To not appreciate Serena using sexism in her arguments against umpire

[user1471517900]

Sorry if there is a thread, I did scan four pages to check.

Serena gets coached (which her coach admits) but claims she didn't see it. Then smashes a racquet in separate fit of temper. Then tells the umpire she can't be a cheat because she's a mother(!), he will never referee a match again with her, and he's a thief.

The punishments all seem fine to me and I really felt for Osaka having to apologise in her winners speech. Serena should be saying sorry today IMO.

There may well be sexism in Tennis and other sports - but that isn't what happened here.

I'm a bit bemused by some commentators in the media saying they've never seen a male player receive a game penalty for verbal abuse. Serena didn't get a game penalty for verbal abuse - she got a game penalty for 3 code violations. The code violation she got for verbal abuse wasn't just because she called the umpire a thief or a liar - she went back to attacking him several times over several games.

Ultimately, the really frustrating thing with all of this it didn't matter in the slightest. The game she was penalised was Osaka's service game and the way they both were playing she would've won it anyway.

"Have a look at the twitter link I posted earlier."

The one that gives lads of examples of men being treated exactly the same and being given violations but because it wasn't their third violation that match the fact that they weren't given a game penalty is being held up as evidence of different treatment?

she went back to attacking him several times over several games

This is a valid point that the Twitter thread failed to address.

Yet when male players lose their temper they don't have their every word dissected nor are they criticised in the way Serena has been. & that's without experiencing the racist and prejudiced commentary

Do you watch much tennis?

And Adams and the statement from Steve Simon are being - rightly - derided by the majority. Players, commentators and fans alike.

First part was meant to be a quote

MistressDeeCee
You don't think you're a racist for assuming any criticism of her, no matter how fair and just is automatically 'racism'? So it seems that people who are not white must not receive any fair or just criticism because it will seem like it is racist. Hence her being teflon which proves my point. If you criticise her bad behaviour, you're automatically a racist sexist, despite most people who deliver the same criticism of a white woman, and a man, and even a white man. It is culture productive to shout down valid criticism by ass'uming it is automatically about racism.

she's never coped with losing as gracefully as, say, Roger Federer has.

I'm a massive RF fan, but he's frequently a bit on the surly side when he loses, as indeed are all competitive athletes. I have often seen Serena be very gracious in defeat, but I think she tends to be a bit less so when she gets knocked out in the earlier stages. I think - I really don't want to bother checking online footage to check this - but I think the 2016 Australian Open final against Angelique Kerber was a good example of her capacity to congratulate the loser.

Roussette Sorry but I don't think I would take the point of a US tennis heirachy defending a US tennis player - one of their own, seriously. Hardly unbiased. Lol. Of course they will say that. It is simply confirmation bias. But outside of America she is being condemned for her bullying behaviour and the fact she gets away with her behaviour when no one else would. Finally the Telfon Tennis player is being called out.

Ugh, I meant counter productive, not culture productive. Sorry.

It’s a classic example of escalation. If she didn’t see the coaching, then she would have felt extremely wronged and that the umpire was penalising her unfairly and the situation just escalated. I can see why she reacted like that.

She is routinely castigated in the media for behaving with ’un-feminine’ traits, she’s faced huge sexism and racism over her career.

FWIW I believe there should be some sort of ‘protected seedings’ for women taking ML. We don’t believe it’s right to say to women in other careers (or to men in any career) that you have to choose between having a baby or holding your position. This is something that needs to change and I’m glad there is discussion and more awareness.

RF may get surly but I’ve never seen him destroy a racquet, abuse an umpire, play a game, come back and abuse the same umpire, play another game, lose the point and then shout at the umpire again. He’s never deprived the winner of the match of their winning moment.

The original infringement was Serena being admonished for being coached (which she was) for an umpire who is known to be pendantic. How is that sexist?

I just feel sorry for her opponent a young woman who has also faced racism and sexism who felt she had to apologise to a women 16 years her senior for playing the game better than her. She would have won regardless of this whole situation and all this has done is taken the spotlight away from her when she has worked so hard to get there.
There is sexism within tennis that is true but I am not sure this is one of those times. It's not a great example to set to aspiring tennis players is it? I hate aggression towards refs/umpires in any sport tbh. It doesn't show good sportsmanship and should be seen as wrong regardless of sex.

She was losing and knew it so probably hoped that by creating this nasty racket she would put her opponent off. Loser - in every sense of the word.

Loser - in every sense of the word.

Oh yes, 23 slams, numerous Olympic gold medals. Definitely a loser 🙄

Federer is not a poor loser. What a stupid thing to say. There is no defence at all for Williams who was caught in the spotlight and found sorely lacking.

Loser - this match.

Obviously.

They do have fines for racquet violations and Mc enroe was always getting fines for swearing and smashing up his equipment in the 80s! I am sure others have too.

It did look as if the coach was trying to send her signals to her from the stands though, but only from the one second I saw of it on the news and that could have been manipulated to look as if he was to be fair.
Its true that if a woman has a go or loses her temper the wording for the incident is so different - she's a nag, lost the plot, etc etc. For men to do it its seen as a bit more justified somehow.
I think she is struggling a lot since having her little girl - which is understandable - maybe she just needs more of a break from the sport?

It’s a classic example of escalation. If she didn’t see the coaching, then she would have felt extremely wronged and that the umpire was penalising her unfairly and the situation just escalated. I can see why she reacted like that.

I think that's a pretty fair summation. She thought he was accusing her of cheating and it escalated from there.

Both the Williams sisters are appalling characters

WTF? Serena may have had her moments over the years but what has Venus done?

Ramos had shit to say about Venus in the past too, didn't he?

Serena's coach was making hand gestures that she maybe didn't even see. & it's not that she isn't a great player anyway. But Ramos was quick to label her a cheat, just as he did to Venus

Serena has been drug tested more than any other player, yet has never tested positive.

She's had another player dress up as a parody of her, to incite ridicule.

Nastase - who often had a lot to say and challenged umpires - said about Serena's baby 'lets see what colour it will be - chocolate and milk...?

Men are lionised and hailed as 'bad boys' of tennis, whilst Serena deserves to be fined and benched. Passive about all the discrimination and stereotyping against her that's been going on for years

The language and descriptive terms used about her on social media is nasty.

All this kind of thing is ignored, but the minute she sticks up for herself, it's an issue.

Maleathletes have said far worse than she has, but she made the error of bruising Ramis' ego. He couldn't even give her the benefit of the doubt in a heated moment, he wanted the world to hear him call her a cheat, to discredit her career.

He isn't coming out of this looking good either

She'll.continue to be great no matter what. Her achievements speak for themself, despite that sticking in the craw if those who just can't stand it

I've just seen a comment where someone was comparing her "attitude problem" to the "grace and humility if Muhammed Ali". This is how dumb some people are - as if Ali was ever passive in the face of discrimination. He made sure you knew what was what.

She is routinely castigated in the media for behaving with ’un-feminine’ traits,

Yes, it's terrible, being a black woman means she should be able to threaten (female) line judges with impunity.

I see the moronic apologists are out in force today.

mistress Ramos wasn’t “quick to label her a cheat”. Serena’s coach admitted to the violation, he was cheating. He does seem to be pedantic, he is the one of few who calls Nadal out for his time-violations between points.

Serena was being coached, Ramos said stop the coaching. Where’s the sexism?

I see the WTA have now backed up
Serenas sexism claims

I am appalled by the abuse that match officials have to take in many sports and I hate that this has become a discussion of double standards rather than condemning bad manners by players, regardless of sex. This is why volunteers at amateur level sports get abused too - the "professionals" are normalising this behaviour. Sorry Serena - you need to apologise for this language and behaviour and admit that it was your coach that was to blame.

Serena Williams has form for this, though, please don't forget. And at female line judges and umpires.... and at the US Open Final....

The fracas between Williams and umpire Eva Asderaki began early in the second set when the American, attempting to fight back, smacked a forehand across the net. Williams yelled "Come on!" just as Stosur reached the fizzing ball with her outstretched racket. It was a clear winner but, crucially, Williams's war-cry came before the point ended. Asderaki ruled correctly that it should be awarded to Stosur.

"I'm not giving her the game," Williams snarled. "You're nobody. You're ugly on the inside."

The abuse darkened during the change-over. Having lost the game through her ill-discipline, Williams let rip at Asderaki. "You're totally out of control. You're a hater and unattractive inside. What a loser."