I am not certain that racism was the only motivator at Indian Wells, nor gender bias. I do not think that Dr. Spencer believes this either; I think that she was extrapolating information about racism through this incident in order to shed light on an undercurrent of racism that still exists in the tennis world. I believe the same thing; this incident does shed light on the underbelly of the human persona. However, if I was at Indian Wells, I would have been booing right along with the rest of the crowd. I would have been upset that I had paid to watch the second to best match of the tournament and then been denied that opportunity. An injury default? Sure, that is part of the game. Defaulting because you are related? Not so much. I would have booed regardless of the player's race, gender, age, religion, or even hair color. It is just anti-competitive and reeks of an ulterior motive on the Williams' part. I realize that it might appear that I am taking part in the "sincere fictions" that Dr. Spencer wrote of (Spencer, 2004), but I actually been in this situation before.
I have been at wrestling tournaments where two teammates have declined to wrestle in order to advance one athlete. At those moments, I have booed along with everybody else. The one athlete advances without tiring themselves out, creating an almost unfair advantage, especially in a grueling tournament.
That does not, in the slightest, condone the racial slurs or threats against the family. I do not believe that it even condones booing the entrance of the Venus and her father to watch the finals match. My booing would have stopped after the announcement of the default and I would have moved on from there. To continue with it would not have been classy.
To borrow a line from Ron Burgundy, "Stay classy, Indian Wells."
Matt,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100%. If I had bought a ticket to watch the semi-finals and one player defaulted without injury, I would have been very upset. I would have booed and hollered just like everyone else. So to say that Venus was booed because she was black doesn’t make sense. I feel bad that racist slurs were used because racist slurs should never be used! But had it been an athlete of any minority, I think cruel comments would have been made. But in the article, it makes note a few times about how people thought Richard Williams plotted the matches. People probably felt that they were short changed. I also think that this is the only incident where fans were said to be “racist”. Also, if the only media attention the girls received was because of their race, then it can’t all be bad. After all, the sisters are now millionaires a few times over because of endorsement deals.
Just as Meagan said, I agree with your analysis of the Williams' Sisters incident at Indian Well. The fans at Indian Wells definitely crossed the line when there comments became racially motivated. Specific comments directed toward Mr. Williams such as skinning him alive were not necessary and qualified as harassment regardless of race. I have never been to a tennis match in the United States, but hopefully this was more an isolated incident because that was conduct unbecoming of a proper American.
ReplyDeleteThe same thing has happened in front of my own eyes, Matt. At the District Tennis Tournament in 2004, a singles player who had made it to the finals, had qualified for the next round, and was playing his teammate for the #1 seed found out that his grandmother was sick. His opponent/friend begged the tournament director to let him default the match to his friend, while the player who had to leave pleaded to default the match any way possible. In the end, they was forced to play the match by the tournament director, and in protest, hit every serve into the backstop, and every groudstroke practically over the fence, glaring at the director the entire time. Granted, Venus may not have been injured, but certain circumstances should warrant general understanding by all those involved.
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe that I would actually agree with Ron Burgundy, but in this case, I believe it is an appropriate line:-) I want to say two things that relate to the perceptions about the Williams sisters. First, it has never been proven that their father ever remotely fixed their matches. He has said some outrageous things but from my observations of Venus and Serena, I would not question their integrity. The other thing that really bothered me when Serena's memoir came out was the revelation that she had told the trainer that morning that she was injured and would likely not be able to play. The trainer was supposed to notify the tournament director. If that had been done, there is no way an announcement would have been made just moments before the match was to air live. So I believe the tournament director was culpable as well and people need to know that!
ReplyDeleteMatt-
ReplyDeleteI agree completely. Tickets to tennis matches are not inexpensive. Relative to other big name sports, maybe moreso. But still, money is money. Had I been at that match, I would have been booing too.
Booing being the most important word
Racist epithets and taunts don't belong in any sport...not even if it regards Richard Williams and some of his underhandedness over the years. Nevertheless, that stuff does not belong. So yes, the booing is acceptable because booing is a natural fan reaction in all sports...but the racist aspect of that story is what I think Dr. Spencer was highlighting more than the general unrest. You and I are on the same page my man.