Framing his argument as the tale of a fan who simply wants to see women's tennis succeed, FOX Sports columnist Jason Whitlock instead uses tennis champion Serena Williams latest win to blast her for her looks, weight and being an "underachiever," despite her 11 grand slam wins.
From FOX Sports:
Serena Williams has all the ingredients to be Michael Jordan, Jim Brown and Muhammad Ali rolled into one made-for-TV package. She is quite possibly the most gifted female athlete in our lifetime.
Unfortunately for us, she lacks the courage to fulfill her destiny.
She'd rather eat, half-ass her way through non-major tournaments and complain she's not getting the respect her 11-major-championships résumé demands.
She complains about being ranked No. 2 in the world when she's not bitching on Twitter or her blog about new rules that forbid Wimbledon players from eating in the locker room.
Seriously, how else can Serena fill out her size 16 shorts without grazing at her stall between matches?
Whitlock ends his tirade comparing Williams to socialite Paris Hilton.
She could break the glass ceiling for female athletes and become the transcendent superstar who connects globally. She could join Oprah and Madonna. Serena could be an impossible-to-ignore advocate for any position she supported.
Right now I'd put on Serena on par with Paris Hilton. I know that's harsh. Serena's accomplishments are far more substantive than Hilton's. But Paris Hilton doesn't have one discernible skill (that I can publish in this column without earning it an R rating). Hilton's monumental overachievement is her accomplishment of becoming a celebrity.
By comparing Williams to a woman best known for a sex tape and orgasmically eating hamburgers ruined any semblance of a real argument in Whitlock's screed. What could have been a piece about Williams' limitless potential ended up being a sexist attack on the body of a black female who has the audacity to dominate a sport while not fitting Whitlock's beauty ideal. This whole debacle is ignorance squared as yet again black women are asked to fulfill some imaginary standard of beauty based on unachievable ideals. What's doubly sad is that Serena Williams is already seen as attractive by many regardless of what Whitlock thinks, yet none of this should matter in the relam of sports as Williams' worth should be argued by her wins, not the superficial.
4 comments:
Jason is a provocateur. That's his schtick. Everyone has one. But let's break it down.
His thesis is sound. Sorry but that sentence or two is no screed or backassed attack. Do I agree with it? No. But it's sound. The problem is he doesnt support it with logic, with evidence--examples, anecdotes, figures/stats. Anything. YThat's where he gets whacky. Paris Hilton comparison/analogy? Come on, Portly Man--you can do better than that mess!
Okay, well, maybe Serena MIGHT be too distracted, wobbly on discipline or self-indulgent at times. Maybe she COULD be an engine of change. The kind Jim Brown and Bill Russell will respect (you catch their "critique" of Tiger Woods? We didn't attack them for that). Fine. But make that the central premise, Jason. Not what you have listed here degenerates into bull. But that's what the editors and producers want. That generates the clicks and visits. Supporting your lede/main idea, aw shit--that's for nerds.
So Jason you get an F in delivering the real story. You get an A in meeting your purpose. LOL And we get snookered again into commenting on your ass, while you comment on Serena's...
You are so right, Chris. What ruined the article for me was the fact that Whitlock wandered into Serena's ass and could not/would not come out. Instead of focusing on her career and her efforts as an athlete he just bemoaned the booty for paragraph after paragraph ruining any semblance of a meaningful argument. Ridiculous
Over on the Edge of Sports, Zirin basically posted a 180 in regards to Whitlock's take , though it was about tennis in general. In his article, it was about how tennis takes it upon themselves to place the "standard" of beauty on center court while placing the rest, including the Williams sisters elsewhere to get that male demographic that can't bare to stomach WNBAers who could knock some heads over to the faux-innocent looking tweener (who get smacked around by the Williams!). To me, it just shows insecurity some men have in regards to females with brawn, muscle, and athletic ability. When watching female sporting events (and in general life), I'd prefer the athlete doing the duties instead of a model skipping around the court with caked-up cosmetics. SMH!!!
I think both SportsOnMyMind and TheStartingFive have Shitlock's number on this. Whitlock is nothing but a whore, its that simple. He bashes black athletes/coaches for cash. He's on his knees more than Supahead, do NOT get it twisted.
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