'Marred By A Man's Choice. Every Day In America.' Zerlina Maxwell On Serena Williams' US Open Finals
So, I'm not sure if you've heard, but Serena Williams played a tennis match this weekend. Since it was a day in America, sexism and racism ruined it for absolutely everyone involved.
Chair ump Carlos Ramos called coaching violation on Williams (which implied she was cheating) that umps virtually never call on players. Worse, it seems he did not make it clear it was an official penalty. She'd objected, and they'd conversed, and she thought everything was fine. Next, he penalized her a point when she broke her racket, which white men do it all the time without penalty, and which then made it VERY clear he had indeed penalized her for cheating via the coaching violation. Finally, he penalized her a game when she said he stole a point from her and he was a thief.
Let me be clear. No one is saying these things definitively cost Serena Williams the match. NO ONE. Everyone understands she was up to that point being outplayed by Osaka. EVERYONE. Including Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka. That is what is wrong with humanity, frankly, is that so many don't understand the profound unfairness, the deep injustice, the gut-wrenching pain, and the soul-crushing symbolism of what happened on that court, before and after it.
Thankfully, some get it. Like Rebecca Traister: