Serena meltdown
9/9/18 09:56![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luzribeiro posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
talkpolitics
Anyone saw the WTA US Open final last night? What about this?
http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/page/icymi0908serena/us-open-2018-plenty-response-code-violations-serena-williams
The press conference afterwards was a continuation of the whole thing. It was a whole story in itself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRa8kp_1zvI
If that's how you fight for women's rights, then I pity all women.
How does a call from an umpire become sexist? Show me a situation where Carlos Ramos, the umpire, was subjected to worse by a man and didn’t penalize them the same way. How's that not a blanket accusation?
Osaka played phenomenally well and I can’t see how she wouldn’t have won regardless of Serena's antics. Great stuff. Serena - the first two violations are pretty black and white (sorry, am I being racist now!?) Clearly his coach was coaching and he even admitted it (But others get away with it and I didn't, he argued), and I’m pretty sure that racket was broken in game 8, so fair enough. The 3rd violation - anyone at risk of losing a game needs to get themselves together and not invite a third - Serena clearly lacked the composure to do that, and really made her own bed, the umpire was clearly at liberty to issue the verbal abuse violation based on what was said.
She's a sore loser. Patethic and disgraceful. Whose rights was she fighting for, again? Definitely not women's. Clowns? Excuses, excuses, excuses. And big words now. She just played shit and acted like a clown. She is a big tennis player, but a very small human being. Never a legend, just a winner. No legacy, just statistics. And PLESASE DON'T MAKE THIS ABOUT WOMEN'S RIGHTS. IT ISN'T.
The reaction of some people has also been beyond pathetic. Her behavior was appalling, and people are out there pretending it was a Rosa Parks moment. Serena is the star, the legend, but there was another woman out there winning her 1st Slam and making history for Japanese sport (at age 20!). But, of course, that doesnt fit the narrative. Of course it shouldn't be about the other woman. It should all be about Serena.
Sure, she's still a legend. I love her, but she was wrong. I saw the whole match and this was not about sexism. The situation unfolded over 20-30 minutes and involved much more than what is being reported. Hell, she threatened the umpire's job among other things! That's why it's different. Djokovic also allows himself the occasional verbal abuse, but he has never gone to such lengths. Other players regularly quarrel with umpires, but they never go there.
Harassment in any form is vile, and in this case Williams is the one who held the power and she tried to wield it, threatening his job and pressuring the umpire to reverse his decisions. His only mistake was that he DID let her go on and on for too long - Williams took control of the pacing of the match for too long and Ramos ultimately restored appropriate fairness. While the young lady at the opposite side of the court was trying to keep her composure and focus.
I love Serena. But she was not a good loser, nor a good example to her #1 fan, Naomi, who kept her composure while being robbed the biggest moment of her life, at 20 years old. Serena was her idol... was.
It's Serena who owes people an apology, not the umpire. SHE “stole” Osaka’s glory. And that was in the final match of a major world tournament, where all eyes are upon you. If that doesn't undermine the integrity of the sport - and the greater cause that she claims she's behind, women's rights - then I don't know what does.
This is a way to tear Serena down. The constant drug testing that no one else does, she says nothing. The jumpsuit that was made for health reasons - doesn’t fight it. But today, she said something, she did unspeakable things, she lost her cool, and she lost a great deal of credibility about the cause she believes to be defending. She’s still a legend, true, but not the best example for young women aspiring to follow in her steps - and her kid would definitely not want to watch this one day.
Re: The press conference. "I've seen OTHER MEN say to umpires many things". ...Uhm, slip of the tongue? ;-) Nah, let me not be sexist now!
(no subject)
Date: 9/9/18 06:58 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 9/9/18 07:00 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 9/9/18 07:06 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 9/9/18 07:11 (UTC)I'd been sympathetic over the French jumpsuit, and I must admit that her constant and regular drug-testing looks a deal suspicious if you ask me; but this was out of order.
A proper apology to all concerned would probably help matters.
(no subject)
Date: 9/9/18 07:56 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/9/18 06:31 (UTC)She definitely owes Osaka an apology! That should've been her moment, but no, Williams had to have a complete fucking meltdown like a spoiled kid!! It was shameful, the way she acted!
(no subject)
Date: 10/9/18 11:35 (UTC)A personal, though public apology would be a good start. To be candid, I don't think she grew up with privilege, and I guess she has had to fight every inch of the way, and for that I respect her immensely. But as is often the case with such folk it is difficult for them to ever let go, to drop something, or to admit wrongness in the face of other's wrongs towards you. That sort of mindset, more than a mindset even - maybe total physical and mental engagement might be better - seems apparent in many sportspeople.
As usual I think it to be more nuanced than immediately apparent, but Serena is definitely at fault here; her friends have to tell her, if no-one else will, that she needs to apologise to Osaka publicly, if only for her own sake. Because no matter we are tennis superstars, parents, or high-achieving anythings, we still need to accept other folk are things like unto ourselves, and deserving of the same considerations and treatment as ourselves.
A last thought goes for the Umpire/Referee or whatever; he lost control of the highest profile match in a long while. And with a player who has not shown this sort of behaviour regularly; q.v. John McEnroe, et al. I'd say he was demonstrably deficient here too, and not actually up to doing the job he was meant to. I hope he doesn't get many more finals on the basis of his judgement in this matter.
(no subject)
Date: 10/9/18 18:11 (UTC)Billy Jean King's and Serena's points are well taken. While Serena was speaking about current players, I remember pointedly that John McEnroe, Ilie Nastase, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi all berated chair umpires much more savagely (and there are plenty of examples on Youtube to demonstrate this); particularly in McEnroe's and Jimmy Conner's cases- they were notorious for it). In fact, retired US tennis star Andy Roddick (2003 US open winner) tweeted, “I've regrettably said worse and I've never gotten a game penalty.” Osaka played magnificently and won gracefully; she even gave Serena back the game the umpire had taken from her.
The New York Times had a feature on what happened and I thought was very helpful
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/09/sports/serena-osaka-us-open-penalty.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
Williams and Osaka embraced at the net after the match.
Photo: Ben Solomon for The New York Times
(no subject)
Date: 11/9/18 18:01 (UTC)Code violations
Men 86
Women 22
You know... facts.
(no subject)
Date: 11/9/18 18:07 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/9/18 10:35 (UTC)That sexist too, eh?
(no subject)
Date: 12/9/18 06:06 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/9/18 05:59 (UTC)Reports: Umpires consider boycott of Serena Williams matches, fearful of being 'the next Ramos'
https://sports.yahoo.com/reports-umpires-consider-boycott-serena-williams-matches-fearful-next-ramos-2-220947324.html
(no subject)
Date: 12/9/18 06:07 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/9/18 06:11 (UTC)Williams simply didn’t have answers on Saturday afternoon for the demands put forth by Osaka. At once the feelgood vibe of Serena’s much-publicized comeback following the birth of her daughter, celebrated in lucrative ad campaigns and a glossy five-part documentary series, felt like it was crashing down around her. It’s one thing to have the end of your career in sight, but perhaps Williams felt like her time was passing right in that moment. Perhaps time to retire.
(no subject)
Date: 18/9/18 13:18 (UTC)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_2rjocv-Jo