The Serena Williams controversy rages on…
ICYMI yesterday, Serena was playing in the U.S. Open Championship against Naomi Osaka when an official’s call set Serena off on a long tirade against the referees there at the match.
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The video of the incident — with audio capturing virtually every word she said throughout the ordeal — immediately went viral online, as you can see (below):
"You owe me an apology!"
Serena was fired up with the official in the final set of the US Open final. pic.twitter.com/r6RSbrirnV
— ESPN (@espn) September 8, 2018
Well, now we know what type of punishment Serena is facing: some very, very hefty fines. According to reports, Serena will have to pay down the following fines because of her behavior on the court (below):
–$4,000 for a ‘coaching violation’
–$3,000 for smashing her tennis racket
–$10,000 for verbal abuse towards the official
Wow! $17,000 in fines is a lot — granted, Serena makes a ton of money, but she got hit with a pretty hard penalty over the incident!!
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Interestingly, it’s completely divided fans — mostly along gender lines — when it comes to analyzing Serena’s behavior and whether, as she says, she was the victim of a double-standard and a male tennis player wouldn’t have been penalized the same way as she has been.
The social media debate has raged non-stop for nearly 24 hours now, as you can see (below):
.@serenawilliams You are THE epitome of grace and prowess!!! You are an inspiration to all of us. Your purpose to be a leader and a light is a gift to the world!! We love you and thank you for sharing your greatness and spirit ! Congratulations Queen!!! ????????????????????????????????????????✨✨ pic.twitter.com/2DclKRe2Xr
— Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) September 9, 2018
Great to see the rules upheld on Serena Williams. The greats often use their personality to get away stuff. The umpire held his ground. Congrats to Osaka.
— Ped (@pedritoflacito) September 9, 2018
Are they really fining Serena Williams $17,000 ? Soooo #unfair
— Goretti Rivera (@getreadygoready) September 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/ProudResister/status/1038843657443397632
https://twitter.com/lukewaltham/status/1038831712539758592
Serena's possibly the greatest tennis player of all time, and has generally been spot on in her pursuit of equality for women throughout her career.
But well done for pissing all that down the drain and ruining Osaka's big moment because you got caught cheating. pic.twitter.com/lWR7ekbsB9
— Craig #Ecosia (@craiging619) September 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/curlydaeee/status/1038834834913685504
People who look like this are sitting behind a keyboard right now writing think pieces on how Serena Williams’ bad experiences in Tennis have nothing to do with gender or race. pic.twitter.com/seuMcjTFl7
— Iet’s kiII the biIIi0naires! (@radicalpisces) September 9, 2018
People scrambling to frame the on- and off-court policing of Serena Williams as an issue for "women" or "women of color" in sports do a disservice to the specificity of misogynoir.
— MTP (@tsengputterman) September 9, 2018
My thoughts on the Serena thing?
When Dylan Hartley called an official a “fucking cheat” he got banned and missed a Lions tour and I agreed he should. It’s a standard I think all sports could benefit from.
Calling an official a “liar” or a “thief” should be treated the same way
— Ruck 'n' Roll (@RnRRugby) September 9, 2018
And every white woman who viscerally feels what happened to Serena must know that it happens much more frequently to Black women because of the intersection of racism and misogyny. #Patriarchy
— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) September 9, 2018
Controversial!!!
What do U think, Perezcious readers?? Weigh in on Serena’s controversy in the comments (below)…
[Image via WENN.]
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