My 11-year-old son had an interesting question when we were watching the US Open on television last week. He wanted to know why fans dressed up, which he also noted for golf as well. That’s in stark contrast to pretty much every other sporting event we watch, and certainly any we’ve gone to in person, where un unstained t-shirt might be an upgrade. I said something about a certain code of decorum in tennis, rules of the game and unwritten standards of behavior. Which is why some fans still dress for a day at the Open, or Wimbledon, kind of like they used to for a Broadway show or an airline flight. Tennis, and I suppose golf, are different than most other sports, where fans are largely encouraged to verbally assault opposing athletes with the aid of $10 jumbo beers.
Which is perhaps the backdrop for last Saturday’s women’s final, where all-time greatest Serena Williams lost to 20-year-old Naomi Osaka, who grew up staring at Serena posters on her wall. More shocking than the upset, which should be viewed in the context of Serena’s continuing return from a long break after childbirth and injury, was the interaction between Serena and chair umpire Carlos Ramos, and Serena’s subsequent comments after the match. I’m guessing most of you have seen or heard of the affair, but in short, Serena was penalized a point first for allegedly being coached during the match, which did happen, then subsequently for smashing her racket, then in one of the more dramatic athlete/referee exchanges that didn’t involve either John McEnroe or Jimmy Connors, Serena was docked a full game after calling Ramos a thief and demanding an apology before letting him know he’d never call one of her matches again. Then, in the post-match press conference, Serena made pointed remarks that this was a clear case of sexism, and that a male tennis player would never be penalized for, as she put it, showing emotion. That, in a nutshell, was the story of the women’s US Open Final.
There has been considerable public support for Serena, including several high-profile athletes and celebrities – mainly on twitter, of course. Leading the way tennis royalty Billy Jean King, who obviously has the floor when it comes to the fight for gender equity in sport. I’d say there’s less public support for Ramos, although there’s certainly a steady undercurrent in online message boards, much of which skirts line of thinly veiled racism. And let’s be completely clear here. This discussion cannot happen without considering the subtext of race, even if it didn’t weight at all in the actions of Ramos, Serena, or any other administrative body at the US Open. When people individually and collectively decide whether Serena Williams was treated differently than a man may have, we have to also consider how our reactions and Serena’s struggles are impacted by the sport’s history and constitution.
That said, while last Saturday didn’t happen in a vacuum, it did happen. This was not some case of a rogue referee on some power trip. Serena Williams did cross an unfortunate line, embarrassing a referee and reminding him of her power to effectively get him fired. And let’s be fair, she was getting coached from the stands, which she vehemently denied at the time and called the ref a liar until her coach admitted it was true days later. To excuse that in the name of gender equity would be both wrong and shortsighted. So we should accept that narrative as part of this larger story.
But, was Serena treated differently than, say, Novak Djokovic would have been? That is the million-dollar question, which Serena addressed years ago when fighting for equal pay for women in the sport’s major championships. It’s the same question that arose when Alize Cornet was penalized for changing her shirt earlier in the Open, and the same question when Serena was told she couldn’t wear a certain cat suit outfit. Each of these moments point to a larger narrative where women are held to a different standard on the court, even in one of the few sporting venues where pay and fandom are the same.
So was Serena right when she said that women are treated differently than men? Absolutely. But was her behavior an exemplar to advance that cause. I don’t think so. In the end, Roger Federer would have been penalized for that kind of behavior as well – or at least he should. So let’s not pretend Serena’s outburst was much more than that -- even if the ref could have handled it better.
Of course, perhaps the larger question is why is tennis like this in the first place? Why can’t coaches coach from the stands, like in other sports. And why can’t Serena wear a cool cat suit. And why do fans have to dress up and act proper. That’s something my 11-year-old really wants to know.
Keith Strudler is the director of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. You can follow him on twitter at @KeithStrudler
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