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“If I could, I would take this fucking ball and shove it down your fucking throat”
~ Serena Williams
I don't know, I thought it was quite creative and offered a great visual. Seems the tennis snobs think differently. Why is that?
Certainly the famous outbursts of Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Ilie Nastase and John McEnroe were at least as bad as Serena's one-liner. They may have been great tennis players, but all four of them were known for verbally abusing officials, destroying rackets, and throwing temper tantrums ... and the fans cheered! Yet in this instance, sports commentators and fans are calling for a suspension in addition to the $10,500 fine already imposed.
Let's look at the facts ...
1. There wasn't a foot fault. Replays of the "infraction" that triggered the call, the eventual double fault, then Serena's outburst, show that her foot was not over the line on the serve. For those of you not familiar with tennis, the line judge called a foot fault on Williams when her foot supposedly went over the line during her serve. This would be similar to an umpire in a baseball game negating an out at second base during an otherwise successful, game deciding, double play because the second baseman's foot didn't quite touch the bag.
2. The line judge overreacted. If it wasn't enough that the line judge made a very bad call, she escalated the situation by throwing her own tantrum and "tattling." The head judge then penalized Serena another point - match point.
3. Serena didn't have a meltdown, she was pissed off. Sure, she dropped a few "f"-bombs and pointed a few times with her racket, but it lasted all of 10 seconds. Serena, in the heat of a massively important match, lost her cool and said some things she admittedly regrets.
4. The role of a referee/umpire/judge is to be invisible - to let the players decide the match themselves. The line judge put herself at the middle of the action and let her own inability to handle an angry player, and her reaction to that player, decide who won the semifinal at the U.S. Open.
I have to wonder, in a sport that still retains a faint whiff of the men-only country club atmosphere, and in which women are still "required" to uphold a feminine image when performing (short skirts and makeup are standard equipment), if the call for a heftier fine and suspension doesn't have more to do with the "discomfort" of seeing a woman be aggressive, competitive and vocal. In other words, acting like a man.
For the record, Kim Clijsters (Serena's opponent in the fatal match) ended up winning the U.S. Open women's singles. No one will remember that, though.
~ Serena Williams
I don't know, I thought it was quite creative and offered a great visual. Seems the tennis snobs think differently. Why is that?Certainly the famous outbursts of Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Ilie Nastase and John McEnroe were at least as bad as Serena's one-liner. They may have been great tennis players, but all four of them were known for verbally abusing officials, destroying rackets, and throwing temper tantrums ... and the fans cheered! Yet in this instance, sports commentators and fans are calling for a suspension in addition to the $10,500 fine already imposed.
Let's look at the facts ...
1. There wasn't a foot fault. Replays of the "infraction" that triggered the call, the eventual double fault, then Serena's outburst, show that her foot was not over the line on the serve. For those of you not familiar with tennis, the line judge called a foot fault on Williams when her foot supposedly went over the line during her serve. This would be similar to an umpire in a baseball game negating an out at second base during an otherwise successful, game deciding, double play because the second baseman's foot didn't quite touch the bag.
2. The line judge overreacted. If it wasn't enough that the line judge made a very bad call, she escalated the situation by throwing her own tantrum and "tattling." The head judge then penalized Serena another point - match point.
3. Serena didn't have a meltdown, she was pissed off. Sure, she dropped a few "f"-bombs and pointed a few times with her racket, but it lasted all of 10 seconds. Serena, in the heat of a massively important match, lost her cool and said some things she admittedly regrets.
4. The role of a referee/umpire/judge is to be invisible - to let the players decide the match themselves. The line judge put herself at the middle of the action and let her own inability to handle an angry player, and her reaction to that player, decide who won the semifinal at the U.S. Open.
I have to wonder, in a sport that still retains a faint whiff of the men-only country club atmosphere, and in which women are still "required" to uphold a feminine image when performing (short skirts and makeup are standard equipment), if the call for a heftier fine and suspension doesn't have more to do with the "discomfort" of seeing a woman be aggressive, competitive and vocal. In other words, acting like a man.
For the record, Kim Clijsters (Serena's opponent in the fatal match) ended up winning the U.S. Open women's singles. No one will remember that, though.
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23 comments:
I thought it was funny that John McEnroe was telling her to calm down. Pot, meet kettle.
My reaction was very similar to yours upon hearing it. Why is it that John McEnroe was considered colorful, but Serena is on the verge of a possible suspension. I truly don't understand it. And, like you comment at the end, no one is going to remember the winner of the singles because there will be an unofficial asterisk next to it given this situation.
Sorry. In my opinion she melted down. Totally classless. When things go really badly at my job, I can't scream at the judge and tell him that I'd like to shove the fucking gavel down his fucking throat. Even if it costs me pride, money or my client's future. I'd be in JAIL. Could you cuss out your boss like that get away with it?
Clearly Serena was correct. We will never know what would have happened if she would have protested the proper way.
Serena just lost her cool for a minute. It happens. That was a bullshit call in that situation. One of my biggest gripes about officials in all sports is that they don't always show situational awareness and even seek out the spotlight sometimes in big moments.
But, I do disagree with you on one thing. Most all of the top female players, including the Williams sisters, are as much fashion models as they are tennis players. In fact, a number of them spend so much time modeling that they don't put in as much time at tennis as they should.
So many of them have bikini calendars and their own clothing line and are in Sports Illustrated's bikini edition. So this complaint that they are basically "forced" to wear short skirts (they wear shorts in many non-major tournaments) rings a little hollow. They can't have it both ways.
Besides, the men aren't exactly wearing sweatpants or long baggy shorts like NBAers. Rafael Nadal often wears sleeveless shirts to show off his guns. And most of the men tend to put out publicity shots of them practicing shirtless.
Now, if you want to complain about women getting less in winnings in many tournaments, or being pushed aside by the networks so they can focus on the men, feel free. But, they AREN'T being forced to wear those outfits or do all the half-naked photoshoots.
She was wronged. She acted like a peasant. Sooner or later, people who make more money than they are worth prove it.
garbonzo, no kidding, huh? Of all people to say, "Calm down," it's overwhelmingly funny (and meaningless) coming out of McEnroe's mouth!
Emmy, and honestly, I wouldn't want to be Kim Clijsters in this situation as she will always be "The woman who won the 2009 U.S. Open Singles only because of a bad call." Not one of those warm-fuzzy wins now, is it?
Karen, I'll give you that her outburst was inappropriate for *most* situations, however it was NOT inappropriate based on the expectations of the sport (for men). Does that make it right? No - I'd prefer athletes, musicians *cough*Kanye*cough* and people generally act a bit more civilized to one another, but my point here was really the discrepancy between what is "appropriate" for men and what is "appropriate" for women.
First of all, Jay makes some good points, and I wish Anna Kournikova was laying naked on top of me right now, but now, to wit and heretofore...
I dig Serena, but she crossed the line (Ha, Crossed the Line, Get It?) of decorum in my opinion.
Not because she enlisted the use of the word "fucking", hell I use that as an adjective often...I think she crossed it by threatening the official.
Yes, I know she would not really shove a ball down the official's throat, and I know she was exhibiting frustration over a match that she was sure to lose anyway, but c'mon...
If Serena had said, "That was pretty stupid call ma'am." or even "That was one fucked up call dumbass." While still a bit inflammatory considering the stage she was in, I would have said, "eh, that was a bit much Serena, but you're right."
And, my thoughts would be no different if the player in question was a man. Cheers!!
...In Washington State (and I'm sure many others)her actions would garner her a fourth degree assault charge...I'm just sayin'...
Jay, Damn you and your good arguments! Of course, they are in SI only because they are great athletes because no one looks at the pictures in SI anyway, right? I mean ... I never look at the buff bodies and tight asses of the football players - honest!
That being said, I do believe there is still an outdated expectation - especially in tennis - that female athletes not look "too masculine". And yes, they do capitalize on that expectation through other "eye-candy" venues.
That's some really good carrot cake - you should try it Jay *grin*
buffalodick, sure she did! But the cry for suspension based on actions seen as acceptable by MEN in tennis is just plain silly. One sport - one standard.
Matt-Man, yeah ... well ... I'd like to have Anna Kournikova laying naked on top of me right now too, but that's a different post!
Serena was not the first to "threaten" an official. Had this been a "new" thing - something no player (male or female) had ever done before, I might side with you. Instead, I'll let you borrow my Anna Kournikova fantasy.
There was a tennis match?
The assault charge is an interesting point. I'll bet she could take out any one of us in a back alley...
Granted McEnroe wasn't the epitome of grace on the court.. But he was fined and almost suspended for saying that the ump was 'the pits of the world!' and saying 'fuck you!' to another.. What do you imagine they would have done if he stood over a seated ref, thrust a ball in his face and said 'I want to shove this fucking ball down your fucking throat!'?? He'd have been booted out for at least a year.. Maybe longer..
Personally, I think she's getting a 'pass' if they don't at least suspend her for 'behavior unbecoming' (this wasn't her first outburst at this US Open for which she was reprimanded)..
Was the call correct? Nope.. Does that sort of thing happen everyday to everyone? Yes. Do we get to threaten the ones we feel 'wronged' us? Nope.. That wouldn't be very sporting of us, would it? Sportsmanship means sometimes sucking it up and shutting up even though you think you are right..
Just my two cents...
I didn't watch the tennis match. Does Serena deserve her punishment? I don't know. Were male (white) tennis players treated better? I don't know. What I do know is after the William's sisters didn't joint the boycott of the Dubai tennis matches I lost all respect for them. If Serena is being treated unfairly, that is wrong. But I'm really thinking about the Dubai thing.
Yeah, well. In a perfect world we would all act perfectly and never lose our cool.
But we all know *that's* not how it actually works. To suspend her for losing her cool.... ridiculous.
When I first heard about this, I immediately thought of McEnroe. He routinely threw hissy fits on the court and people kind of looked the other way. Maybe it's because that's the way he acted and everyone expected it and that's not Serena's typical MO?
Phfrankie Bondo, and in Alabama it's against the law for me to own a vibrator. I do get your point and honestly was *NOT* trying to defend her words - just questioning the gender role in all of this.
Osbasso, you weren't tuning in during the college football commercials??
Just me, but that's NOT what she said - what she said was "If I could, I would ..." There is a difference, although neither are really acceptable.
In no way do I think Serena should be suspended. The fine - and the loss that resulted from a judge overreacting and interfering with the competition are more that reasonable (IMHO).
Now, as far as sportsmanship goes, she set a TERRIBLE example - as do many professional athletes - yet everyone seems so fired up about Serena. I don't get it.
we're doomed, interesting. I was not aware of the Dubai "scandal" Should it have been boycotted? I think - had there been some unity with the boycott - that could have had a significant impact on future circumstances like these, but would it have made a difference if just the Williams' sisters boycotted? You'd be hard pressed to get me to believe that.
Vixen, and for the record, although I have never said anything quite so outrageous to my boss or to a co-worker, I have certainly lost my cool and been WAY out of line without suffering anything more than an unofficial slap on the hand.
Evil Twin's Wife, not only did they look the other way, they actually went to matches to see his tantrums. Ticket sales went WAY up when he played.
I don't know enough to have an opinion, honestly. I wish I did. I don't watch tennis though.
Dana, Dubai would not give permission to a female Israeli tennis player to enter the country for a large tennis match. Many tennis players boycotted the match. The Williams sisters participated in the match anyway. That's why I have no respect for Serena. If she was treated unfairly in the recent match and fined more than some of the male "white" players have been. Than that is wrong.
The bottom line for me is this: The sport of tennis seems to attract a certain number of folks who should be more polite when they play. Tennis reminds me of "professional wrestling", if you know what I mean.
I agree with your assessment. They would prefer the female players be good little girls rather than human beings who get mad sometimes. There should be an equal application of the rules and fines, period.
We have the technology to review and correct missed calls like this. Tennis has been on the forefront of testing new technology to assist the human umpires in making calls (the electronic ball in/out calls especially). Howz about instant relay on foot faults too?
One minor correction - if an out at second base is negated because the second baseman's foot doesn't quite touch the bag - that's the right call. Too many times a baserunner will be called out on the 'proximity rule' i.e. as long as the 2nd baseman or SS was in the vicinity of the bag with the ball . . .
Serena & Kanye both acted the fool this past weekend. Serena apologized. What did Kanye do, take a handful of aspirin for his headache?
I don't care if McEnroe did it before, it wasn't right then and I don't think what Serena did was right either.
mike
Several points here to make...
Serena was wronged by the judge and she overreacted. Alas, it cost her the game and fines. Serena should not have acted the way she did, but she's spoiled so what does one expect?
However, the judge should have thicker skin. If the judge can't handle anyone yelling or threatening them in the heat of an argument then perhaps they are in the wrong line of work.
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