.
Now do you get it professor? How would you like it yelled at you in your face by a physically intimidating athlete in front of millions of spectators?
Maybe the professor could use a class in sportsmanship. Oh, sorry, sportsmanship is just racism.
8
@Justme:
Your point-of-view (comment) is so weak, it is raucously humorous, naive, and puerile. (LMAO--literally!) It completely ignores "context," which is significant in a professional sporting event where the opportunity to play for a championship rests on the next few points of the match. And, the stadium is packed with thousands of roaring fans (for either athlete) peaked with adrenaline.
Your comment is also typical "racial tripe" and trope. African Americans (of rank or file) being portrayed as "physically intimidating" or "scary" or "other" is as cliched as it is a stereotype. You really expect anyone to believe that the tennis official who made that bad (foot fault) call--as it was confirmed, shortly thereafter--to have been in any fear of Serena? (ROTLMAO!) Imagine that: An official of professional sport quivering because an athlete yelled--or even cursed--at her. (One can only imagine what officials of other sports, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, etc., must feel when such rudimentary, "it-comes-with-the-territory" outbursts occur.)
Yet, you go from "A to Z," from bad sportsmanship to racism, omitting (or ignoring) all facts in between.
Perhaps it is you who could use a class--in how to construct a valid argument.
P.S. Though sportsmanship is important, it is not why fans of any sport go to watch the game.
Your point-of-view (comment) is so weak, it is raucously humorous, naive, and puerile. (LMAO--literally!) It completely ignores "context," which is significant in a professional sporting event where the opportunity to play for a championship rests on the next few points of the match. And, the stadium is packed with thousands of roaring fans (for either athlete) peaked with adrenaline.
Your comment is also typical "racial tripe" and trope. African Americans (of rank or file) being portrayed as "physically intimidating" or "scary" or "other" is as cliched as it is a stereotype. You really expect anyone to believe that the tennis official who made that bad (foot fault) call--as it was confirmed, shortly thereafter--to have been in any fear of Serena? (ROTLMAO!) Imagine that: An official of professional sport quivering because an athlete yelled--or even cursed--at her. (One can only imagine what officials of other sports, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, etc., must feel when such rudimentary, "it-comes-with-the-territory" outbursts occur.)
Yet, you go from "A to Z," from bad sportsmanship to racism, omitting (or ignoring) all facts in between.
Perhaps it is you who could use a class--in how to construct a valid argument.
P.S. Though sportsmanship is important, it is not why fans of any sport go to watch the game.
1
Black excellence in sports took courage in the age of pioneers in the era of Jim Crow. Serena Williams is no Zina Garrison, Althea Gibson nor Arthur Ashe. Serena is not Venus. Sports is an entertaining side light for black excellence. Physical prowess and athletic ability plays into a limiting stereotype of black excellence.
Jack Johnson, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Jim Brown and Jackie Robinson were brave. Serena Williams, like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, is reaping the pot of famous gold. Black excellence in sports and entertainment does not matter in any other endeavor nor does it make you white.
The late Claudia Alexander was a pioneering planetary mission scientist at NASA. Mae Jemison, Joan Higginbotham, Stephanie Wilson and Yvonne Cagle have been NASA astronauts. Shirley Chisholm ran for President. Carol Braun was a U.S. Senator. Ursula Burns is the CEO of Xerox. Shonda Rimes is a screenwriter, director and producer.
I admire and respect Serena as the best of the best in her profession. But in context and perspective I want and expect her to win. I cheer for her as an ardent fan.
Jack Johnson, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Jim Brown and Jackie Robinson were brave. Serena Williams, like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, is reaping the pot of famous gold. Black excellence in sports and entertainment does not matter in any other endeavor nor does it make you white.
The late Claudia Alexander was a pioneering planetary mission scientist at NASA. Mae Jemison, Joan Higginbotham, Stephanie Wilson and Yvonne Cagle have been NASA astronauts. Shirley Chisholm ran for President. Carol Braun was a U.S. Senator. Ursula Burns is the CEO of Xerox. Shonda Rimes is a screenwriter, director and producer.
I admire and respect Serena as the best of the best in her profession. But in context and perspective I want and expect her to win. I cheer for her as an ardent fan.
3
Sharapova has the looks of a professional model and also is a top player.
It doesn't take a genius to figure she would be hugely marketable as a spokesperson for luxury goods.
Why is white skin valued in so many cultures? I'm sure there are a lot of explanations, but it is prevalent not only in America as a race issue but also in South Asia and East Asia as a class marker, including in places that were never Western colonies. Fundamentally, in many places around the world, people have ideals of beauty that seems "racist", but really it is just a cultural preference. In reality, the blondes of the world are a tiny minority compared to the rest of us so its not like a real social problem that needs to be solved.
It doesn't take a genius to figure she would be hugely marketable as a spokesperson for luxury goods.
Why is white skin valued in so many cultures? I'm sure there are a lot of explanations, but it is prevalent not only in America as a race issue but also in South Asia and East Asia as a class marker, including in places that were never Western colonies. Fundamentally, in many places around the world, people have ideals of beauty that seems "racist", but really it is just a cultural preference. In reality, the blondes of the world are a tiny minority compared to the rest of us so its not like a real social problem that needs to be solved.
2
The author wrote, "I couldn’t quite shake the feeling (I still can’t quite shake it) that my body’s frailty, not the cancer but the depth of my exhaustion, had been brought on in part by the constant onslaught of racism..." Yes, it's called John Henryism, the tendency to suffer physically as a result of an ongoing, long-term battle against social stressors such as racism. Some medical researchers speculate that John Henryism could contribute to higher rates of certain chronic diseases among African Americans (breast cancer, hypertension, etc.)
2
all these excuses that Serena is not liked because she misbehaved...
and yet, people continued to root for Roddick the next year when he berated a linesperson for a foot fault, for a WHOLE match, not a few minutes as Serena did.
And people are still nostalgic for the times of Connors and Mac; they are held up as stars with "personalities". JohnnyMac has made a second career with his "you cant be serious" rant on TV.
Hewitt was racist and abusive in his early career. He has mellowed a lot since then. Yet, he is now an "elder statesman".
Henin blatantly cheated by holding up a hand to stop a Serena serve when the umpire was not looking, and then lied when the umpire asked. And yet the crowds booed Serena. Yup, that's right, you cant make this up.
Murray yells and screams at his coach, his mom, and his girlfriend (now his wife) in the stands. Anyone who had a screaming boss knows it was never fun. So, Murray employs his coach, and hence is his boss, and yells at him with abusive language and rude body gestures when things are not going well during a match. In front of the whole world, and the coach has nowhere to go, s/he has to sit there and take it. And yet fans like him OK.
Are fans hypocritical or racist in their hatred of Serena and Venus? (yes, Venus too, although none of the so called transgressions of Serena were committed by Venus, she was hardly liked anymore by the tennis fans). You decide.
and yet, people continued to root for Roddick the next year when he berated a linesperson for a foot fault, for a WHOLE match, not a few minutes as Serena did.
And people are still nostalgic for the times of Connors and Mac; they are held up as stars with "personalities". JohnnyMac has made a second career with his "you cant be serious" rant on TV.
Hewitt was racist and abusive in his early career. He has mellowed a lot since then. Yet, he is now an "elder statesman".
Henin blatantly cheated by holding up a hand to stop a Serena serve when the umpire was not looking, and then lied when the umpire asked. And yet the crowds booed Serena. Yup, that's right, you cant make this up.
Murray yells and screams at his coach, his mom, and his girlfriend (now his wife) in the stands. Anyone who had a screaming boss knows it was never fun. So, Murray employs his coach, and hence is his boss, and yells at him with abusive language and rude body gestures when things are not going well during a match. In front of the whole world, and the coach has nowhere to go, s/he has to sit there and take it. And yet fans like him OK.
Are fans hypocritical or racist in their hatred of Serena and Venus? (yes, Venus too, although none of the so called transgressions of Serena were committed by Venus, she was hardly liked anymore by the tennis fans). You decide.
13
Pretty face, feminine body shape. Her arms are fine, but the six-pack abds are too much. I hope she loses them when she retires.
Are you a microbiologist? It sounds like you're dissecting a dead animal.
2
I love the way Serena plays tennis. However, I don't particularly like her as a sports 'personality.' She seems like a diva, much like most of the other pros. She's not particularly sportsmanlike; rather, she seems to have learned, through some hard lessons, how to play the publicity game. She certainly pulls a lot of sketchy gamesmanship on the court when she's losing. The JW stuff is a little weird, and hardly ever talked about. I also don't like the implication, repeated often by many sportswriters and certainly evident in this article as well, that the hardships she has faced are somehow unprecedented. She's a black woman in America, and an extraordinarily skilled professional tennis player; she's certainly overcome some adversity. But there are many female pros of all races struggling to climb out of their dirt-poor countries, and their lives are not walks in the park, either. The author here certainly does imply that an American spectator should be rooting for the American contestant, and this is just plain silly. People root for all kinds of athletes/teams, not only the one from their city/state/country/ethnicity. (Personally, I'm kind of a Sloane Stephens fan.)
One very good reason to root against Williams is, it's boring to see the same people win all the time. This is why a lot of people detest teams like the Yankees and the Patriots.
One very good reason to root against Williams is, it's boring to see the same people win all the time. This is why a lot of people detest teams like the Yankees and the Patriots.
13
Mr. Froome, those who fail to understand that Serena is and has always been the underdog, fail to understand anything about racial prejudice.
1
Kudos to Serena. She's not only feminine but asolutely stunning! Serena Williams happens to be one of the most gorgeous women, bar none in the world and to top it all off she's the "best" athlete on the universe. Let the haters - hate while Serena wins!
4
Claudia: Thanks for the beautifully written, thought-provoking piece about the great Serena Williams. As many of the comments here show, it is incredibly hard for white Americans, like me, to comprehend the dimensions of the black experience in our country. Keep on shining that light into the dark corners, Claudia...and long may Serena continuemto triumph.
7
Remember those times Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson raged at a linesman and threatened to "take this [expletive] ball and shove it down your [expletive] throat"? Oh, they never said that? Those two legends / role models for all athletes and non-athletes defined "class act" on and off the tennis court.
9
Because then black folks were not allowed to misbehave: they had to be good megroes, right? !!
2
Jack Johnson, Muhammad Ali, Serena Williams. All superb athletes who stirred jealousy and even outrage among some white fans. It's a shame. I just love watching her play.
6
She is a champion and a Lady. A tough, classy act to follow, grace personified.
2
I have been a huge fan of Venus and Serena since they started playing. One of the many things I admire about them is their graciousness and focus. I don't doubt that they have suffered greatly from American racism but I wonder what Serena thinks of this article. At times it seems like the author is using Serena to further her own agenda, contrary to Serena's wishes and views (hence, Serena's frequent "impatience" with the author).
4
This was a wonderfully written article. I don't expect everyone to understand Claudia or Serena's point of view.
7
Ms. Williams is the best women's tennis player, probably of all time. To my way of thinking that has nothing to do with the color of her skin, or whether or not she is judged as pretty.
Sport is entertainment, plain and simple. Sharapova realized that at a young age and made the most of the markets opened up by her tennis and looks.
As Ms. Williams states, she wins for her, while recognizing and being cognisant of those that came before.
Has she suffered the slings of arrows of racial discrimination in her home country? Is the Pope Catholic? Ms. Williams voted with her feet and found a home in Paris. Who would blame her?
All that said, she is simply hard to like on a personal level. By that I mean my reaction to her personality on camera. Rarely is she gracious in defeat. Her "humanity," which is simply an excuse offered by the writer as a fig leaf for Ms. Williams outbursts, isn't pretty.
Federer finds a way to be sportsmanlike, win or lose. Ms. Williams would do well to emulate his behavior. Fed's demeanor has nothing to do with the color of his skin. At least that's the way it comes across.
Richard Williams "It's us against the world" attitude left its mark on both tennis playing daughters. That's the best guess I can come up with to explain her reactions to various competitive situations.
As for electronic line calls being invented because of all the bad calls she got?
Oh, puhleeze.
Sport is entertainment, plain and simple. Sharapova realized that at a young age and made the most of the markets opened up by her tennis and looks.
As Ms. Williams states, she wins for her, while recognizing and being cognisant of those that came before.
Has she suffered the slings of arrows of racial discrimination in her home country? Is the Pope Catholic? Ms. Williams voted with her feet and found a home in Paris. Who would blame her?
All that said, she is simply hard to like on a personal level. By that I mean my reaction to her personality on camera. Rarely is she gracious in defeat. Her "humanity," which is simply an excuse offered by the writer as a fig leaf for Ms. Williams outbursts, isn't pretty.
Federer finds a way to be sportsmanlike, win or lose. Ms. Williams would do well to emulate his behavior. Fed's demeanor has nothing to do with the color of his skin. At least that's the way it comes across.
Richard Williams "It's us against the world" attitude left its mark on both tennis playing daughters. That's the best guess I can come up with to explain her reactions to various competitive situations.
As for electronic line calls being invented because of all the bad calls she got?
Oh, puhleeze.
9
" In his autobiography, ‘‘Black and White: The Way I See It,’’ he describes toughening the girls’ ‘‘skin’’ by bringing ‘‘busloads of kids from the local schools into Compton to surround the courts while Venus and Serena practiced. I had the kids call them every curse word in the English language, including ‘Nigger,’ ’’ he writes. ‘‘I paid them to do it and told them to ‘do their worst.’ "
I see. And that wasn't racist and abusive? Seriously? Because white kids aren't really people and paying them to demean themselves for a few dollars to help make your daughter a champion is just fine?
I see. And that wasn't racist and abusive? Seriously? Because white kids aren't really people and paying them to demean themselves for a few dollars to help make your daughter a champion is just fine?
9
Are you serious? Richard Williams was trying to toughen his daughters to face a world that you and your unconscious racism enforced. The fact that you cannot see that after reading this article only proves the veracity of the Richard Willams perspective on white society.
The kids were white? That must've been in the book because I don't see their race in the article. Did you maybe just assume they were white? If so, why?
1
Good thing he did. Lord knows why they did not have more melt downs given the blatant racism, booing, and cheating by players and umpires alike.
4
Claudia Rankine has masterfully described the feelings Serena evokes in her fans.
When she's down, I turn into a protective parent as I sit their white-knuckled staring at the screen.
As she roars back from what seemed to be certain defeat, my heart pounds as I wait in that purgatory of disbelief and hope.
And when Serena wins, I want to sing.
I hope I'm singing through September.
When she's down, I turn into a protective parent as I sit their white-knuckled staring at the screen.
As she roars back from what seemed to be certain defeat, my heart pounds as I wait in that purgatory of disbelief and hope.
And when Serena wins, I want to sing.
I hope I'm singing through September.
14
It saddens me that here in the 21st century a woman of Serena's statute and accomplishments is still be plagued by the ugliness of racism. The best way Serena can combat this ignorance is to continue to do what she does best. Win, win, win!
8
The social climate for black athletes has improved since the Jackie Robinson era. The author of this piece keeps hammering home the point that racism has not disappeared entirely. No it hasn't.
Successful black athletes are insulated from racism's most deleterious effects by their fame and wealth. Trayvor Martin did not get a mega-million deal with his swagger and his hoodie.
Successful black athletes are insulated from racism's most deleterious effects by their fame and wealth. Trayvor Martin did not get a mega-million deal with his swagger and his hoodie.
Let me begin by writing that Serena Williams is my favorite athlete, period. She is not only exceptionally successful, but has been for an extraordinary long period of time. When you consider that she has been a champion in the public eye since she was a teenager, she clearly has demonstrated more maturity and dignity that just about anyone I know.
And I love that Serena is a real person, not a robot. You can tell her passions, both for tennis and for other aspects of life. She is a great role model for everyone.
That been said, I really did not like this essay. Claudia Rankine is playing the victim card and whining like a child. Here is my suggestion- the best way to celebrate Serena Williams is to focus on what is great about her, and to pretending that she is a "victim." After all, Serena and her sister are proof that proper parenting and mentoring is more important that skin color. They are proof that racism is a diminishing aspect in our society, and success is based more on effort and talent than on "privilege."
And regarding the criticism that Serena endures, maybe Ms Rankine should go and see the abuse that other professional athletes endure.
And I love that Serena is a real person, not a robot. You can tell her passions, both for tennis and for other aspects of life. She is a great role model for everyone.
That been said, I really did not like this essay. Claudia Rankine is playing the victim card and whining like a child. Here is my suggestion- the best way to celebrate Serena Williams is to focus on what is great about her, and to pretending that she is a "victim." After all, Serena and her sister are proof that proper parenting and mentoring is more important that skin color. They are proof that racism is a diminishing aspect in our society, and success is based more on effort and talent than on "privilege."
And regarding the criticism that Serena endures, maybe Ms Rankine should go and see the abuse that other professional athletes endure.
2
I love Serena Williams because she is the embodiment of everything that is truly American.
And I'm an old white man.
And I'm an old white man.
6
With grace, talent, competitiveness and an unprecedented combination of strength and will I feel that Serena moved far beyond the issues of 'race' years ago. And may I add, she is absolutely one of the most beautiful physical beings in this or any other sport. All the best and on to the next!
1
Serena to Chair Umpire: ‘‘I swear to God I am [expletive] going to take this [expletive] ball and shove it down your [expletive] throat.’’
Rankine: "And in doing so, we actually see her."
The professor certainly nailed that one.
Serena to Chair Umpire: "You ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way. . . . . You're a hater and you're unattractive inside. Who would do such a thing? And I never complain. Wow. What a loser. You give a code violation because I expressed who I am? We're in America last I checked...don't look at me, I promise you don't look at me cause I am not the one. Don't look my way."
" . . . and you're unattractive inside . . ." Really Serena? The best line of course is "And I never complain."
McEnroe (white male) earned his reputation. Serena (black female) has and continues to earn hers. Racism certainly exists, but why exactly do we have to celebrate one individual's rude threatening aggressive behavior? I'm racist because I think the behavior represented above (including physical threats) is rude and unacceptable?
Rankine: "And in doing so, we actually see her."
The professor certainly nailed that one.
Serena to Chair Umpire: "You ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way. . . . . You're a hater and you're unattractive inside. Who would do such a thing? And I never complain. Wow. What a loser. You give a code violation because I expressed who I am? We're in America last I checked...don't look at me, I promise you don't look at me cause I am not the one. Don't look my way."
" . . . and you're unattractive inside . . ." Really Serena? The best line of course is "And I never complain."
McEnroe (white male) earned his reputation. Serena (black female) has and continues to earn hers. Racism certainly exists, but why exactly do we have to celebrate one individual's rude threatening aggressive behavior? I'm racist because I think the behavior represented above (including physical threats) is rude and unacceptable?
32
McEnroe had legions of fans who thought his bad boy image was the greatest thing. By comparison, most of his disparagers, Johnkgnyt, were not cranky black people.
1
If protecting your goodness is more important than understanding how vulnerable African Americans are in this day and age—from any angle, at any range, with whatever means from verbal assault to physical abuse to hostile silence—then you don't understand what a mixed blessing being gifted and black is, my friend.
2
First, not chair umpire – line person, and it was the referee who charged the penalty point.
Notice the way Serena's face is shaded in this very article to minimize her massive jaw? What about the girly pink lipstick? What happened to her African-American hair?
It is impossible to deny that Serena is among the greatest tennis players ever--male or female. I don't know of anyone who seriously contends otherwise, out of racism or any for other reason. In so far as you make that argument, you are attacking a straw man.
It would also seem impossible to deny that men and women are entitled to find attractive whomever they like without being labelled racist. The heart wants what it wants, after all. (Ask Selena Gomez.) It would be ludicrous to deny that marketability is based in large part on being attractive to the greatest number of consumers within a particular target demographic and that, in the case of women in particular, that means physically attractive. It's our "stupid" animal urges that drive most consumer behavior, as should surprise exactly no one.
It seems unlikely that most men will ever find physically attractive a woman with more muscle mass than they themselves have. Apparently, they do not now. No other reason is needed to explain why Serena is less marketable than she might be if she looked like Maria Sharapova.
It's tiring to hear everything that black people don't like about the world being attributed to racism. Sometimes there are other, perhaps equally stupid, reasons. Get used to it.
It is impossible to deny that Serena is among the greatest tennis players ever--male or female. I don't know of anyone who seriously contends otherwise, out of racism or any for other reason. In so far as you make that argument, you are attacking a straw man.
It would also seem impossible to deny that men and women are entitled to find attractive whomever they like without being labelled racist. The heart wants what it wants, after all. (Ask Selena Gomez.) It would be ludicrous to deny that marketability is based in large part on being attractive to the greatest number of consumers within a particular target demographic and that, in the case of women in particular, that means physically attractive. It's our "stupid" animal urges that drive most consumer behavior, as should surprise exactly no one.
It seems unlikely that most men will ever find physically attractive a woman with more muscle mass than they themselves have. Apparently, they do not now. No other reason is needed to explain why Serena is less marketable than she might be if she looked like Maria Sharapova.
It's tiring to hear everything that black people don't like about the world being attributed to racism. Sometimes there are other, perhaps equally stupid, reasons. Get used to it.
6
Tsk, tsk, Hal. I have more muscle mass than Serena, and I'm a white male in my sixties. Also, I think Serena's hotter than Sharapova, and not just because Maria is 6'2" and I'm under 6' and not a racist.
1
In the grand scheme of things she's very good at hitting a yellow inflated ball over a net.
Let's get things in perspective.
Let's get things in perspective.
7
Serena Williams is beautiful. In a culture that shames us for race, gender, sexuality, and body-type, among other things, she is an outstanding example of a woman true to herself and her abilities.
4
I'm white and I always root for Serena because she is American and an awesome tennis player. The marketing money issue is ridiculous. So Maria makes $29 million (I read elsewhere it was $27). Serena made $24 million. That's practically the same and hardly worth crying race over. Perhaps if Serena made $1 mil to Maria's $29 there'd be something to say about it, but what athlete wouldn't be delighted with either figure? The enormous money to be made in endorsements is actually what's interesting. Also, Maria has had all the advantages of being an American without becoming American. To me that's an ungrateful attitude and why I never root for her. Go Serena!
1
The word "palpable" is nauseating it is so trite.
1
She is a very,very angry black woman who threatens and swears at officials. I have no use for her and wouldn't waste my time watching her. She is an awful role model and a disservice to her race.
5
Whatever. Another clueless rant from an insecure whute male. LOL
1
Phillip Schneider, give me a break. Human race you mean?
Phil, Here's only one of many John McEnroe's rants vulgar rants.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8Nyc9jzSDg
Not only is he very angry, as you say, but he calls the umpire names, threatens to end the match, AND violently smashes everything he can at the sideline. Is he a credit to the human race? More so than Serena, or does he get a pass from the other "race" to which you refer?
Phil, Here's only one of many John McEnroe's rants vulgar rants.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8Nyc9jzSDg
Not only is he very angry, as you say, but he calls the umpire names, threatens to end the match, AND violently smashes everything he can at the sideline. Is he a credit to the human race? More so than Serena, or does he get a pass from the other "race" to which you refer?
3
You are aware, Mr. Schneider, that the term "credit/disservice to his/her race" is a vestige of the very racist 20th Century, are you not?
4
Should it be mentioned that Serena's coach, the one who transformed her mindset, game and life is a white Frenchman? Does race matter there?
4
True, but let's not forget that it was her African American father who taught her how to play the game of tennis. The remarkable part is, Richard Williams didn't know how to play at all. He purchased a few tennis books and taught himself, and then proceeded to teach his daughters.
Their story is truly remarkable.
Their story is truly remarkable.
3
I do not understand how anyone could look at the gorgeous Christopher Griffith photograph of Serena Williams and not see how beautiful she is, how she embodies the melding of supreme athleticism and female power. I'd believe in almost any product she endorsed, particularly compared to the bland femininity of Sharapova.
8
". . . I'd believe in almost any product she endorsed . . . "
Me too. Like you buffcrone, I think it's important to let commercials and advertisements guide my spending. I need corporate america to tell me what to buy. If an athlete is paid to say something on TV, it must be true.
And I'll certainly avoid all products endorsed by Sharapova. She has bland femininity. I hate bland femininity and all things endorsed by it.
Me too. Like you buffcrone, I think it's important to let commercials and advertisements guide my spending. I need corporate america to tell me what to buy. If an athlete is paid to say something on TV, it must be true.
And I'll certainly avoid all products endorsed by Sharapova. She has bland femininity. I hate bland femininity and all things endorsed by it.
Forgive me for another post--
Reaction to Laxmom post will be predictably charged as was her post.
(and as an aside, why not number the posts so we can easily refer back to one? Please NYT!!)
I've come to believe this.
Racism, differentiation between groups, suspicion, ignorance, superstition, bad experiences and good old fashion, unvarnished teaching of hate to children who will grow up is something deep in human beings. It can be mitigated but remnants will persist.
My girlfriend lives in a racially mixed neighborhood.
It is middle class to upscale. Other than the inconsiderate dopes who let their dog bark outside for hours, the vibe is great. Everyone polite, friendly. Everyone financially in good shape which goes a long way toward happy people / good neighborhoods. People have good habits, they are smart.
So, maybe our task as a nation is to what I call "manufacture'' as many well educated, well bred people as possible. With resources spent on human beings - early development, education, even instruction in manners... and implementing policies that foster security - an economy with VAST OPPORTUNITY for these good people to thrive.
I'll posit this- our base behavior toward each other is mitigated greatly when the next guy or gal (regardless of color) is someone who is happy and well off.
We need to enhance opportunity so people can create financially secure lives.
Middle class, secure blacks and whites in good neighborhoods.
That's a goal and a solution.
Reaction to Laxmom post will be predictably charged as was her post.
(and as an aside, why not number the posts so we can easily refer back to one? Please NYT!!)
I've come to believe this.
Racism, differentiation between groups, suspicion, ignorance, superstition, bad experiences and good old fashion, unvarnished teaching of hate to children who will grow up is something deep in human beings. It can be mitigated but remnants will persist.
My girlfriend lives in a racially mixed neighborhood.
It is middle class to upscale. Other than the inconsiderate dopes who let their dog bark outside for hours, the vibe is great. Everyone polite, friendly. Everyone financially in good shape which goes a long way toward happy people / good neighborhoods. People have good habits, they are smart.
So, maybe our task as a nation is to what I call "manufacture'' as many well educated, well bred people as possible. With resources spent on human beings - early development, education, even instruction in manners... and implementing policies that foster security - an economy with VAST OPPORTUNITY for these good people to thrive.
I'll posit this- our base behavior toward each other is mitigated greatly when the next guy or gal (regardless of color) is someone who is happy and well off.
We need to enhance opportunity so people can create financially secure lives.
Middle class, secure blacks and whites in good neighborhoods.
That's a goal and a solution.
This is absolutely overdue sports journalism. Serena Williams is one of the most dominant athletes in the annals of sport, but the utter lack of recognition of this fact speaks volumes about us as a society.
6
This is pure hagiography. The article clearly sidesteps and ignores some of her most negative behavior. At least the author doesn't even try to hide their personal bias. For some winning absolves all sins. Win enough and people will make up a new narrative to celebrate.
6
I. love. watching. Serena. play. I also think she takes a lot of unnecessary and hypocritical criticism from a lot of people. And, yeah, it's nice to see a black woman overcome adversity and rise to her level. That said, being black myself, the author has crossed a bit into paranoia and undermines what might have been reasonable points. Everyone has the right to stand up for themselves, but Serena was completely out of control when the foot fault was called against her. She sometimes lets her temper flare up, that's all. That's not the mortal sin some people make it out to be (see McEnroe, Roddick, Djoker, etc.), but when talking about her as a whole, you can't simply explain away her every outburst and bad moment as a stand against racism. As for the marketing conspiracy, the author's example is weak. Sharapova goes out of her way to MAKE herself marketable. Its part of the career path she's chosen. Serena (and I LIKE this) is less concerned with her corporate image than some players. She makes her statements on the court and if that translates into more Gatorade sales, so much the better, but I doubt she really cares. Has anyone seen a Tim Duncan commercial lately? He's an easy Hall of Fame athlete who just doesn't have much interest in selling brand name sneakers or energy drinks. The author seemed desperate to get Serena to endorse her manifesto, which of course, Serena never did.
6
Thank you! I'm heading over to Amazon to purchase your books immediately!
3
If there were any doubts about Serena's sense of self in the greater world beyond racial and gender considerations, it's her responses to an interviewer who kept baiting her to go where she didn't want to go. Of course she acknowledged questions about her blackness and femininity because they were asked repeatedly in different ways. But in just about every case -- based on what was included in this article -- she steered it back to one theme: I want to be me, and I just want to win. Seems to me she has been extraordinarily successful at both, and deserves to be judged on that alone. personally, as an avid tennis watcher over decades, I have found her to be a good sport and respectful of her opponents, win or lose.
2
Serena Williams - great athlete - Yes. Period.
When the 5' 9", 160 lb Serena threatened a small Asian woman line judge, who correctly called a foot fault on Serena, by stating "I'm going to shove this @#!$ ball down your $%%# throat", the silence and acceptance by the professional tennis community was deafening.
Had had a white player (male or female) made such a remark to an African American line judge, the response would have been much, much different. But apparently when the threat comes from Serena, and the intended victim Asian, it's okay.
The professional tennis community, and sports media, have bent over backwards, and contorted themselves when it comes to placating Serena Williams, and I've never understood why. The only thing I could conclude was liberal whites trying to not look racist.
John McEnroe at his worst, as far as I can recall, never, ever physically threatened a line judge, and certainly never did so to a smaller, female line judge.
Why not just call it as it is - Serena is a gifted athlete, a strong competitor. Period. Parts of her life are excellent examples of what to do; and parts of her life are excellent examples of what NOT to do.
When the 5' 9", 160 lb Serena threatened a small Asian woman line judge, who correctly called a foot fault on Serena, by stating "I'm going to shove this @#!$ ball down your $%%# throat", the silence and acceptance by the professional tennis community was deafening.
Had had a white player (male or female) made such a remark to an African American line judge, the response would have been much, much different. But apparently when the threat comes from Serena, and the intended victim Asian, it's okay.
The professional tennis community, and sports media, have bent over backwards, and contorted themselves when it comes to placating Serena Williams, and I've never understood why. The only thing I could conclude was liberal whites trying to not look racist.
John McEnroe at his worst, as far as I can recall, never, ever physically threatened a line judge, and certainly never did so to a smaller, female line judge.
Why not just call it as it is - Serena is a gifted athlete, a strong competitor. Period. Parts of her life are excellent examples of what to do; and parts of her life are excellent examples of what NOT to do.
11
This is one of the best articles I've read about Serena Williams! I am so inspired by Serena because as an African-American I understand what it's like to deal with racism, and the way Serena handles it is with so much grace and dignity. She embodies the true definition of a champion. I was just at Wimbledon and the crowd was so disrespectful to her when she was playing Heather Watson so much so that I really wanted her to win to shut them up...of course she won because she's mentally tough and has dealt with adversity and racism her whole life!
5
Serena is the greatest athlete of this generation and there is no doubt she has had to deal with racism, sexism and other adversity that others in different sports have not had to face. Her record alone is what will judge her in history and that can't be questioned.
That being said, I am an American and was at the final against Azarenka. I was also cheering for Azarenka because I wanted a close match and although I fully appreciate Serena's greatness she doesn't endear herself to many based on bad sportsmanship and an unlikeable personality. I'm sure I might have felt the same way about McEnroe in his day. Racism and sexism are real in terms of being putting down Serena but her supporters are don't really acknowledge that off the court (and sometimes on it) she isn't a likeable personality and you don't have to look farther than Venus to see a contrast.
That being said, I am an American and was at the final against Azarenka. I was also cheering for Azarenka because I wanted a close match and although I fully appreciate Serena's greatness she doesn't endear herself to many based on bad sportsmanship and an unlikeable personality. I'm sure I might have felt the same way about McEnroe in his day. Racism and sexism are real in terms of being putting down Serena but her supporters are don't really acknowledge that off the court (and sometimes on it) she isn't a likeable personality and you don't have to look farther than Venus to see a contrast.
4
Maria Sharapova is a good player, but Serena Williams is the greatest player to have played the game. However, the true irony of Maria's commercial success is that it is largely due to her surprise win over Serena in the 2004 Wimbledon final. As Maria's agent Max Eisenbud has stated, within an hour of that victory, he received almost 800 emails from potential sponsors. In the decade since, Maria and her team have consistently honed her brand, including her candy line, Sugarpova.
To my mind, the difference in off-court earnings between the two players is not merely that corporations prefer blondes, but that corporations prefer an athlete with an easily accommodated message (Exhibit A: Tiger Woods, pre-2009 endorsements of about $100 million. He still earns $50 million, even now). With Maria, the message is "Buy this stuff." However, as this incisive article makes clear, with Serena the message is more like, "Don't be racist. P.S. Buy this stuff." Serena's refusal to quietly go along has cost her millions, but likely saved her sanity, and kept her playing tennis long after others walked away. Here's hoping she continues to frustrate the naysayers, and remains an inspiration to the rest of us.
To my mind, the difference in off-court earnings between the two players is not merely that corporations prefer blondes, but that corporations prefer an athlete with an easily accommodated message (Exhibit A: Tiger Woods, pre-2009 endorsements of about $100 million. He still earns $50 million, even now). With Maria, the message is "Buy this stuff." However, as this incisive article makes clear, with Serena the message is more like, "Don't be racist. P.S. Buy this stuff." Serena's refusal to quietly go along has cost her millions, but likely saved her sanity, and kept her playing tennis long after others walked away. Here's hoping she continues to frustrate the naysayers, and remains an inspiration to the rest of us.
9
After generations with the foul mouths and attitudes of McEnroe, Connors, Djokovic and so many others, it is educational to watch the (mostly white) s^&# fit about Williams. I'm sure it is also a gendered brouhaha. A black woman daring to be as angrily competitive as white men? Cue the freak out.
I can't wait until she sits at the top of the list of tennis greats and this country mixes all the colors thoroughly and the brown masses of the future look back at this racist nation and shake their heads sadly for our primitive ways.
I can't wait until she sits at the top of the list of tennis greats and this country mixes all the colors thoroughly and the brown masses of the future look back at this racist nation and shake their heads sadly for our primitive ways.
21
Amen. Well said. I look forward to those days.
Serena is a great athlete, I'll give her that. BUT I will never forget her behavior at the US Open final on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. She was appalling! This is why I don't watch her matches anymore. She is a sore winner and a sore loser. I don't care what color she is, she's not a humble player.
6
So the writer focuses on the fact that Serena is rated lower for marketability than the white Sharapova among the top 20 marketable athletes in the world. Rather than pitting them against each other in terms of their skin color, why not wonder why are there only two women on the list? Among the men there are many black athletes. Is there any question about race among them?
3
God, if this is not reminiscent of Lance...
3
I have the utmost ammo ration for Serena Williams. She undoubtedly is one of the best tennis players in the world. Amazing athlete, passionate about winning and a role model. Sure she get upset when she feels a match isn’t going the way she envisioned but her competitive spirit is to blame. I hope she wins the US Open and completes the Grand Slam of Tennis. Like Tiger Woods is good for golf, Serena Williams is great for tennis.
3
I have watched a lot of tennis over the years.The accusations against Serena re not giving credit, her facial expressions when she knows she is not playing well, her total honesty about her sub standard playing, the abuse of lines people (for some players actually hitting with a ball or racquet), can be said of many of the players on tour currently or in the past. Here is the difference with Serena. Article after media article is written on her behavior while the same media attention is non existent about the other players. Just a couple of months ago at the French Open when Azarenka threw her racquet against her chair, cussed up a storm and in the locker room threw a chair, one of the NYT writers wrote: "It is fitting and understandable" that Azarenka would behave that way as she was so frustrated. Really? Fitting and understandable? Can you imagine any reporter writing that about Serena? No.
I look at a young Serena eager to perform and be accepted by the crowd. Even when winning when they were so young they were not accepted even by their own American commentators. Over the years they withdrew unto themselves within the safety of close family and friends. Even when winning the articles written were loaded with words like savage, primal, total domination, intimidation and on and on.
The problem with racism is that it is so deeply ingrained that for those who do not have to live while black can NEVER understand it and can afford to claim it is not about race.....
I look at a young Serena eager to perform and be accepted by the crowd. Even when winning when they were so young they were not accepted even by their own American commentators. Over the years they withdrew unto themselves within the safety of close family and friends. Even when winning the articles written were loaded with words like savage, primal, total domination, intimidation and on and on.
The problem with racism is that it is so deeply ingrained that for those who do not have to live while black can NEVER understand it and can afford to claim it is not about race.....
30
Looking forward to a time when race is not the topic but just the sport and sports person. I can relate to having meltdowns about not winning no matter what race or sex. Losing gracefully is not an American mainstream goal and it really is a rare athlete or politician that does have that grace. Aggressive behavior and reaction is largely condoned in all activities here. Assertive is not aggressive.
1
I dream of the world when a bad girl (in terms of manners), Serena, is as marketable and attractive as a bad boy, John McKenroe, was (and is). Roger Federer's excellence and good manners got him worldwide popularity and marketability; yet, I don't know if Serena Williams's good manners would have done any good to her on that front.
6
Not to take away any of Serena's athletic abilities, and she is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all time, but her demeanor, and from my perspective, immediate gloating after winning a match is classless... In the general area where I come from in Brooklyn, which was the nurturing ground for some spectacular athletes like Koufax, the Aspromontes and Torre's, Dibbs, Petrocelli, Glickman, Lombardi, Franco, Herman, Mazzilli, and countless others, if you would have behaved like she does, you would have wound up on your rear end!...Same goes for Connors, by the way!!!
7
Black excellence? Why not human excellence? This is just more racist garbage. The NY Times should be ashamed of itself.
4
Serena writes her own narrative and will not let the author or anyone else tell her who or what she is playing for. I loved the recent documentary about Serena and Venus. Watching the frustration their Mom deals with while the foreign press asks her if her daughter's grunting is what helps her play so well is just a one little racist moment of the day. My brother loved tennis, growing up we never imagined two young, black sisters would change the sport forever.
4
As far as the drugging concerns people are expressing here, without evidence it really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'm not as privy to the backroom or locker room "info" and , gossip?, but if there's a whiff of impropriety, then MANY are complicit in hiding it - especially people like Chris Evert, Martina, Mary Joe Fernandez, Lindsey Davenport, Darren Cahill, Jim Courier, John and Pat McEnroe .... not to mention reporters from coast to coast, AND around the world. Martina and Chris even presented her with her trophy after winning the US Open last year! Whoever thinks Serena is doping doesn't know Martina Navratilova - NOTHING would stop her telling it like it is, with the bark off!
6
Claudia - how proud are you of the facts that Ms. Williams, more than once, physically threatened a female line judge who was half her size and twice her age?
She is a spectacular athlete, but as a human being in the same class as Ty Cobb.
She is a spectacular athlete, but as a human being in the same class as Ty Cobb.
4
There was nobody worse than McEnroe and Connors
"The Meaning of Serena Williams"
All pro sports and all entertainment are meaningless...except for the pro athlete or actor/singer who uses her or his fame and fortune to do something meaningful...off the court or field or stage or screen.
It's pretty much black and white.
All pro sports and all entertainment are meaningless...except for the pro athlete or actor/singer who uses her or his fame and fortune to do something meaningful...off the court or field or stage or screen.
It's pretty much black and white.
Claudia Rankine published a prominently reviewed book very recently, "Citizen," in which she wrote at length about the meaning of Serena Williams: her athletic prowess, her beautiful physique, her unashamed competitiveness, the racist attitudes that had led some to believe that "her black body didn't belong on their court." Why ask a writer to repeat herself so directly?
2
What I love most about Serena is that she wants to win. That's it. She knows she's black and female, and she understands everything that comes along with that. But at the end of the day, she just wants to hold the winner's trophy.
Wish we had more Americans with this kind of mentality.
The other thing is: I hate it when people talk about whether Serena is likeable or not. Do we talk about whether Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, or Tom Brady, are likeable? No, and firstly they are not likeable. Secondly, as men their greatness supposedly transcends such classification. Serena is just as great as them, and I would argue, GREATER. Every one of those men is beloved in their respective sports. Serena won, despite being hated.
Wish we had more Americans with this kind of mentality.
The other thing is: I hate it when people talk about whether Serena is likeable or not. Do we talk about whether Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, or Tom Brady, are likeable? No, and firstly they are not likeable. Secondly, as men their greatness supposedly transcends such classification. Serena is just as great as them, and I would argue, GREATER. Every one of those men is beloved in their respective sports. Serena won, despite being hated.
4
Very true indeed. Michael Jordan had a serious gambling problem during the height of his career and Tiger Woods had major infidelity issues. ---But for some reason, no one ever discusses their transgressions.
3
the only time i get excited about watching sports is when serena plays. she is a living legend.
1
Hint: The man beside you probably "vacated" his seat because of his annoying neighbor. Personally, I almost always root for the underdog in sports, aside from the very few teams with which I have a personal connection (although they're usually the underdogs anyway). To me, rooting for the underdog makes sports more enjoyable, unless the person beside me is judging my character based on it. Then, I too would probably get up and leave.
7
Serena Williams may be the best female tennis player ever and she is a joy to watch. One question. How does black excellence differ from white or asian excellence.
1
In the eyes of observers, apparently. I don't remember racial epithets being used at, or about, Li Na for example, during her peak.
2
Serena Williams is unquestionably among the greatest women's tennis players of all time. She's a champion and has determination and durability that are nearly impossible for non-athletes (like me) to fathom. I will be cheering wildly for her to win the upcoming U.S. Open and thereby achieving a grand slam sweep.
Personally? I don't know her personally. All I know is what I read and what I see when she's playing. Like many others I was mightily put-of by her nasty fury at a lowly line spotter at the U.S. Open several years ago. It put a very big, permanent dent on the quality of her image as a person in my eyes. But I still mightily respect her as an athlete. Go Serena!
Personally? I don't know her personally. All I know is what I read and what I see when she's playing. Like many others I was mightily put-of by her nasty fury at a lowly line spotter at the U.S. Open several years ago. It put a very big, permanent dent on the quality of her image as a person in my eyes. But I still mightily respect her as an athlete. Go Serena!
2
This is a beautiful and powerful piece about a beautiful, gifted, hardworking, CHAMPION tennis player that also speaks volumes about the value that this society attaches to “whiteness” versus “blackness” despite black greatness compared to white mediocrity.
Serena, like the greats before her—Jack Johnson; Muhammad Ali—refuses to be defined by the “white gaze” and the “white sensibility.”
And thanks to her father, Richard Washington, who did not buy into the notion that tennis was a “white” sport reserved only for those who could afford a country club lifestyle.
Serena, like the greats before her—Jack Johnson; Muhammad Ali—refuses to be defined by the “white gaze” and the “white sensibility.”
And thanks to her father, Richard Washington, who did not buy into the notion that tennis was a “white” sport reserved only for those who could afford a country club lifestyle.
5
Both Serena and Venus are exceptional players, beautiful women, and amazing sportswomen. Yes, it is true that Serena lost it with the lineswoman at the US Open and she should not have cursed her out or threatened her. She was fined and apologized (as with many other athletes, mainly men). But in addition to their grace, it is probably worth mentioning their faith. Whenever they win, they begin by thanking their god. They both always compliment their opponent and the crowd. Venus has been battling illness but she is one of two women to beat Serena in the last eighteen moths or so. They both are impressive, although Serena's will to win has been, right from the start, more thorough than Venus'. Both sisters are VERY smart and great tacticians. While Rankine, like most other commentators, mentions their father, both parents have been crucial to their success. I will be rooting for Serena at the Open, but I have not ruled out Venus. If she is healthy, she has the capacity to out-play her sister.
2
The mention of Althea, Ashe, and Zina Garrison lets me know that Serena is very in tune of her role as a human being, and an Athlete, and an African - American. These are familiar patterns inextricably woven in the American history. I salute her and this article for heightening the expectation of traditional events such as the upcoming U.S. Open. I'll be tuned in...
14
Serena is loved in the world of great sports !
Her drive and talent are second to none!
Let the matches begin,and glory to all who play the game!
Winning is everything !
Her drive and talent are second to none!
Let the matches begin,and glory to all who play the game!
Winning is everything !
The success of Serena Williams is an incredible story in the history of tennis, and her tennis ability has no equal among her peers. This in the face of obvious racism and other uphill battles is even more amazing.
However, I'm so baffled by some who says they admire her for her grace and that she should be a role model for children. Her lack of maturity is so evident whenever I watch her play, and it's almost painful to watch her in the sport I love. Her attitude and body language are so negative and sour. Just last week an interviewer wished her good luck before a final match, and she didn't even respond (like a "Thank you") to him and just walked away.
As a non-white immigrant US citizen, I've faced racism and discrimination; but I think some of the hate that Serena is getting is brought on by her own attitude. It seems to me that people who defend her shortcomings are almost like the people who support Donald Trump. I truly just don't get them!!
However, I'm so baffled by some who says they admire her for her grace and that she should be a role model for children. Her lack of maturity is so evident whenever I watch her play, and it's almost painful to watch her in the sport I love. Her attitude and body language are so negative and sour. Just last week an interviewer wished her good luck before a final match, and she didn't even respond (like a "Thank you") to him and just walked away.
As a non-white immigrant US citizen, I've faced racism and discrimination; but I think some of the hate that Serena is getting is brought on by her own attitude. It seems to me that people who defend her shortcomings are almost like the people who support Donald Trump. I truly just don't get them!!
18
"Her attitude and body language are so negative and sour. Just last week an interviewer wished her good luck before a final match, and she didn't even respond (like a "Thank you") to him and just walked away." Why label her demeanor as sour? Why not label it as someone being dialed in thinking what is ahead of her? You haven't seen other players behave the same way right after these asinine pre match interviews?
The reason I defend her short comings is because I do not see the constant barrage from the media on the short comings of other players.
The reason I defend her short comings is because I do not see the constant barrage from the media on the short comings of other players.
1
Not entirely excusing her attitude, but I'm a performer. I make a point of avoiding people in the moment before I go on for the first show. If someone came up to me, even to say "good luck" before I had that opening night show, I would probably ignore them too. If you're trying to focus, the last thing you need is for someone to break that focus and make you start again. This is her job. If you had a desk job where you use a computer and you have a deadline to meet, that person saying "good luck" is essentially your colleague coming over with a cup of coffee, leaning on your desk and starting to chat to you, clicking in front of your face to break your concentration.
1
I included the interview as an example of her immaturity, because I see the vast majority (like everyone else who are interviewed) would respond in some way instead of completely ignoring it. But it's merely an example of what really turns me off, and I haven't even talked about many of her other more publicized incidents. I don't think Serena is being singled out by the media and the fans because she's black. She's being singled out because she is unlikable while being a high-profile athlete. Sure racism is a component to it, but not as much as some would like to believe.
This is an excellent piece of writing. I like how Serena does not necessarily buy into the author's mindset. She remains true to herself at all times:
She understands that even when she’s focused only on winning, she is still representing. ‘‘I play for me,’’ Serena told me, ‘‘but I also play and represent something much greater than me. I embrace that. I love that. I want that. So ultimately, when I am out there on the court, I am playing for me.’’
My favorite line:
As for Sharapova, her non rival rival, Serena was diplomatic: ‘‘I’m happy for her, because she worked hard, too. There is enough at the table for everyone.’’ Grace and gratitude.
Go Serena!
She understands that even when she’s focused only on winning, she is still representing. ‘‘I play for me,’’ Serena told me, ‘‘but I also play and represent something much greater than me. I embrace that. I love that. I want that. So ultimately, when I am out there on the court, I am playing for me.’’
My favorite line:
As for Sharapova, her non rival rival, Serena was diplomatic: ‘‘I’m happy for her, because she worked hard, too. There is enough at the table for everyone.’’ Grace and gratitude.
Go Serena!
68
You'd think Shriekapova was number one and that is truly disgusting.
Christopher William's masterful and elemental photograph lets Serena look into our minds and we in a sense, into hers where we see a magnificent member of the human race looking at each of us and perhaps wondering.
I write this after having spent a few remarkable - as in wonderful - days in what I call the Madison Neighborhood of Albany. Knowing a bit about what Serena has faced and reading more in this essay by Claudia Rankin, I look forward to the day when more neighborhoods all across America can take on more of the qualities of this neighborhood where people with a range of flesh tones, educational backgrounds, and economic levels interact easily and enjoyably. And, I with Caro, who just checked in, also look forward to the day when we no longer read about black or white excellence but just about the ways in which a particular human being excels.
Not in my lifetime - I am 83 and going strong - I know but perhaps a few small steps in that direction would be nice to see.
Thanks Serena.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen USA-SE
I write this after having spent a few remarkable - as in wonderful - days in what I call the Madison Neighborhood of Albany. Knowing a bit about what Serena has faced and reading more in this essay by Claudia Rankin, I look forward to the day when more neighborhoods all across America can take on more of the qualities of this neighborhood where people with a range of flesh tones, educational backgrounds, and economic levels interact easily and enjoyably. And, I with Caro, who just checked in, also look forward to the day when we no longer read about black or white excellence but just about the ways in which a particular human being excels.
Not in my lifetime - I am 83 and going strong - I know but perhaps a few small steps in that direction would be nice to see.
Thanks Serena.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen USA-SE
11
Next to Barry Bonds, Williams is probably the most unpopular of the great sports stars because she has no class on the court.
67
This is exactly the type of thinking that proves the merit of the article's arguments!
Was the media and "public's" treatment of Barry Bonds any different than the treatment of white superstar baseball players (or perhaps we should look beyond baseball to the deification of the ever nasty and uncouth Larry Bird?)?
Was the media and "public's" treatment of Barry Bonds any different than the treatment of white superstar baseball players (or perhaps we should look beyond baseball to the deification of the ever nasty and uncouth Larry Bird?)?
2
Don't you think it's interesting that you didn't group her with, oh, John McEnroe or Nick Kyrgios?
4
Funny, the Duchess of Kent thinks that she has plenty of class, and then more some.
I think I'd rather trust her than you, don't you think?
I think I'd rather trust her than you, don't you think?
3
Rankine doesn't understand tennis, nor what it means for most of us to be fans of the game. To wit: 'That Sunday in Arthur Ashe Stadium at the women’s final, though the crowd generally seemed pro-Serena, the man seated next to me was cheering for the formidable tall blonde Victoria Azarenka. I asked him if he was American. ‘‘Yes,” he said. ‘‘We’re at the U.S. Open. Why are you cheering for the player from Belarus?’’ I asked.'
The US Open isn't Davis Cup, where cheering for a player in a match tends to boil down to their nationality. Rankine's disbelief that an American would root for a foreigner at the US Open -- the guy was cheering for Veeka the Shreeka, so he must have been a racist?? -- is appallingly misinformed. Many of us are fans of players from all around the world -- the beauty of the game is that it's global and premised upon far more than blind nationalism. Instead, it's about playing styles, individual personalities, and the back stories.
The US Open isn't Davis Cup, where cheering for a player in a match tends to boil down to their nationality. Rankine's disbelief that an American would root for a foreigner at the US Open -- the guy was cheering for Veeka the Shreeka, so he must have been a racist?? -- is appallingly misinformed. Many of us are fans of players from all around the world -- the beauty of the game is that it's global and premised upon far more than blind nationalism. Instead, it's about playing styles, individual personalities, and the back stories.
112
True, the game is more than just nationality.
But I've been to enough games, and witnessed and heard enough comments from white Americans who refuse to root for Serena because she creates in them a visceral negative response. Sure, some of it may just be not liking her style of tennis, but much of it boils down to racial "discomfort."
But I've been to enough games, and witnessed and heard enough comments from white Americans who refuse to root for Serena because she creates in them a visceral negative response. Sure, some of it may just be not liking her style of tennis, but much of it boils down to racial "discomfort."
Good point. And if American tennis fans were only interested in American players no Americans would watch men's tennis. The last US male to win any singles major was (the totally uninspiring) Andy Roddick, in 2003 I think. And I guess Jimmy Connors won all those matches because he was the beneficiary of "white privilege."
1
Reading just the printed words, Ms. Rankine never suggests that the individual is a racist, and in fact challenges him along lines of nationality. The response of Britons to Andy Murray at Wimbledon in 2013 was not due to Davis cup competition either, but it was quite apparent that nationality matters. And even if Ms. Rankine is implying a racial bias, one would still personally have to make that leap, and I would prefer not to.
1
I've always admired Serena Williams for her amazing skills on the court as well as, frankly, her great physical beauty. I cringe however at people who make another living human their personal idol,
29
I am a white woman and love Serena but am totally totally offended by this racist rant. It is disgusting actually. And for the author to challenge a fellow match-goer because he wasn't rooting for Serena? And that proves racism? What kind of distorted thinking produces that. Shame on the Times for publishing this.
100
The shame ought to be yours. You're not black, nor would you ever be, therefore you cannot relate to a perspective framed through black lenses. This article was written against the backdrop of racism, but in of itself, it was hardly "racist" nor was it a "rant." Your take on the incident with the fellow fan is telling, that fan is free to root for Azarenka all he likes without having to explain his allegiance, on that we agree, but at no point was he "challenged" on his support for her, nor was it used as an example of racism. When white Americans continue to be so dismissive of the perspectives of Black Americans, as you are of this author's perspective, clearly because you just didn't get it, then no wonder we continue to fail to make the progression beyond racism that one would reasonably believe would have been achieved by now.
141
A black woman's experience of this world, this country is very likely different than yours.
Is she overly sensitive as a person?
I don't know. I don't know her as a friend, so I can't say.
Is she over-reacting to perceived racial slights?
Don't know that either.
But there are plenty of racial slights.
Would you or I agree to wake up tomorrow and suddenly be black?
Black in America, with all that might entail for our lives, our ability to support ourselves, our freedom of movement, a certainty that our black face would not be a hindrance to our happiness in this culture?
That I think I do know.
Is she overly sensitive as a person?
I don't know. I don't know her as a friend, so I can't say.
Is she over-reacting to perceived racial slights?
Don't know that either.
But there are plenty of racial slights.
Would you or I agree to wake up tomorrow and suddenly be black?
Black in America, with all that might entail for our lives, our ability to support ourselves, our freedom of movement, a certainty that our black face would not be a hindrance to our happiness in this culture?
That I think I do know.
15
Sadly, you read only one sentence and missed the entire point of this article, further strengthening why this was an important piece for the NYT to publish.
13
I am a 75-year old white grandma, born in 1940 in a very racist southern town. Yet, watching Serena Williams play tennis took my breath away. She is a performance in excellence. Just shut up and watch. Her techniques are astounding. Her personality is excellent. She is a human being, and she happens to represent humanity at its best. Black, green, polka-dots or the almighty white. Does it really matter? There she is, doing her best. She is blessed.
316
Watching her play is painful - she wins w/her will. Her technique stinks! You want technique? Watch Federer, Rawanska, Stephens, etc. Not either of the Williams sisters. They are phenomenal, but not because of their technique.
Hawk speaks for me, another old white broad who thinks Serena is fabulous and beautiful in every way possible. I'd kill to have a body an a smile like hers. What I can do my best to emulate is her mix of grace and ferocity, her special shining blend of humanity.
3
Actually, it does matter. That's the point.
2
I'm not a big sports fan but do enjoy watching some tennis. I've always looked at it as an international sport. I root for what ever player strikes my fancy. After reading this article, I hope I don't have to root for who's black or white! Yuck!
18
Without doubt the greatest woman tennis player and athlete of our time.
16
My only quibble with an otherwise excellent article: at the 2009 U.S. Open, ‘‘I swear to God I am [expletive] going to take this [expletive] ball and shove it down your [expletive] throat’’ was not directed at the chair umpire but toward a linesperson who happened to be Asian, smaller and older than Serena. The poor woman looked entirely intimidated. Somehow, her name became common knowledge -- she was named during the commentary of another tournament following the U.S. Open.
58
"... toward a linesperson who happened to be Asian, smaller and older than Serena." I'm missing your point here. I hope you can explain the relevance of the linesperson's ethnicity, stature, and age.
Serena has been frequently criticized for her actions at the 2009 U.S. Open. It seems that -- for some -- the incident is the summation of her entire character. So be it.
But I wonder if the same people criticize other tennis players for their periodic ourbursts and tantrums (Nick Kyrgios; Ilie Năstase; Martina Hingis; Andy Roddick; David Nalbandian; Greg Rusedski; John McEnroe). I suggest this is what the author meant when she wrote: "...then supposed to perform with good manners and forgiveness in the face of any racist slights or attacks. Black excellence is not supposed to be emotional as it pulls itself together to win after questionable calls."
Serena has been frequently criticized for her actions at the 2009 U.S. Open. It seems that -- for some -- the incident is the summation of her entire character. So be it.
But I wonder if the same people criticize other tennis players for their periodic ourbursts and tantrums (Nick Kyrgios; Ilie Năstase; Martina Hingis; Andy Roddick; David Nalbandian; Greg Rusedski; John McEnroe). I suggest this is what the author meant when she wrote: "...then supposed to perform with good manners and forgiveness in the face of any racist slights or attacks. Black excellence is not supposed to be emotional as it pulls itself together to win after questionable calls."
29
The article made a factual error, making it appear "not that bad" because Serena's rant was directed at the chair umpire, and everybody knows rants at the chair umpire are not uncommon. (1) The theme of race ran through the article. It was ironic that Serena's rant was directed at another woman of color, maybe the only person of color among the line judges. I am Asian, raised to believe elders are to be respected, not berated, and especially not to be threatened with physical violence. (2) It's one thing for a player to yell at the chair umpire. It is quite another to go after a line judge, who is probably a volunteer. (3) "The incident is the summation of her entire character" may apply to some but not to me.
I, for one, to the disappointment of some of my friends, enjoyed Mac's outbursts and the reports of various British psychologists analyzing him on the air.
That said, the attacks Serena Williams endures are definitely influenced by racial bias if not outright racism.
That said, the attacks Serena Williams endures are definitely influenced by racial bias if not outright racism.
1
Serena Williams is to tennis what the UCONN Women are to NCAA Women's Basketball: Total dominance. I hope she wins in Flushing and then gets a couple more. No one has come from less and done more with her life. And if the head of the Russian tennis federation feels the need to mock her and Venus, perhaps he should be reminded of all the Russian players she has left in her dust.
34
All these convoluted articles about Serena Williams, trying to dance around what is obvious to most observers.
1 - Serena is an incredible athlete, successful and a winner.
2 - To most observers, Serena is neither feminine nor attractive.
And there is nothing wrong with those views. We don't need article after article to try to convince the public, that because she is successful, she therefore must be attractive and feminine.
There are many attractive people who are lousy athletes and many outstanding athletes that are not attractive.
And lets please not go down the nonsense that we can't judge attractiveness. Yes, we can, it is judged everyday by all humans.
Lets celebrate Serena as the incredible athlete she is and drop the nonsense of trying to convince the public that she is feminine and attractive. It is a silly and demeaning quest.
1 - Serena is an incredible athlete, successful and a winner.
2 - To most observers, Serena is neither feminine nor attractive.
And there is nothing wrong with those views. We don't need article after article to try to convince the public, that because she is successful, she therefore must be attractive and feminine.
There are many attractive people who are lousy athletes and many outstanding athletes that are not attractive.
And lets please not go down the nonsense that we can't judge attractiveness. Yes, we can, it is judged everyday by all humans.
Lets celebrate Serena as the incredible athlete she is and drop the nonsense of trying to convince the public that she is feminine and attractive. It is a silly and demeaning quest.
27
Neither Serena's femininity nor attractiveness are in question. What has been placed into question, by your own device, are the models and standards that YOU employ in gauging femininity and attractiveness. To you (no to 'most', because surely you haven't polled 'most' on their views) she's neither feminine nor attractive. Whether there's nothing wrong with those views is a matter of opinion which we need not explore at this moment. It is curious however, that you seem to think that "article after article" is being written to try to convince you that your perspective is incorrect. Why do you think any of those articles, or Serena's femininity or attractiveness for that matter, are about you?
42
Thank you. I read some feminist literature about a thing called blank-ability mandate. It took me just a moment to grasp what this was: an obligation for women, all women, in every context, to appeal sexually to men. I don't see that everywhere or all the time, but when I do see it, it's maddening.
3
That opinion is anecdotal. And from it I suggest that you are not surrounded, with any regularity, by black people. I do not know too many black men who consider Serena Williams unattractive. Then again, they are not intimidated by either her muscles, her curves, or all that gleaming brown skin. But please feel free to speak for yourself.
9
There is a huge picture of Serena on the window at our local JPM. This morning my son and I gave her a little pep talk for the US Open!!
12
A great article. Thanks so much.
A few thoughts.
First this from the article - "For black people, there is an unspoken script that demands the humble absorption of racist assaults, no matter the scale, because whites need to believe that it’s no big deal."
I understand. Swallowing it the face of ignorant comments from others because fighting back, often daily, would be just too much effort.
Better to move on and hope one never encounters the dope again.
I've had some of that as a Jew. Bigoted comments, from people who just don't know better. Just walk away. 100 times worse for black folks. My white face is a ticket to ride. No one sees I'm a Jew by my appearance.
I like Serena. I love tennis. She is positively the best.
But, I also feel put off by her at times.
Obviously we can't like everyone in this world.
There's chemistry of personality and demeanor or there is not.
(I like the vibe I get from most tennis players.)
Referring to the incident with the foot fault at the US Open as Serena just pushing back is a stretch I think.
Better to call it what is was: a great athlete in the heat of competition losing her cool and acting poorly, regrettably. Like George Brett when the umpire said the pine tar was too far up on the bat and negated his home run. He went nuts.
Let Serena be herself.
But let's not coddle her, or condemn when she embarrasses herself.
She's an adult, entitled to a melt down like us all.
We can call it and move on with compassion.
A few thoughts.
First this from the article - "For black people, there is an unspoken script that demands the humble absorption of racist assaults, no matter the scale, because whites need to believe that it’s no big deal."
I understand. Swallowing it the face of ignorant comments from others because fighting back, often daily, would be just too much effort.
Better to move on and hope one never encounters the dope again.
I've had some of that as a Jew. Bigoted comments, from people who just don't know better. Just walk away. 100 times worse for black folks. My white face is a ticket to ride. No one sees I'm a Jew by my appearance.
I like Serena. I love tennis. She is positively the best.
But, I also feel put off by her at times.
Obviously we can't like everyone in this world.
There's chemistry of personality and demeanor or there is not.
(I like the vibe I get from most tennis players.)
Referring to the incident with the foot fault at the US Open as Serena just pushing back is a stretch I think.
Better to call it what is was: a great athlete in the heat of competition losing her cool and acting poorly, regrettably. Like George Brett when the umpire said the pine tar was too far up on the bat and negated his home run. He went nuts.
Let Serena be herself.
But let's not coddle her, or condemn when she embarrasses herself.
She's an adult, entitled to a melt down like us all.
We can call it and move on with compassion.
66
Here is a young bright woman, gifted with an amazing athletic ability, along with her older sister. She cannot be burdened with saving black peoples' image; indeed no one can. But she can continue to evolve in her game, along the way making a grander name for herself and family. As for the comparison with Maria K., there's nothing to be said except that the latter is as well endowed with her looks, which happen to be what the prize-givers decide to acknowledge; so what? To everyone, theirs. I hope Serene wins this US Open to set a new record.
4
I have so much respect for this woman and her sister. Over the years, I have watched her contemporaries which are Hennin, Capriati, Hangis, Davenport, Clijsters....made a boatload of money and retired or have retired because of injuries. And yet, with all of her millions, and trophies, she stays to give us some of the game’s greatest moments. Think about this, she was winning matches before Hennin, Clijsters entered the scene. And all of these women have long called it quit for one reason or another. She is simply remarkable, nothing short of that, there won’t be anyone like her in this game, mark my word.
17
Re; the paragraph, "...when she told the chair umpire, ‘‘I swear to God I am [expletive] going to take this [expletive] ball and shove it down your [expletive] throat.’’..." Serena said this to a lineswoman, not the chair umpire.
6
It is inspiring to watch a strong confident woman, in this case an African American woman, succeed in any endeavor. She is an inspiration to all of us, even us lowly men. I am traveling from Hawaii to New York to attend the open, I hope to catch a glimpse of Serena, the most magnificent athlete in the world today.
9
I love tennis. I play as much as I can and my husband will tell you I watch too much on television. And while I admire, appreciate and root for Serena, I do not feel required to always prefer her. I have rooted for Vika Azarenka, moved by her story of growing up poor in Belarus and her goofy persona. I have cheered for Slovakian player Dominika Cibulkova, because she is short like me. I root for Nico Almagro because he is one of the few Muslim tennis players, and my grandparents were Muslim immigrants to America. I love Serena because to me, she represents not just women of color, but older athletes, and women who aren't size zero. But while Serena's story is amazing, and I hope she wins the calendar slam, her story is not the only one. And to demand that we as Americans always choose Serena disrespects the breadth of stories playing out on the Court.
52
Very well-put. It is typical American ignorance to presume that our hard-luck stories are the worst the world has to offer. Few of us can conceive of life in a place like Belarus. As bad as it can be here, it is a lot worse there.
Is she black?
I see someone who is absolutely dominating, seems to have a sense of humor, and in significant danger of offending some easy to offend feminists - she is very, very sexy.
But then the Left reinforces racial identity in virtually all it does, so I should not be surprised by this kind of facile reductionism, eh?
I see someone who is absolutely dominating, seems to have a sense of humor, and in significant danger of offending some easy to offend feminists - she is very, very sexy.
But then the Left reinforces racial identity in virtually all it does, so I should not be surprised by this kind of facile reductionism, eh?
2
Her blackness has always been obvious - just ask the sponsors. And the racists at Indian Wells. And the Americans who used to loudly support her foreign opponents (something not seen in any other country - and not just at Davis Cup). And the vicious rumors that she and her sisters "fixed" matches; and the commentators who ignore the good hands, the almost flawless serves, the intelligent shot choices and the sheer physical beauty to concentrate on the power and implied brute force. The constant implication from people like Chris Evert that her father was ignorant in assessing his daughters' talent and the many snide comments implying the family's lack of "class" as defined by white, country club culture.
If you never noticed that she was black, then I suggest there is something deliberate in that failure to notice. Tennis fans have certainly noticed. Nobody needed the New York Times or "The Left" to state the obvious. At least I thought not until I read the comments in response to the piece!
If you never noticed that she was black, then I suggest there is something deliberate in that failure to notice. Tennis fans have certainly noticed. Nobody needed the New York Times or "The Left" to state the obvious. At least I thought not until I read the comments in response to the piece!
61
What????
I wasn't going to sign up-sign in to respond to the downright hostility towards this article, its' subject, the writer and the idea of racism in the United States. What made me sign up and sign in was you saying nearly everthuing I was thinking so succintly. Thank you Allie B. in Toronto. Reading the comments section with regards to anything dealing with blacks and race in the US is exhasting and demoralizing. Perhaps it's time for me to move North of the border.
4
You know, you get tired of trying to explain yourself, your motives, or your intentions based on your color. I am a black man and I decided a long time ago that I was not going to live my life in a state of perpetual paranoia based on race. I think Serena says this in so many words. I'm Michael. I'm a writer. I'm a farmer. If you don't like it, too bad. I think Serena also says this in so many words as well.
lulu.com/michaelclayton
lulu.com/michaelclayton
35
Sorry to rain on your parade: Serena Williams' verbal abuse to a line judge and, a couple of years later, umpire Eva Asderaki is inexcusable, all the more so on the part of an elite player whom young people see as a role model.
105
So I'm guessing you never rooted for McEnroe or Connors then?
Boston. Sheesh.
Boston. Sheesh.
10
Even the great Fed has lost his cool. Every male pro on circuit is rude and disrespect and feel entitled. is it because she is female or black that you object to her rudeness but not the men who do it on a regular basis with very little blowback from the behavior police.
23
We all agree that verbal abuse of any kind by anyone is inexcusable. Having said that, I think a careful reading of this article reveals that the author isn't excusing any instance of verbal abuse by Serena. He simply appears to be pointing out how uncomfortable Serena's expression of her anger/joy tends to make some people.
15
Black excellence, white excellence, why must it be one or the other? Serena is an amazing, graceful, powerful athlete who deserves every win - she trains hard enough for it! As a white woman, I see Serena as a athlete who loves what she does and does it tremendously well. I also see a woman who has matured over the years, learned to laugh at herself and the crowds, learned to respect and appreciate her peers, learned to navigate the prickly world of reporters and press. I do not always cheer for Serena to win - sometimes I want the other player. Not because I am racist or un-American, but because I might just like the other player better that day. That never takes away from the respect and admiration I have for Ms. Williams. I cannot wait to watch her light up this year's Open!
114
You took the words out of my mouth, Caro from New York, NY. Kudos.
1
there is a big difference between black excellence and white excellence. As a white woman, you cannot see it.
2
Why can't she claim black excellence as a black woman?
4
Rankine's Citizen is an excellent, uncompromising read--go borrow or buy it!
5
My 94 + year young mother is a great fan of Ms Williams!!
Serena is a joy to watch. She is a champion like the world has never seen before. I would love to take my mom to NY to see her in the US Open!
I'm certain she'll have fun and continue to display her wonderful talent on the court.
Go Serena! Win! Your fans in New Orleans will enjoy the show!
Serena is a joy to watch. She is a champion like the world has never seen before. I would love to take my mom to NY to see her in the US Open!
I'm certain she'll have fun and continue to display her wonderful talent on the court.
Go Serena! Win! Your fans in New Orleans will enjoy the show!
9
Of all sports, tennis is among the best, and I share Serena's pure joy, which is especially felt when, not only hitting a good shot, but looking for the next chance to make a shot if making a less than good shot.
9
She is a beautiful, powerful woman.
16
We LOVE Serena and all that she represents!! She takes care of business on and off the court. Her ancestors would expect nothing less. We are the children of those who chose to survive.
13
I see Serena as an athlete first, a woman second and an African American third. She is everything I want for my blond blue-eyed four year daughter. Serena is the most exciting, amazing and beautiful female in sports I have ever seen.
26
Yes, yes and yes! Serena ranks right up there with Pope Francis as those with whom I feel incredibly honored to be with on the same planet at the same time in history.
6
Except Pope Francis is completely clean in terms of suspicious behavior around testing for performance-enhancing drugs. Serena is not.
Sorry, not a fan. She is the poster child for the modern athlete. A winner, overpowering all her opponents with power, too much power, a Lance Armstrong level of power
When confronted with an out of season drug test she fled into her panic room in 2011. After everything settled down she was never tested. She has never been tested out of season nor has been she held to the weak "blood passport" standard.
It seems everyone want to look at things from the 100 years perspective. Well, in 100 years people will look upon this era as a time of very suspicious performances and abilities that were chemically enhanced.
When confronted with an out of season drug test she fled into her panic room in 2011. After everything settled down she was never tested. She has never been tested out of season nor has been she held to the weak "blood passport" standard.
It seems everyone want to look at things from the 100 years perspective. Well, in 100 years people will look upon this era as a time of very suspicious performances and abilities that were chemically enhanced.
48
If you are still clinging to the old tired "Serena wins because she is powerful" trope you must know very little about tennis. What makes her remarkable is her superior technique, anticipation skills, athleticism, Defensive and offensive skills. If she were merely a powerful ball striker she would be Sharapova.
Incidentally, she is tested more often than most other tennis players. The panic room incident occurred when she was being stalked and she had every right to take precautions. Keep carping about one incident -that's all you've got.
Incidentally, she is tested more often than most other tennis players. The panic room incident occurred when she was being stalked and she had every right to take precautions. Keep carping about one incident -that's all you've got.
9
A link to any news article or even a blog post about her "reportedly" fleeing/avoiding a requested drug test would be greatly appreciated. Less that, you need to learn to only speak when you have facts/prove.
2
Although she has never failed a drug test, one must critically observe with suspicion how an athlete can be so much better than the competition at an advanced age. Barry Bonds anyone?
6
It is so gratifying to notice and celebrate excellence for what it is. As a father of a rising junior in college, I will encourage my daughter to read this article. I have seen her mature over the past 3 years and hopefully this article will spur her on as she becomes an amazing person in the future. Thank you Professor Rankine and Serena!!!
6
Is Serena Williams the best ever -- maybe, not sure but she certainly is the best tennis player in the current era. I can't overlook Sampras, Everett, Graf, Court, Connors, McEnroe, Navratilova, or Laver as superstars who were the best in their eras. Does it matter to me or others who appreciate great athletes that she is African-American. Not one bit -- I see in Serena a superb athlete who may have been an all-star in basketball, baseball, track, or other sport. And yes, she is magnificent.
7
Minor correction: Serena verbally assaulted a US Open line judge, not the chair umpire. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcUIj5JdYZs
15
Exactly. The line judge called a foot fault at a critical moment in the match. Foot faults are one of the few calls that remain solely under the purview of line judges (HawkEye isn't used). The call was later shown to be incorrect. The Williams sisters have had to endure erroneous calls throughout their career. At one point in her match during the same tournament, after several foot fault calls, Venus asked the line judge what foot fault error she was making so she could correct it. (sigh)
5
The term "Black Excellence" ascribes her success to her race; which is both racist and ridiculous.
If race were a factor there would be infinitely more successful, professional Black tennis players
It also implies that if she were white she would not have been as successful.
Then people like the author of this piece decry racism seemingly oblivious to their substantial contributions to its perpetuation with pieces such as this.
Why could she not write about Serena as a great tennis player; or "tennis excellence"? Most assuredly it never occurred to the author to write about Serena without accentuating the fact that she is Black; which is lamentable, racist and a disservice to Serena.
If race were a factor there would be infinitely more successful, professional Black tennis players
It also implies that if she were white she would not have been as successful.
Then people like the author of this piece decry racism seemingly oblivious to their substantial contributions to its perpetuation with pieces such as this.
Why could she not write about Serena as a great tennis player; or "tennis excellence"? Most assuredly it never occurred to the author to write about Serena without accentuating the fact that she is Black; which is lamentable, racist and a disservice to Serena.
13
The frame (pun intended) for Serena is not "black female tennis player" but the greatest athlete American has produced since Ali and another Williams, Ted. She is frankly the equivalent of Roger Federer in tennis, and she had to play her sister in slam finals!
The race component to her story is a testament to the grand scope of the American Dream, one that is highlighted when a black person achieves greatness. Serena and Venus not only paved paths for other tennis players, they paved the road for Obama. We need to see how Ali and MLK worked over the Civil Rights Era, and Serena and Obama are working over this era. America is a different place for women, for black people, for tennis players, for politicians and for all of us because she, Venus and Obama lived the dream. Once a dream is realized - greatest athlete of her generation, president - the game changes for all of us, not just black people. America benefits from the democratic opportunities for all to pursue happiness. Not all of us get there, but all of us can imagine a path, and that's enough to sustain our lives.
Richard Williams had the guts to put his children in the arc of history, I can think of no greater gift to all of us than seeing their drama play out. That's sustenance for the American soul.
The race component to her story is a testament to the grand scope of the American Dream, one that is highlighted when a black person achieves greatness. Serena and Venus not only paved paths for other tennis players, they paved the road for Obama. We need to see how Ali and MLK worked over the Civil Rights Era, and Serena and Obama are working over this era. America is a different place for women, for black people, for tennis players, for politicians and for all of us because she, Venus and Obama lived the dream. Once a dream is realized - greatest athlete of her generation, president - the game changes for all of us, not just black people. America benefits from the democratic opportunities for all to pursue happiness. Not all of us get there, but all of us can imagine a path, and that's enough to sustain our lives.
Richard Williams had the guts to put his children in the arc of history, I can think of no greater gift to all of us than seeing their drama play out. That's sustenance for the American soul.
10
Incredibly well-written article. I loved reading every minute. I feel exactly the same way when I watch Serena play.
5
Interesting article. While there is no disputing her amazing accomplishments on the court, she is certainly the best woman player ever, what has Serena done off the court besides talk? She talks about racism in the game but doesn't do much about it, like funding inner city programs. She does not mentor other minority players, or even encourage them. She's never taken a stand on anything that doesn't affect her directly, like criticizing officials. Does anyone think she's the only one to get bad calls? Seriously?
I have a lot of respect for her, but I don't root for her. She has no sense of sportsmanship as demonstrated whenever she loses. Never compliments the winner, it's always "I don't feel good." I've never seen any indication she thinks about anything other than herself.
So, yes, she is an amazing athlete, one of the very best ever. But that's it. She affects nothing beyond tennis, a country club sport.
I have a lot of respect for her, but I don't root for her. She has no sense of sportsmanship as demonstrated whenever she loses. Never compliments the winner, it's always "I don't feel good." I've never seen any indication she thinks about anything other than herself.
So, yes, she is an amazing athlete, one of the very best ever. But that's it. She affects nothing beyond tennis, a country club sport.
24
She and her sister do multiple outreach projects a year. They hold tennis clinics in public parks, Speak to school kids and fund several girls schools in Africa. In addition she is a Unicef goodwill ambassador has raised funds for the equal justice league and the 1 in 11 campaign for children (to name just a few). She also hosts a charity run each year in her hometown.
Just five minutes of "googling" and you would have known that. Why the willful ignorance?
Just five minutes of "googling" and you would have known that. Why the willful ignorance?
9
Serena Williams has supported the following charities listed on this site:
• Build African Schools
• Common Ground Foundation
• Elton John AIDS Foundation
• Eva Longoria Foundation
• Great Ormond Street Hospital
• Hearts of Gold
• I Heart My Girlfriends
• Small Steps Project
• The HollyRod Foundation
• UNICEF
• World Education
Do some research next time....
• Build African Schools
• Common Ground Foundation
• Elton John AIDS Foundation
• Eva Longoria Foundation
• Great Ormond Street Hospital
• Hearts of Gold
• I Heart My Girlfriends
• Small Steps Project
• The HollyRod Foundation
• UNICEF
• World Education
Do some research next time....
4
I've seen several interviews where she has complimented the person who defeated her, but she doesn't have to do that very often! As for charity work, Just Google her and you will see that she has worked for 11 different charities over the years and 19 "causes" plus. She also sets an example for other young people by the work she does outside of tennis and the education she has acquired while working ( she is fluent in French and also speaks German and Italian, as does Venus).
2
She's really both a magnificent tennis player and a great person and I don't think it matters greatly whether she is blond or black, she's just perfect and that's it.
4
Do you know what the difference between black and white people. Vitamin D. All people started out black and lived in places where the sun was strong, because if it's strength (equator proximity) they could absorb enough Vitamin D even though their skin was quite dark. As they moved to cooler climates, the suns strength lessened (equator proximity again) and the ones with lighter skin survived because they got more Vitamin D. Vitamin D plays an important role in bone growth and the body's natural protection against certain diseases, and the inability to absorb enough in areas of less-powerful sunlight would have decreased life expectancies in our African ancestors. The further north they trekked, the more vitamin D they needed and the lighter they got over the generations, due to natural selection. So this is meaningless in terms of the racial problems in America, so is this article in a way. Serena is great, African-Americans got a raw deal and still do some of the time. I am white I feel a mixture of guilt and confusion about what to do about it. Try to be decent I suppose, but there is more than white privilege, there is classism which is a bigger problem, because people as rich as the Great Ms. Williams and the not so great Mr. West don't live in my world or have my problems and never will.
3
The author would benefit from reading David Foster Wallace's essays on tennis, which highlight both the beauty of sport and the cost of excellence.
3
The author was a colleague and friend of DFW and they held joint appointments at Pomona College.
1
By any collateral judgement,it is clear and unambiguous that Serena is invincible in the world of Tennis,the royal game and nectar for its practitioners . Even if she is bathed in such catapulting adoration by heights like Chris Evart,it is a matter of pride that she is not swayed by such a surfeit of pride that crystallizes into obfuscating hubris.For those discerning sports aficionados , watching Serina in her spirited play is a source of perennial joy to our senses .Seldom has humankind produced such a scintillating performer in the Court as this strong-willed player .Her serves and follow-ups are veritable poetry in the field of the game.If indefatigability is the mantra,Serena is the most visible votary of this patch.
When is an enterprising journalist going to investigate the role of steroids in tennis? Until Serena gets a clean bill of health (currently and historically) that is credible, I will reserve my praise (and I am not suggesting that Serena may be the only tennis player using steroids or other banned substances).
26
Hard to find information about Ms. Williams' drug testing results, although it would appear that the International Tennis Federation has a strange history of random testing, and rather infrequent testing at that. Why not adopt a standardized testing protocol that screens all players? The ITF says it needs more "funding", but, given the scope of tennis revenues, this rings hollow.
Until there is any "positive" test evidence (and there doesn't appear to be any), I'll accept Ms. Williams word that she's clean.
Until there is any "positive" test evidence (and there doesn't appear to be any), I'll accept Ms. Williams word that she's clean.
From 2014 article
" Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Serena Williams were tested 11 or more times by the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme last year, according to figures released by the ITF.
Seven or more of the tests for Nadal and Federer were “out-of-competition,” while 4-6 were for Djokovic and Williams. The other tests were administered “in-competition... Top-ranked players were generally tested more often, both in and out of competition.”
citation: http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2014/04/drug-testing-tennis-increases-not...
" Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Serena Williams were tested 11 or more times by the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme last year, according to figures released by the ITF.
Seven or more of the tests for Nadal and Federer were “out-of-competition,” while 4-6 were for Djokovic and Williams. The other tests were administered “in-competition... Top-ranked players were generally tested more often, both in and out of competition.”
citation: http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2014/04/drug-testing-tennis-increases-not...
2
"There is another, perhaps more important, discussion to be had about what it means to be chosen by global corporations. It has to do with who is worthy, who is desirable, who is associated with the good life. As long as the white imagination markets itself by equating whiteness and blondness with aspirational living, stereotypes will remain fixed in place. Even though Serena is the best, even though she wins more Slams than anyone else, she is only superficially allowed to embody that in our culture, at least the marketable one."
When I first read this, it made me think. And then I considered a bit longer, and I remembered Tiger (before the fall), and Michael Jordan, and I came to the conclusion that it's not just about being blonde, or even being white. It's about being likable.
Is Serena likable? Not so sure...
When I first read this, it made me think. And then I considered a bit longer, and I remembered Tiger (before the fall), and Michael Jordan, and I came to the conclusion that it's not just about being blonde, or even being white. It's about being likable.
Is Serena likable? Not so sure...
24
Likability.
Now there's an overarching concept.
It's not even rational.
It's chemistry.
People marry the biggest jerks.
But they fall for them.
Racism and prejudice can taint our ability to see someone fairly, approach someone whom we might like. That's the rub.
I don't like Azarenka. White tennis player.
Don't like that sound she makes while playing.
Don't like the shenanigans she pulled in Australian Open against Li Na.
Don't like the fans she draws.
I'm sure she's a lovely person.
Likability.
Now there's an overarching concept.
It's not even rational.
It's chemistry.
People marry the biggest jerks.
But they fall for them.
Racism and prejudice can taint our ability to see someone fairly, approach someone whom we might like. That's the rub.
I don't like Azarenka. White tennis player.
Don't like that sound she makes while playing.
Don't like the shenanigans she pulled in Australian Open against Li Na.
Don't like the fans she draws.
I'm sure she's a lovely person.
Likability.
1
I think she's likeable, but she's not going to make selling corporate products a priority. She wants to win on the court and anything else is a true afterthought. Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan were willing to sometimes not be themselves, but be a representative for a brand. At MOST, I think Serena is willing to accept money for using products she would always have used anyway. If she can wear it while winning another Grand Slam, fine. If not, the corporation can probably forget it. There are other examples of athletes who could have been enormous brands if they had cared to go that route (Mariano Rivera and Tim Duncan jump to mind). One question the author could have asked that would have provided a lot of context: "Serena, how many endorsements and/or corporate sponsorships have you declined during your career?" I could be wrong, but I imagine the answer would be startling.
In the case of women athletes, it's clearly about being pretty and white. I'm not a sports fan, but Serena Williams dwarfs Maria Sharapova in talent and accomplishments, yet Sharapova receives more money from endorsements. Tiger Woods, pre-fall, and Michael Jordan, like Williams, were the undisputed masters of their games, they didn't just have a friendly public persona.
[Sorry for the typo in my user name. I've tried to fix it.]
[Sorry for the typo in my user name. I've tried to fix it.]
3
Serena is likely the greatest female athlete in modern history. Truly incredible. I just caught her quickie interview prior to her Cincinnati finals match on Sunday. As she often is, she was sullen and totally dismissive of her opponent. And that's why so many fans don't like Serena (not because she's black.)
The most marketable female tennis star was Anna Kournikova and she was a pretty mediocre tour player. Anna was popular because she was (and probably still is) spectacularly beautiful. Serena is simply not conventionally attractive- that fact, and her off-putting, sullen personality are the reasons for her (somewhat) limited off the court appeal.
The most marketable female tennis star was Anna Kournikova and she was a pretty mediocre tour player. Anna was popular because she was (and probably still is) spectacularly beautiful. Serena is simply not conventionally attractive- that fact, and her off-putting, sullen personality are the reasons for her (somewhat) limited off the court appeal.
11
Spot on, Crusader Rabbit. Tennis is a game of grace and beauty. Serena's success on the court is derived principally from her power -- Graf was the perfect example; not classically beautiful by a long shot, her athleticism and grace propelled her to super stardom. If I may, if Venus Williams had the record her sister does, she would be a much more popular player than Serena is. Sexism is alive and well on the pro tennis tour -- just look at the absurd clothing the women are made to wear by the sponsors -- and the cover photo of the Magazine. QED.
Not "conventionally attractive" by whose convention? Don't answer, ask and answer to yourself. Maybe then you might understand the backdrop to this article and perhaps, why Serena is at "sullen" in her interviews.
Fantastic piece.
Serena Williams gives me goosebumps.
She evokes pure emotion.
She quite simply moves me.
I have one word that captures how I feel about Ms. Williams.
That one word: Magnificent
Serena Williams gives me goosebumps.
She evokes pure emotion.
She quite simply moves me.
I have one word that captures how I feel about Ms. Williams.
That one word: Magnificent
45
Reading this comprehensive, eloquent and information filled article, I feel as though the writing pushes readers up a quantum level. I am so grateful to you, Professor Rankine. Time passes and if you step away thinking, almost expecting that times will change, it is disturbing and sometimes shocking that the underlying decay has not been treated. The disease of racism persists and to the level that it does. I found it shocking to read this article. I remember the early days, watching TV in a pedestrian way, but excited an African American was competing and had won a major event, Serena or her sister at the time, but booed by the crowd. It was heartbreaking. So much time since then and now, a continuation of the same. She is so awesome, Serena and Venus are, in their humanity that I am staggered by their internal strength and beauty as well as the outside superiority they maintain. Thank you for info on her father's tactic to pay to have his own children cursed and abused, a genius idea right there but what a history she has created and with her sister. We may never see the likes of her beauty and talent again so singular is she in all the world, and against such odds. Grateful to you for this. Thank you.
12
Thank you, Claudia Rankine, for speaking the truth. This is why you are my favorite poet!
6
I am amazed at the number of people who say that Serena is man-like or masculine or has the body of a man. I assume they say this based on her muscular arms alone. Otherwise, Serena, hardly the biggest woman playing tennis at 5'9 and about 150lbs, has the most womanly body on the women's tennis tour. Attributes that otherwise seen as womanly (breasts, hips, butt) are somehow equated as manly when it comes to Serena. What is equally odd is that Venus is also seen as manly although she has a body type nearly the same as Maria Sharapova (although not as slight) both being 6'1 or 6'2 with no curves (but check out Venus last year on the body issue of ESPN). So what is it that makes these two women with drastically different body types seen as manly? Fact is, both these women are stunningly beautiful with bodies that many women their size and shape would be happy to have. Neither have any scandals attached to them that we all tolerate in male athletes. Serena is fluent in French. And she is the greatest in her sport. In my book, that is pretty awesome.
195
I've been working to get Serena's body for years. Alas, I like pizza ... But your point is very well taken. In the next article: Our standards of beauty in this country remain alarmingly Eurocentric.
3
They're black...that's all certain folks need to know in order to hate.....
5
She looks like she takes steroids or a related drug -- that is what many people are saying implicitly when they comment on her odd body shape.
2
Serena has always meant to me the next evolution in women's tennis and the greatest women's tennis player ever. That's it.
24
Lovely article, thank you. Serena is unquestionably the greatest tennis player on the women's side ever, and possibly the greatest tennis player of all time, although it is tough to compare male and female players. What she had to overcome, and how much she achieved despite all those barriers, is simply amazing.
People a hundred years from now will look back and shake their heads in disbelief and sadness that well into the 21st century, black tennis players still faced so much bigotry from fans, associations, admins, at a time when other sports were well integrated. The Tarpischevs, the Indians Wells audiences, the attitude of sponsors, the various line call and other calls, the French audience in 2003 Open, and so on so forth will all remain a blot on tennis, a sport I dearly love.
People a hundred years from now will look back and shake their heads in disbelief and sadness that well into the 21st century, black tennis players still faced so much bigotry from fans, associations, admins, at a time when other sports were well integrated. The Tarpischevs, the Indians Wells audiences, the attitude of sponsors, the various line call and other calls, the French audience in 2003 Open, and so on so forth will all remain a blot on tennis, a sport I dearly love.
108
The statement "Serena is unquestionably the greatest tennis play on the women's side ever, and possibly the greatest tennis player of all time." is at best silly. There is no way to compare players who did not compete head to head at the peaks of their careers. I never saw Court play, but I am pretty sure that if Steffi Graf and Serena Williams had played in the same era, it would have been a truly outstanding set of matches and I have no clue who would have won more. Both had/have their strengths and weaknesses.
In terms of all tennis players, Williams would probably have no chance against any of the top 200 or 300 males - she might win a few games on her serve, but that is it. Tennis is a running game, and males are much faster than females. The strength also greatly disfavors the female. This shows up in males hitting slightly harder than females, but they hit with much more spin.
In terms of all tennis players, Williams would probably have no chance against any of the top 200 or 300 males - she might win a few games on her serve, but that is it. Tennis is a running game, and males are much faster than females. The strength also greatly disfavors the female. This shows up in males hitting slightly harder than females, but they hit with much more spin.
@Midtown2015
Funny how you don't mention that many women tennis players are LGBT. I guess you think they didn't suffer any prejudice...
Funny how you don't mention that many women tennis players are LGBT. I guess you think they didn't suffer any prejudice...
So...I am not a traditional tennis fan....have probably watched two matches in my life. (Now, table tennis- some call it ping-pong, out of ignorance- that game is great).
I don't know what to make of this article. Oh, I am white. Is this article meant to suggest that racism exists? I am convinced. I don't mean to be snide. But, I read articles like this that talk about white privilege and really struggle with what the writer wants from me as a reaction. To acknowledge that racism exists? Done. To regret that life is not fair? To acknowledge that white folks have "privileges" ? Sure, I buy into the concept. Yet, what am I supposed to do (in concrete terms)? At the same time -and I will survive the experience- sometimes I feel like there is no answer, but whatever I do or don't do or say or don't say, because I am white, there is no right answer.
Now, just thinking (writing) aloud, my sport of choice to watch is professional basketball (NBA). Reading the article and referencing the fact that the vast majority of NBA players are black, I further don't know how I am supposed to feel/act beyond what I try to do-treat everyone with respect and courtesy.
Guess I just don't know what reaction (or action) the author wants to provoke.
I don't know what to make of this article. Oh, I am white. Is this article meant to suggest that racism exists? I am convinced. I don't mean to be snide. But, I read articles like this that talk about white privilege and really struggle with what the writer wants from me as a reaction. To acknowledge that racism exists? Done. To regret that life is not fair? To acknowledge that white folks have "privileges" ? Sure, I buy into the concept. Yet, what am I supposed to do (in concrete terms)? At the same time -and I will survive the experience- sometimes I feel like there is no answer, but whatever I do or don't do or say or don't say, because I am white, there is no right answer.
Now, just thinking (writing) aloud, my sport of choice to watch is professional basketball (NBA). Reading the article and referencing the fact that the vast majority of NBA players are black, I further don't know how I am supposed to feel/act beyond what I try to do-treat everyone with respect and courtesy.
Guess I just don't know what reaction (or action) the author wants to provoke.
17
As a black female, I see no reason why you need to respond to articles about behavior that is not your behavior. I read to know - the same as you. And I will continue to do my best and it sounds like you do, too. Let's trust that is enough.
3
You are supposed to read the article as a human reflecting on another human's experience.
4
Serena is the best and defines the word CHAMPION. Sports are about strength smarts and a determination to Win. Marketing in this context has nothing to do with Winning and more to do about being white. Thanks for letting us know which brands stand with the Best. I prefer winners to losers.
5
So, how do you explain Michael Jordan?
9
by realizing that a predominantly white audience looks at a black male in NBA differently from a black female in tennis?
1
1) Male (still the greatest recipients of sports endorsements);
2) In a sport with the highest percentage of African Americans in the U.S. (76% in 2013) and therefore considered representative of the sport as a whole; and,
3) Simply the best of his time (an attribute that he shares with Serena).
2) In a sport with the highest percentage of African Americans in the U.S. (76% in 2013) and therefore considered representative of the sport as a whole; and,
3) Simply the best of his time (an attribute that he shares with Serena).
1
I'm not a sports fan (quite the opposite). And I don't even play tennis (in fact I don't even know all the rules). Yet ever since she broke into the big time, I've been riveted by the amazing, inspiring story of Serena's domination of the game, along with Venus. That says something.
27
Finally, an article in the New York Times that respects and reflects Serena's humanity and grace. She is an awesome human being and tennis player.
I do not care if she wins the most Grand Slams. I care that she brings her passion to a sport that I love and competes with all her heart. Its too bad if the major corporations don't like her enough to pay her to represent their products. The fans around the world love her and women's tennis has been the beneficiary of her greatness. By the way, she is gorgeous, funny, and honest. That is enough for me.
I do not care if she wins the most Grand Slams. I care that she brings her passion to a sport that I love and competes with all her heart. Its too bad if the major corporations don't like her enough to pay her to represent their products. The fans around the world love her and women's tennis has been the beneficiary of her greatness. By the way, she is gorgeous, funny, and honest. That is enough for me.
23
Excellent article. It would be worthwhile to note her amazing staying power too in today's physical game. Pretty much all her peers who started out with her or even well after her have retired or shown flashes of brilliance only for a few years. In contrast, her level of dominance has been a joy to watch.
208
I wish the author hadn't used Kanye West to make an otherwise valid argument about Serena Williams.
Kanye West's greatest talent may be that he's as successful an egomaniacal braggart as Donald Trump.
There's a difference between Reality TV success and The Real Deal. Serena Williams has never just talked people into believing she's a great tennis player and a great athlete. She's proved it beyond argument.
Kanye West has only demonstrated that he's a successful hustler. Sorry Kanye fans. But about the musicians and other entertainers I like, all I can assert is that I like them, and maybe other people do too. So what.
On the other hand, Serena Williams doesn't depend on me, you or anyone else to assert who she is, and what she's done. I don't even follow tennis. But I'd never deny Serena Williams' greatness. Greatness and popularity are two very different things.
Kanye West's greatest talent may be that he's as successful an egomaniacal braggart as Donald Trump.
There's a difference between Reality TV success and The Real Deal. Serena Williams has never just talked people into believing she's a great tennis player and a great athlete. She's proved it beyond argument.
Kanye West has only demonstrated that he's a successful hustler. Sorry Kanye fans. But about the musicians and other entertainers I like, all I can assert is that I like them, and maybe other people do too. So what.
On the other hand, Serena Williams doesn't depend on me, you or anyone else to assert who she is, and what she's done. I don't even follow tennis. But I'd never deny Serena Williams' greatness. Greatness and popularity are two very different things.
9
Ms Rankin wants us to appreciate Serena's excellence, yet her article has virtually no appreciation of the actual tennis skill and strategy that constitutes that excellence, like an article about an artist by a critic with little knowledge of the technical craft of painting, who just cares about the artist's biography. If we are to see Serena not as "black excellence" but excellence pure and simple, shouldn't we also focus on and admire her tennis mastery as such the way we admire other craftspeople and artists who have achieved extraordinary mastery in their fields? She epitomizes excellence, not "black excellence."
29
That's correct, this is not an article about the sport of tennis, it is basically a sociological one. It does seek to explain or describe Serena's excellence, it (quite reasonably) takes it as a given, and a departure point for a broader discussion. I'm sure there have been fine acticles in the sports section analysing her skill and strategy, But those issues are not particularly relevant to this writer's argument.
Likewise, there's nothing wrong with a biographical article about an artist. An analytical one about the painter's craft and technique would be a different one.
Likewise, there's nothing wrong with a biographical article about an artist. An analytical one about the painter's craft and technique would be a different one.
1
John - I read the article as being about "Serena is amazing and yet the focus is always on race," not an analysis of her playing. There are plenty of those.
1
Another magnificent African American athlete with extraordinary talents, beauty, magnetism, and a fantastic smile is the 19 year old gymnast Simone Biles, who has won three consecutive national titles and two world titles. She is breathtaking to watch. In many ways she reminds me of Serena.
7
I'm always amazed that Serena's endorsement portfolio is much smaller than Maria Sharapova's. Companies are telling us that African American's and fans of Serena do not spend money and are not worthy of being marketed to. Too bad for them.
The greatest women athlete ever lived came Straight Outta Compton, California! Equally amazing is that Oracene and Richard taught her and Venus the game themselves.
The greatest women athlete ever lived came Straight Outta Compton, California! Equally amazing is that Oracene and Richard taught her and Venus the game themselves.
21
Serena Williams is the best tennis player of all time. Every time she steps on the court, we are witnessing a legend in the making.
17
As the white mother to two african-american children, I think Serena Williams is smart, beautiful, stunning, and sets the right example for my athletic children.
10
I love her. She is a goddess. She is strong and fearless and gorgeous.
She has grace and class. She is a winner.
Shame on those who call her names - they couldn't do what she does.
Shame on those who call her unfeminine - she looks exactly like a strong fierce womanly woman should look. And she is a wonderful model for girls and women everywhere, for being exactly who she is.
She has grace and class. She is a winner.
Shame on those who call her names - they couldn't do what she does.
Shame on those who call her unfeminine - she looks exactly like a strong fierce womanly woman should look. And she is a wonderful model for girls and women everywhere, for being exactly who she is.
290
She is an amazing, strong, smart, and gorgeous woman.
Anyone who has thinks she is 'unfeminine' has never seen her rock a cocktail dress.
Anyone who has thinks she is 'unfeminine' has never seen her rock a cocktail dress.
6
You think saying the F word often, in front of spectators and on live TV for millions to see...and threatening to shove a tennis ball down a small girls throat shows "class",....and makes her a .."wonderful model for girls and women everywhere?
Really?
Really?
3
I love Serena, but I think she needs to stop being so focused on getting endorsements to be on the Forbes list. And if she's going to insist on comparing herself to Sharapova (who of course is an inferior player) perhaps she needs to look at how many controversies each has caused. I don't recall Sharapova ever threatening to shove a tennis ball down a linewoman's throat, for instance.
Of course a company isn't going to get behind someone who could easily bring controversy to their company.
Of course a company isn't going to get behind someone who could easily bring controversy to their company.
19
You didn't read the article well enough. The interviewer is the one who was stuck on the Forbes rankings, Serena was impatient that she focused on it. Shame that you slam Serena Williams for your poor reading comprehension.
62
You're right, actually, I should have read more closely. The onus is definitely on the author, then, for trying to turn it into a conversation about race where it doesn't belong.
7
You might want to read the article again Casey... Serena isn't focused on her place on the Forbes list, nor is she bothered with comparing herself to Sharapova. Not really sure where you read that. As you say however, companies have every right to distance themselves from controversy, and athletes like Michael Jordan ("Republicans buy tennis shoes too") are free to conform their activism to the limits circumscribed them by their pocketbooks, but for me personally, I'll forever have more respect for those athletes who prefer to be true to themselves rather than pandering to the corporate dollar.
2
Thank you, Claudia Rankine! This is the best piece I've ever read on Serena. She is the most exciting tennis player (male or female) I've ever seen. I feel like I know her so much better now. GO SERENA!
15
As a white woman I have never experienced the insults that Serena and Venus have but, I can say this: Serena is beautiful, talented and deserving of all that she has earned and she has struggled more than any white tennis player ever has. I couldn't be more proud of her if he were my own daughter. She is a fabulous player and a wonderful human being. Good luck to you, Serena, in whatever the future holds or you
226
Serena is a field of one. Undeniably the greatest in tennis history. SugarPova is simply the sweetest in tennis history. Which one would I ask to the prom? Duh, Sugar!
3
Serena is an exciting American super champion. As an American, I am not just proud of her but ashamed of those who are not.
206
Perhaps the American sitting beside Ms. Rankine wasn't rooting for Serena for the same reason that I don't root for her: because she is never gracious in winning. Solely on the basis of my feelings about race, believe me, I would be her enthusiastic supporter. And, by the way, I never root for Sharapova either, because she ruins the game with her screaming---in fact, when she plays, I can't even watch.
51
You're kidding - right? Serena is an extremely gracious winner, always being sure to congratulate and compliment her opponents. If you read this article you can see that, even though the author tried to get her to speak against Sharapova, she did not.
66
Hilarious and hypocritical
A perfect example of white America judging a black athlete based on their biased notions and prisms, inevitably found wanting and falling short of whatever ideals they have in mind, and banishing the athlete to the gulags.
A perfect example of white America judging a black athlete based on their biased notions and prisms, inevitably found wanting and falling short of whatever ideals they have in mind, and banishing the athlete to the gulags.
15
It appears you are not familiar with watching Serena play. I'm an avid tennis fan, and in my many years of watching Serena play, she has always been polite and congratulatory, win or lose.
8
In 20 or 30 years no one will likely remember Maria Sharapova or Eugenie Bouchard but Serena will be on the radar when I am long gone, she is leaving a legacy that will take decades to challenge, if then. She is an amazing human being in every way. Rooting for her at the Open.
101
Pretty sure I won't forget Maria Sharapova!
I know her as the greatest tennis player of all time. I love her passion, smarts and athleticism. As she comes closer to the end of her career, I am thankful that she remains an artist performing at such a high level.
15
Thank you to the writer for an excellent piece on Serena Williams viewed through the many prisms that inform her tennis career and persona. Ive always been a fan of the Williams sisters and tennis in general. However, as Serena's career has progressed through the years, her ability to not apologise for who she is amongst all that she endures as well as her growth as an individual have been both inspiring and incredible to witness. I wish her all the best at the US Open. Lets go Serena, history awaits!
31
Claudia Rankine: Thank you so much for telling the truth about this story. The best quote which I am going to frame in my head and on my wall is: “The notable difference between black excellence and white excellence is white excellence is achieved without having to battle racism.”
I have been through that, and it is even more difficult if you are black with an accent. They approve of the accent of the Europeans but not the non-Europeans. One of the best articles ever!!!
I have been through that, and it is even more difficult if you are black with an accent. They approve of the accent of the Europeans but not the non-Europeans. One of the best articles ever!!!
24
One of the Williams Sisters posed for Playboy. They have so much Money, and yet they posed for Playboy. Which means Money is not the only criteria to pose Nude.
1
Never have Serena or Venus posed for playboy. They have posed for the ESPN Body Issue but that is a completely different type of magazine. As for their sisters I don't know but Serena and Venus absolutely not.
7
None of the Williams Sisters including Venus and Serena have ever posed for Playboy.
6
Venus posed for ESPN body issue and Serena posed for Sports Illustrated. But what if they did pose for Playboy? They would join a list of other women athletes.
2
Serena Williams, a black woman, is worth $24 million, according to Forbes. Maria Sharapova, a white woman, is worth $29 million. Hmmm... Much of marketing is done in western countries where the majority of the population is white, right? Doesn't it follow that the advertisers will market to that demographic using a member of that demographic where they feel it will have the most impact? Meanwhile, Brava to Serena for achieving and maintaining excellence despite the obstacles she faced (and faces)... obstacles, by the way, that are not always limited to minorities.
7
What a beautifully written article about a beautiful and thoughtful woman both inside and out. I do hope that Ben Rothenberg takes the time to read it and thinks about his hateful article written on 7/10/15. Perhaps he and others like him will understand the power and grace of a true champion. Go Serena and thank you.
27
Why does it always have to be about race? Serena is an amazing athlete but she is big, muscular and simply not considered as attractive as others in the traditional feminine sense. But it is not because she's black! As someone had mentioned, if she looked like Beyonce, it would be a different story. If she looked like Alicia Keys, it would be a different story, etc.
Why did Chris Evert get more endorsements than Martina Navratilova? It was not an issue of race, she was simply better looking.
Are we a superficial bunch, yes. But let's not go overboard, it is not always about race.
Why did Chris Evert get more endorsements than Martina Navratilova? It was not an issue of race, she was simply better looking.
Are we a superficial bunch, yes. But let's not go overboard, it is not always about race.
79
But it HAS to be about race...because if it isn't, then all the "fundamental change" and government policies that are meant to combat racism in all it's cracks and crevices of American society will seem superfluous. The left is invested in racially based identity politics, because if racism and social inequality aren't rampant, then there's no reason to vote for Democrats.
7
You are partially right, Ed. In many cases though, it is about race, just look up many of the insults that she has had to endure. Black women receive. Many men prefer slim blonde women, I (a Caucasian man) think Serena is incredibly beautiful. We all have our tastes, but even Beyoncé and Alicia have not had a free pass because of their lighter skin tone and less pronounced racial characteristics. They were made to think they were something less because of their race. It is one thing to view one woman as being more or less attractive than another. We all do that. It is tasteless and the mark of a fool to mark your insult a woman like Serena by turning those preferences into public epitaphs.
73
Way to turn an article about an elite athlete into a political commentary. For the record, there are plenty of reasons to vote a democratic ticket -- the willingness to see the reality of racism and sexism are only two.
The fact that fans have screamed racial epithets at Ms. Williams does make it about race. It will stop being about race when those fans cease making it about race.
The fact that fans have screamed racial epithets at Ms. Williams does make it about race. It will stop being about race when those fans cease making it about race.
12
Serena is amazing and brings everything that we need to see from a black superstar athlete. She has grace, style, and passion. She plays for herself and at the same time represents change.
http://on.be.net/1MBmGkg
http://on.be.net/1MBmGkg
7
Unfortunately, Serena is so good that her games are boring and short. If the rest of the women's field were better, Serena's performances would be more exciting, because the outcome would be in doubt. The only excitement that comes in a Serena game is when C-level Serena shows up to play, and struggles to get back to B-level Serena (We may never see A-level Serena.). But even this question of "Can X player beat C-level Serena?" is not that exciting. The saying, "We play the game because we don't know the outcome," is not true with women's tennis. Although I can see racism in the lack of celebration of Serena, overwhelmingly, I see sheer boredom. And I think that the author and others easily confuse sheer boredom with racism. When Serena is around 45 and still playing tennis, perhaps then the games will be interesting. And then, you should ask why someone didn't stay in their seat to see Serena win.
5
The most exciting games to watch are between Serena and Azarenka. Those are never boring.
5
A certain outcome did not stop me from watching Martina Navratilova, Monica Seles or Steffi Graf. Boring at times; usually short matches but fun!!!
1
Wonderful piece, about a magnificent athlete, and insidious nature of racism.
21
Thanks for this! I am a tennis fan and ardent recreational player who has followed the careers of both Serena and Venus since they were little kids and couldn't be more pleased by their incredible and deserving success. They inspired me to take up the sport as an adult so after years of cheering them on I am now playing league tournaments and having the time of my life.
I am so glad that despite the outright insults, patronizing comments, accusations and recriminations Serena has persevered and succeeded beyond anything imaginable. That is a victory for all of us!
I am so glad that despite the outright insults, patronizing comments, accusations and recriminations Serena has persevered and succeeded beyond anything imaginable. That is a victory for all of us!
12
The thing about Rankine's piece, aside from the truly exceptional writing, is that every single thing it states is obvious and yet consistently denied. So it is a work of insistence on reality, and therefore an essential authoritative correction.
75
You are absolutely right on!
This was a moving article. I am a huge tennis fan...solely because of the Williams sisters. Like many, I'd heard about these powerful young black women, with beads in their hair that were taking over the game of tennis. I'd never even watched a match until I saw them play each other in a final. I was, amazed, touched, excited, and mezmorized by the history I was witnessing. It meant so much to see two black women at the top of a game that had so few women or even people of color at that level. I am a fan of the game and even more stars now, but my first loves will forever be Venus and Serena!
19
We should all be thankful for Serena. She brings excitement, joy and pride to us all. Watching another human being do so well gives us hope for a better future for all of us. So, Serena, I thank you for who you are. See you at the US Open.
99
Claudia Rankin is correct. Our bodies reflect the stress placed on them by every day racism. On her reporting on Serena, she is peerless, giving us writing that shows the value of African American perspective in American life. THANK YOU for moving past Serena's stunning statistics to review the oddity and imbedded inequality of white priviledge in the sport. I once considered Chris Evert a role model until the day I heard her commentary join others dehumanizing the Williams sisters. Ms Rankin deftly lifts the veil on white priviledge in global marketing, while probing how to defy that perculiar institution, racism. Ms. Rankin provides yet another reason why African American voices in media are imperative to getting and understanding the "whole story".
119
When has Chris Evert ever "dehumanized" the Williams sisters? Give me a break. Constructive criticism is not "dehumanizing". Even Roger Federer, who like Serena, is the GOAT, is subject to criticism when warranted. The notion that it's slander or racist or bigoted to criticize Serena or Venus does no one, including the Williams sisters, any favors.
9
Evert, like many others, has changed her tune as the sisters lasted over the years. I believe Evert was even there with a gold bracelet when Serena broke Evert's record. Very nice.
3
I remember Chris Evert's commentary as well. It was disgusting.
7
Maria is prettier than Serena, neither of whom is prettier than Beyonce.
7
Maria is not pretty, she's just tall with no curves. White people think blonde skinny = pretty. Such low standards for beauty.
20
What matters in this context is what sells. Not your subjective opinion.
are you kidding- I would kill to look like Serena- that strength, grace, beauty. not to mention her super amazing wardrobe!
16