In defense of Serena.

There is a point on the scale where the transgression-recording meter begins the 'cleansing' process sometimes not stopping until 'infringements' are so overwhelmingly enveloped that the subject emerges with close to 'angel-like' glow. Heard of Ali. He refused to serve his country, married and screwed a thousand women - a day, abused his opponent verbally and sometimes needlessly, tortured his opponents in the ring............

Granted Serena may not be close to the 'final' product but there are 'interventions' to the transgression meter that are too blatant to ignore suggesting - in the very least - that the 'cleaning' process may have started, if not nearing 'enveloping' stage.

It's not easy to be black and do ANYTHING. Heck, these days it's not even easy to survive @ NBA given the influx of 'foreigners'.

Try that notion @ tennis - the whitest sport. Heck, Djokovic and Nadal are struggling.

She has faced the 'music' ever since she picked up the tennis racket just like Tiger Woods did.

Heard of the Indian Wells incident where she faced racist and other derogatory remarks from the fans.

Heck, Sharapova 'deliberately' hit her with the ball.

Hinges tried her luck at berating Serena multiple times.

That Russian coach called them the 'Williams brothers'.

And she came from a place called Compton. For rock people, that's the ghetto of ghettos of Los Angeles.

So not only are you massively compromised from within (black, Compton, white sport, money.....), you are also being rudely and bluntly reminded of it regularly by fans, fellow players and the media to make sure you stay 'afflicted' forever.

To add fuel to the fire, you start beating up on EVERYONE thereby evoking even more vitriol, jealousy and outright hatred.

To barely function within that toxic setting should be considered a feat in itself but to excel to the degree where you are considered by many to be the greatest female tennis player of all time 'triggers' the 'cleaning' process - lavishly. Is it enough to overwhelm the 'transgression' meter yet?

It may be close, if not already there.

Major part of the 'transgressions' movement is the PED accusation given her body transformation through the years.

Now that she is at the end (near-end?) of her career, when you factor in everything that churned her career - good and bad - it's impossible to not allow the 'cleansing' process to slide VERY close, if not past, the 'transgression' meter.

You try operating under similar conditions. Heck, it may be close to excelling in a sport with your life on the line like boxing, NFL, cricket? etc. Too much? Had to - because nobody believes me until I push it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Add to all that her flourishing clothing business, motherhood etc. and the scale could be tipping any moment now?

Comments

[Gary Lee Moser]

"the scale could be tipping any moment now"
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What form would that take, exactly?

The "transgressions" will never be FORGOTTEN --- witness you recycling Ali's at this late date in making your case for TWS.

And outsized-success, even if it is totally deserved/earned, usually causes the major detractors to just double-down...

[Bettyjane]

It must be a slow sports newsday when we start defending Serena's transgressions. Her ramming of a tennis ball down a diminutive lineswoman's throat comes immediately to mind, to say nothing of her tactics at the U.S. Open final that had social justice warriors, and/or scared liberals applauding motherhood and apple pie and the rest of us dismayed. This should NOT erase the painful racism she's endured, but even folks who put up with despicable hidden and overt forms of racisim/discrimination are also wrong. I put myself in the left of center category for sure, but I don't believe in knee-jerk defense of bad behavior to prove this.

[Gary Lee Moser]

"This should NOT erase the painful racism she's endured, but even folks who put up
with despicable hidden and overt forms of racisim/discrimination are also wrong."
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To underscore your point, Bettyjane, there are a BUNCH of African-American athletes who preceded Serena that arguably ---
and I'll argue REAL HARD on this, with whoever might want to go down that path with me ---
had WAY LESS support than Serena has had and, somehow, came out the on other end WAY MORE GRACIOUS!

Jack Johnson? Jackie Robinson? Joe Louis? Muhammad Ali? [ None of whom, AFAIK, had a big NIKE contract at age 22... ]

[stella]

going back to what you seem to think is the beginning -- the IW incident. I saw it. The sisters were due to play in a semi. It had been much hyped, tickets were sold, TV ratings would have been high, ad rates would have been high. At the last minute a lame excuse was given for pulling out and match abandoned. Much was said about match fixing -- Dad Williams deciding in advance which sister would win . This theory was repeated again when in USO matches play and results just didn't feel right. IMO they went for the racial excuse when it was actually worse --match fixing . Given the circumstances and the hype white players who acted like that would have been criticised too

[Gary Lee Moser]

In Venus's previous match --- presumably the day before --- she waxed Elena Dementiava 6-0, 6-3.

But 24 hours or so later, her "tendinitis" is so bad that she can't even TRY to compete.
[ And she chooses to wait until FOUR MINUTES before the scheduled start of the match to drop this bombshell!?!? ]

Then, a week later, she begins the Miami tournament...and wins 6 straight matches to take the title.

I'm not flat-out calling bullshit here. But is anybody going to insist that this doesn't look HIGHLY SUSPECT?

https://www.essentiallysports.com/tennis-news-wta-why-did-serena-williams-and-venus-williams-boycott-indian-wells-tournament-in-2001/