There was nothing serene about Serena Williams at this year’s U.S. Open, with her on-court tantrum taking the spotlight away from the winner, Naomi Osaka. But the incident also should shine a spotlight on the wider problems it reflects — namely, political correctness and the growing contempt for rules.
For those unacquainted with the story, Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, violated the code of conduct by using hand signals to coach his player from the seating area during Saturday's women's final. Williams received only a warning for this — but she wouldn’t let it go. Becoming irrational, she demanded an apology from the chair umpire, Carlos Ramos. She continued in this vein and was consequently issued a point penalty for bad behavior, after which she called Ramos a “thief” (video below). Williams also broke her racquet during the incident, ultimately was penalized a game, and later was fined a total of $17,000 for her three code violations. She lost to Osaka 6-2, 6-4.
But most striking is the affair’s aftermath. The Women’s Tennis Association and U.S. Tennis Association both backed Williams, with the latter praising her post-match conduct. I’m a former tennis professional, mind you, and I’ve never before seen these organizations thus throw an umpire under the bus and, acting as if rules didn’t exist, side with a misbehaving player.
This incident took place on a tennis court in Flushing Meadows, NYC, yet it reflects a problem far bigger than sport. Just consider the demonization of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and the police in general, the latter occurring most noticeably during the Obama administration.
As with umpire Ramos, ICE agents merely do their jobs: enforcing rules/laws created by the powers that be. Despite this, they’ve been cast as villains (in their case for political gain) by people far more wealthy and powerful than they. New York Democrat gubernatorial hopeful Cynthia Nixon actually called ICE a “terrorist organization” while N.Y. Democrat attorney general contender Zephyr Teachout went even further, vowing to prosecute ICE agents.
Calling this troubling is an understatement. To say immigration laws should be changed is one thing. Saying the no-coaching rule at Grand Slam tennis tournaments should be rescinded, as ex-champion Billie Jean King suggested, could be discussed. But demonizing those placed in enforcement positions merely because they enforced the rules on the “wrong people”?
That’s what happens in a banana republic.
Slamming people for doing their jobs results in, well, people not doing their jobs. For instance, after years of impugning cops, unfairly calling them “racist,” and sometimes charging them unjustly and ruining their lives, we’re now seeing the phenomenon of “de-policing” — cops reducing their law-enforcement activities, especially in minority neighborhoods.
Similarly, tennis umpires are reportedly considering boycotting Williams’ matches. As CBS Sports tells us “‘The umpiring fraternity is thoroughly disturbed at being abandoned by the WTA,’ [retired umpire Richard] Ings said on Tuesday, via ESPN. ‘They are all fearful that they could be the next Ramos.’” Do you see where this contempt for standards is taking us?
As with ICE and the police (and most every issue today), Williams and her enablers are pulling the prejudice card. They assert that the male players are held to a lower standard. Yet while men do often get away with verbally abusing umpires, even the liberal Guardian admits, “So do some women.” Moreover, Williams “has history herself,” at the U.S. Open in 2009, for instance, the paper continues.
But does the blame lie with Ramos or the umpires not enforcing the rules? It’s a declining civilization that applauds goldbrickers while deriding the diligent.
But this isn’t the only thing people get backwards. There is prejudice here — but in favor of Williams. Do you think we’d even be talking about this now were she a white player, and especially a white man?
On a related note, Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper was accused of “racism” for criticizing Williams via a caricature, one said to reflect Jim Crow-era black images. But the nature of a caricature is that it exaggerates people’s features. Yet because of political correctness, this cartoonist’s artistic device is “virtually off-limits when it comes [to] African-Americans and other victim groups as designated by the Left,” notes American Thinker.
This is true and, among other things, represents the infantilization (again, for political gain) of black people. Do they need paternalistic leftists to insulate them from what to others is just normal life?
This is also destructive because it puts a barrier between the races. Consider: If you knew a person you couldn’t really be honest with and had to walk on eggs around, could you ever enjoy the closeness of true friendship? It’s ironic that leftists hate walls — except when they erect them among groups and create division.
Speaking of divisiveness, Ramos was accused of “sexism,” but it’s those leveling the charge thus guilty. Why? Because they wouldn’t be making the accusation were Ramos not a man.
This is generally the case. In the matter of ICE, the police, and President Trump, for instance, “racism” allegations wouldn’t be hurled were the accused not white.
This is the truth in our topsy-turvy world. Another even more tragic truth is that social pressure works wonders — even when it’s the wrong kind. A Mexican-descent friend once told me that being rich in Mexico was great because the laws generally wouldn’t be applied to you. If we keep pressuring people to not do their jobs and ignore the rules, that’s precisely how we’ll end up: being not a nation of laws but one of men and money.
#1: Justified To: Deckard (#0)
I'm not a big fan of Williams but she has proven herself as one the women's best players so she has my respect in that since.
I can't really get worked up about it. I dislike the race-baiting and women- baiting crap.
Justified posted on 2018-09-14 20:46:59 Reply Private Reply
#2: Pinguinite To: Deckard (#0)
I wonder how far into the match she was when this happened. I.e. how badly was she losing when things fell apart? If it really was an "upset" then she probably expected to win and started crying the blues as her opponent started to carry the day. Seems not unlikely that was the reason for the energy behind her remarks.
And in the news cast she says she's standing up for women's rights? When did she decide to start doing this? In the middle of a match she was losing?
I think I read that her coach admitted to giving hand signals or whatever, honestly pleading guilty to the charge. It does seem a strange rule though that the player could be penalized for something a coach does off court. Seems one player could have a friend give signals to her opponent in the hopes of getting the opponent penalized.
Pinguinite posted on 2018-09-14 23:19:34 Reply Private Reply
#3: Hondo68 To: Deckard (#0)
Politically corrected with Rupert Murdoch
Hondo68 posted on 2018-09-15 00:56:00 Reply Private Reply
#4: Justified To: hondo68 (#3)
Its funny she was playing another black girl. I think a nobody or new comer(Naomi Osaka).
Justified posted on 2018-09-15 08:36:18 Reply Private Reply
#5: GrandIsland To: Deckard (#0)
Guess what, potato. Actions have consequences and not everyone gets a trophy. So take your intolerant race/sex card, and GFY.
You wanna claim race and sexism... then I’ll show you both, you ignorant black man-like bitch. Let’s set the racial progress we’ve made up until 2008, BACK... since you filthy urban animals refuse to put the reverse racist football down, that was passed to you by O’bunghole.
GrandIsland posted on 2018-09-15 08:40:18 Reply Private Reply
#6: CZ82 To: Deckard (#0)
I wonder how long she will drag this silliness out before she finally gets the hint and retires??
CZ82 posted on 2018-09-15 08:59:56 Reply Private Reply
#7: misterwhite To: Pinguinite (#2)
The coach knows this better than anyone else yet did it anyways to his own player. She needs to take this issue up with him, not the umpire. Don't you think?
Yes it is a strange rule, but it's designed to prevent the player from claiming she never saw the signal. Which, naturally, was what Serena claimed.
What's strange is that her sister was sitting right next to the coach and (it's on video) saw him giving the signals. Never said nuthin'.
If tennis players don't like the rule they should push to change the rule.
misterwhite posted on 2018-09-15 09:40:04 Reply Private Reply
#8: misterwhite To: GrandIsland (#5)
I guess I have a different definition. In a racist and sexist society she wouldn't even be allowed to play, much less rack up a net worth of $180 million.
I say send the ungrateful bitch back to the Congo to run with her friends in the jungle.
misterwhite posted on 2018-09-15 10:02:54 Reply Private Reply
#9: Pinguinite To: misterwhite (#7)
What if, just before the match, she and her coach had an serious argument about... oh... Trump. So then while she's playing the coach, being totally pissed, decides to screw her over by doing some hand gymnastics.
Is it still her responsibility?
Pinguinite posted on 2018-09-15 16:32:22 Reply Private Reply
#10: BorisY To: Deckard (#0)
Will leave The hood - gheTTo behind
Develop a republican middle class someday
All This dnc crapperdickkk - nikkkie - sToolgie
Has goT To sTop
Love
boris
BorisY posted on 2018-09-15 16:59:58 Reply Private Reply
#11: Hondo68 To: BorisY, Ebony Jet (#10)
Donnell has always been a Soul Man.
Hondo68 posted on 2018-09-15 17:22:55 Reply Private Reply
#12: A K A Stone To: Pinguinite (#9)
A K A Stone posted on 2018-09-16 00:59:24 Reply Private Reply
#13: Pinguinite To: A K A Stone (#12)
The question is what they should be.
I know of no other sport where a non-participants actions outside of the playing area can cause a penalty for one of the participants.
Pinguinite posted on 2018-09-16 01:49:27 Reply Private Reply
#14: IbJensen To: Deckard (#0)
IbJensen posted on 2018-09-16 08:35:57 Reply Private Reply
#15: misterwhite To: Pinguinite (#9)
I don't know. Who started the argument?
If I'm the coach for a tennis star worth $180 million, I'm hardly likely to do anything to either piss her off or, worse, cost her a penalty.
Thinking "everyone does it" they both agreed to the sideline coaching. They got caught. They were issued a warning. That's it. Just a warning.
What cost her a point and later a game was her behavior afterwards. Being a bitch, she just couldn't let it go.
Tommy Sotomayor put out a great YouTube video on it.
misterwhite posted on 2018-09-16 09:46:31 Reply Private Reply
#16: misterwhite To: Pinguinite (#13)
Aside from deflating footballs.
misterwhite posted on 2018-09-16 09:51:55 Reply Private Reply
#17: misterwhite To: Pinguinite (#13)
That's never the question after the fact.
Before you violate the rules every other player is expected to follow, you're free to question the rules and even advocate for change. You're even free to refuse to play under those rules.
But once the game begins ... well ... you're stuck. Complaining afterwards make you look like a sore loser and diminishes the victory of your opponent.
Maybe that was Serena's intent. 'If I can't win I'll make your victory look hollow'. Like they're doing with Trump.
misterwhite posted on 2018-09-16 10:00:00 Reply Private Reply
#18: Pinguinite To: misterwhite (#17)
In soccer, if you tackle a player with the ball, the game is stopped and the offended team gets possession at the point of the offense. If it happens very close to the goal. The offended team gets a free kick with only the goalie standing in the way.
So during the heat of play, when a player with possession of the ball gets a clear, easy score opportunity with the goalie momentarily out of position, a defending player will often purposely do a tackle if the chances of a score are higher than with the penalty kick after the tackle. So often, such players are rewarded for committing a tackle penalty. It's a inherent defect in the game that football doesn't suffer from, as defensive pass interference in the end zone is often (I believe) scored as a touchdown.
I saw a similar issue in the news over a rugby incident. Sometimes rules are not good rules.
Pinguinite posted on 2018-09-16 13:32:52 Reply Private Reply
#19: Pinguinite To: misterwhite (#17)
This could easily be a case of sore-loserism and I'd be willing to bet money it was. I'm curious to know what the score was at the point when she exploded. And that's keeping in mind that her loss was considered an upset, so she may have been expecting a relatively easy win.
Pinguinite posted on 2018-09-16 13:35:03 Reply Private Reply
#20: Pinguinite To: Deckard (#0)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2018/09/08/serena-williams-vs-naomi-osaka-us-open-2018-final-live-score/
... which seems to be a balanced report on the incident. It seems everything happened after she lost the first set 6-2.
Williams’ meltdown | How the drama unfolded
Serena Williams is given a code violation warning for coaching with the score at 2-6, 1-0, which she fiercely disputes. “I don’t cheat to win, I’d rather lose,” she tells umpire Carlos Ramos.
After being broken by her opponent Naomi Osaka to make the score 2-6, 3-2, Williams is given a code violation for smashing her racket in frustration. Coupled with the earlier warning, this brings about a point penalty.
In response Williams says: “Every time I play here, I have problems. I did not have coaching, I don’t cheat. You need to make an announcement. I have a daughter and I stand for what’s right. You owe me an apology.”
At the next change of ends at 2-6, 3-4 Williams unleashes a volley of abuse, saying: “For you to attack my character is wrong. You owe me an apology. You will never be on a court with me as long as you live. You are the liar. You owe me an apology. Say it. Say you’re sorry. How dare you insinuate that I was cheating? You stole a point from me. You’re a thief too.”
Williams is given a game penalty for verbal abuse, making the score 2-6, 3-5. She demands referee Brian Earley come on to the court.
She says to Earley: “You know my character. This is not right. To lose a game for saying that, it’s not fair. How many other men do things? There’s a lot of men out here who have said a lot of things. It’s because I am a woman, and that’s not right.”
Osaka holds her nerve to win 6-2, 6-4 for her first major title.
Williams refuses to shake Ramos’ hand and demands an apology.
Pinguinite posted on 2018-09-16 13:55:26 Reply Private Reply
#21: misterwhite To: Pinguinite (#18)
Done in basketball all the time towards the end of a close game. Intentionally foul, player gets two shots, maybe misses one or both, you get the ball and try for a three-pointer.
"as defensive pass interference in the end zone is often (I believe) scored as a touchdown."
I believe the ball is placed on the one yard line and called first and goal.
misterwhite posted on 2018-09-16 16:43:31 Reply Private Reply
#22: A K A Stone To: Pinguinite (#13)
A K A Stone posted on 2018-09-16 17:40:32 Reply Private Reply
#23: GrandIsland To: Pinguinite (#13)
That’s the same retard argument, snowflakes use regarding illegal aliens.
It’s fucking illegal when they enter... thus they’re fucking criminals when they enter.
The potato tennis player VIOLATED the rules of coaching from the sidelines... thus the cheating cunt deserves the penalty she got.
Nobody gives a shit if you feel the rules are just.
GrandIsland posted on 2018-09-16 21:36:53 Reply Private Reply