Serena to play Indian Wells again

Fiero425

The GOAT
Joined
Jul 23, 2013
Messages
11,513
Reactions
2,576
Points
113
Location
Chicago, IL
Website
fiero4251.blogspot.com
Si Si Simona said:
If Serena plays Indian Wells she will show that the racists haven't beaten her and she came on top. This may be another way of looking at it and may be the real reason for her to play.

I'm sorry, but a woman of her status has to be a little "touched in the head" to let a few knuckleheads run her off for 10 years at a major event like that! It made no sense then and it makes even less sense now! :nono If she's so easily shaken, she should move abroad because every state in this country has people like that; sorry! :nono :huh: :s :cry
 

Si Si Simona

Major Winner
Joined
Nov 5, 2013
Messages
1,733
Reactions
0
Points
0
Location
Where Simona plays
Fiero425 said:
I'm sorry, but a woman of her status has to be a little "touched in the head" to let a few knuckleheads run her off for 10 years at a major event like that! It made no sense then and it makes even less sense now! :nono If she's so easily shaken, she should move abroad because every state in this country has people like that; sorry! :nono :huh: :s :cry

I cant agree with you on this. Why should she play in a racist environment? Its not happening anywhere else around the world. She even played in Sweden in a small event just for fun.
 

tented

Administrator
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
21,703
Reactions
10,579
Points
113
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Si Si Simona said:
Fiero425 said:
I'm sorry, but a woman of her status has to be a little "touched in the head" to let a few knuckleheads run her off for 10 years at a major event like that! It made no sense then and it makes even less sense now! :nono If she's so easily shaken, she should move abroad because every state in this country has people like that; sorry! :nono :huh: :s :cry

I cant agree with you on this. Why should she play in a racist environment? Its not happening anywhere else around the world. She even played in Sweden in a small event just for fun.

Indian Wells is not a racist environment. There was one incident, over a decade ago, involving some nasty fans. If it were a racist environment, then why would James Blake, Donald Young, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Taylor Townsend, etc. have played there since then?
 

Si Si Simona

Major Winner
Joined
Nov 5, 2013
Messages
1,733
Reactions
0
Points
0
Location
Where Simona plays
tented said:
If it were a racist environment, then why James Blake, Donald Young, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Taylor Townsend, etc. have played there since then?

1) They probably had a thicker skin or just wanted to show that they don't back away.

2) I believe 'golds girl' here:
golds girl said:
Now, turning back to the actual tournament, I've been to quite a few U.S. Based tourneys and this is the, uh, least diverse of all of them. I was at Indian Wells a couple years ago and was pleased to see a little more diversity, but in comparison to a Miami or a Stanford, pretty much night and day.

The Williams haven't acted like that for no reason. There was a reason.
But I may be wrong and I was not there to witness it.
 

Fiero425

The GOAT
Joined
Jul 23, 2013
Messages
11,513
Reactions
2,576
Points
113
Location
Chicago, IL
Website
fiero4251.blogspot.com
Si Si Simona said:
tented said:
If it were a racist environment, then why James Blake, Donald Young, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Taylor Townsend, etc. have played there since then?

1) They probably had a thicker skin or just wanted to show that they don't back away.

2) I believe 'golds girl' here:
golds girl said:
Now, turning back to the actual tournament, I've been to quite a few U.S. Based tourneys and this is the, uh, least diverse of all of them. I was at Indian Wells a couple years ago and was pleased to see a little more diversity, but in comparison to a Miami or a Stanford, pretty much night and day.

But I may be wrong and I was not there to witness it.

Exaggerated and totally overblown! I saw it as just a "cop out" to give them reason not to show up! I'm a lot older, lived in California for over 10 years and I never felt threatened in the least!
 

Si Si Simona

Major Winner
Joined
Nov 5, 2013
Messages
1,733
Reactions
0
Points
0
Location
Where Simona plays
Fiero425 said:
Exaggerated and totally overblown! I saw it as just a "cop out" to give them reason not to show up! I'm a lot older, lived in California for over 10 years and I never felt threatened in the least!

Why wouldn't they show up just there? Why have they "picked on" this event only and not on other events? :D
Are you suggesting that they are crazy or what exactly?.. :rolleyes: They had an issue there and I also read 'golds girl' comment. Nevermind, I am off this topic.
 

tented

Administrator
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
21,703
Reactions
10,579
Points
113
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Si Si Simona said:
tented said:
If it were a racist environment, then why James Blake, Donald Young, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Taylor Townsend, etc. have played there since then?

1) They probably had a thicker skin or just wanted to show that they don't back away.

2) I believe 'golds girl' here:
golds girl said:
Now, turning back to the actual tournament, I've been to quite a few U.S. Based tourneys and this is the, uh, least diverse of all of them. I was at Indian Wells a couple years ago and was pleased to see a little more diversity, but in comparison to a Miami or a Stanford, pretty much night and day.

But I may be wrong and I was not there to witness it.

In other words, you believe what you want to believe, but have no direct experience with the tournament or the incident. That kind of thinking can lead to trouble, misunderstandings, and rumors.

If your first statement were true ("they probably had a thicker skin ..."), then racist incidents would have happened to them, too, but they didn't "back away." Have there been reports of racism at Indian Wells since then involving any of those players? No.
 

Si Si Simona

Major Winner
Joined
Nov 5, 2013
Messages
1,733
Reactions
0
Points
0
Location
Where Simona plays
tented said:
Si Si Simona said:
tented said:
If it were a racist environment, then why James Blake, Donald Young, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Taylor Townsend, etc. have played there since then?

1) They probably had a thicker skin or just wanted to show that they don't back away.

2) I believe 'golds girl' here:
golds girl said:
Now, turning back to the actual tournament, I've been to quite a few U.S. Based tourneys and this is the, uh, least diverse of all of them. I was at Indian Wells a couple years ago and was pleased to see a little more diversity, but in comparison to a Miami or a Stanford, pretty much night and day.

But I may be wrong and I was not there to witness it.

In other words, you believe what you want to believe, but have no direct experience with the tournament or the incident. That kind of thinking can lead to trouble, misunderstandings, and rumors.

If your first statement were true ("they probably had a thicker skin ..."), then racist incidents would have happened to them, too, but they didn't "back away." Have there been reports of racism at Indian Wells since then involving any of those players? No.

1) I believe the Williams. They always looked decent and sensible to me. Why would they pick on this event for no reason?
2) "Reports" have to be initiated and someone needs to go through the bother of making them on such sensitive issue...
3) I am now off this subject. My feeling is that the Williams had a reason but I wont continue to occupy myself with that. Its just a one tournament and thank god for that. :)
 

Fiero425

The GOAT
Joined
Jul 23, 2013
Messages
11,513
Reactions
2,576
Points
113
Location
Chicago, IL
Website
fiero4251.blogspot.com
Si Si Simona said:
Fiero425 said:
Exaggerated and totally overblown! I saw it as just a "cop out" to give them reason not to show up! I'm a lot older, lived in California for over 10 years and I never felt threatened in the least!

Why wouldn't they show up just there? Why have they "picked on" this event only and not on other events? :D
Are you suggesting that they are crazy or what exactly?.. :rolleyes: They had an issue there and I also read 'golds girl' comment. Nevermind, I am off this topic.

Maybe; just following orders of the old man, Richard!
 

tented

Administrator
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
21,703
Reactions
10,579
Points
113
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Si Si Simona said:
Its just a one tournament and thank god for that. :)

You are continuing to characterize an entire tournament based on the actions of a subset of tennis fans at one match, 13 years ago. This is completely unfair and inaccurate. What happened could have happened anywhere; it just happened to happen there. On another day, it may not even have happened there. It has not happened since, and this was never an issue before then either.
 

RJD11

Major Winner
Joined
Jul 11, 2013
Messages
1,063
Reactions
0
Points
0
Location
Louisiana
Fiero425 said:
Si Si Simona said:
tented said:
If it were a racist environment, then why James Blake, Donald Young, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Taylor Townsend, etc. have played there since then?

1) They probably had a thicker skin or just wanted to show that they don't back away.

2) I believe 'golds girl' here:
golds girl said:
Now, turning back to the actual tournament, I've been to quite a few U.S. Based tourneys and this is the, uh, least diverse of all of them. I was at Indian Wells a couple years ago and was pleased to see a little more diversity, but in comparison to a Miami or a Stanford, pretty much night and day.

But I may be wrong and I was not there to witness it.

Exaggerated and totally overblown! I saw it as just a "cop out" to give them reason not to show up! I'm a lot older, lived in California for over 10 years and I never felt threatened in the least!


Article from Elizabeth Newman from SI ....Mar 2013

Serena and Venus Williams are boycotting Indian Wells, what many call the fifth major, for the 12th straight year.

Few things anger me more than being told to just get over it. That I should rise above it all and forgive and forget even when I feel I’ve been slighted or wronged. The phrase “Get Over It” is particularly irksome because it essentially means, “Whatever it is that has caused you to be upset is not important.” It places all of the responsibility on the person who is distressed to shake off whatever it is that is ailing her and pretend to be OK, while liberating everyone else from any obligation to listen or try to understand what’s going on.

I imagine this is how Venus and Serena Williams feel each year in March, when tennis enthusiasts around the world debate whether the sisters should “Get Over It” and end their boycott against Indian Wells. It’s been 12 years since the sisters were relentlessly booed and shouted down in their home state at a top tour event. Twelve years since Venus unwittingly started a firestorm by daring to pull out of a much-anticipated semifinal match against Serena, citing tendinitis in her knee. Twelve years since the sisters hastily exited the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in a cloud of shame, vowing never to return.

I have read several editorials (including one by Bruce Jenkins at SI.com) suggesting that Venus and Serena should suck it up and move on, that they should set aside all of the pain and embarrassment from that fateful day and be the bigger people for the good of the sport. Sure, each plea for the sisters to come back to Indian Wells is written with a convenient eloquence and soft undertone so as not to overtly offend. They are often written by white male critics who have never experienced the complexities of race and discrimination and who use patronizing language like, “I know I can’t begin to understand what it felt like for the sisters in that moment, but I am disappointed that after all this time they can’t just get past it.” If the sisters were to read such commentary, they would likely roll their eyes and respond, “It’s been 12 years people, why can’t you get past it?” I know I would.

Each year as Indian Wells, now the BNP Paribas Open, rolls around, Venus and Serena are incessantly poked and prodded about whether they will return. Every year the answer is the same: a resounding NO.

“Even now, all these years later, we continue to boycott the event,” Serena wrote in her 2009 autobiography, On the Line. “It’s become a mandatory tournament on the tour, meaning that the WTA can fine a player if she doesn’t attend. But I don’t care if they fine me a million dollars, I will not play there again.”

I can’t say that I blame her. If it were me, I would never go back. I would never subject myself to the possibility of such shame and ridicule ever happening again. The words “Indian Wells” would never form on my lips again. I wouldn’t waste my time acknowledging the city and the fans who reduced me to tears or the tournament that failed to stand up for me in my time of despair.

As a black woman, it has always been difficult for me to find the right words to describe to others the effects of racism on the psyche. To describe what it feels like to be stripped of your dignity and made to feel as if you’re nothing, simply because your skin is of a darker hue. To describe why certain words immediately set you off because there is no way to mask the hateful intent behind them. No, I was not in the stands in 2001 to witness the chaos at Indian Wells, so I cannot verify any claims by the Williamses that the crowd’s anger was racially motivated. However, one can only imagine how easy it was for Serena and Venus to feel as if the contempt and hostility emanating from the crowd had everything to do with race.

For two hours, the packed stadium of 15,000 mostly white fans viciously booed and shouted obscenities, first at Venus and her father, Richard, as they entered and then at Serena as she began her final against Kim Clijsters. The crowd booed and heckled Serena after every point she won and cheered her double faults and unforced errors. When she finally won the match, the boos drowned out any applause. When she held up the trophy, the boos became even more intense as the shouts of condemnation grew louder.

Remember, this is all happening at a tennis event. Not a football game where boorish behavior runs rampant and drunken fans fill up the stadium. Not a basketball game where unruly fans have gone so far as to throw sodas and water bottles at players on the court.

We’re talking about tennis, a sport steeped in etiquette, decorum and protocol; a sport where errant catcalls and whistling are considered low brow and where even standing up during a point will get you a stern admonishment from the chair umpire. This was an event where Venus and Serena would normally feel safe and loved, not only because it was tennis but also because the tournament was in their backyard, in the very state in which they grew up. Yet on this day, all propriety and respectability was left at the gates. The negative reaction to the Williamses was blazing with anger and outrage, to the point where some black fans in attendance have said that they, too, feared for their safety.

Twelve years later, the details that led to the ruckus at the women’s final still remain in dispute. According to tournament organizers, Venus pulled out of her semifinal against Serena four minutes before the match was to be played. Venus, however, maintains that she injured her knee in the quarterfinals against Elena Dementieva and that she alerted the trainers of her injury soon after the match was over.

In the post-match press conference, Dementieva seemed to back up Venus’ claims, alluding to something being off about Venus’ physical condition by saying, “I think we both played very bad today. I didn’t expect such a bad play for Venus. It looks like she has some injury or something. … I didn’t expect this play from Venus. I thought she’s going to hit the ball like she did hard, and she didn’t.”

Serena wrote in her memoir that Venus had been telling the trainer for hours that day that her knee didn’t feel right and that she didn’t think she could play, saying, “I really don’t know why they’re not making some kind of announcement. I told them [tournament officials] I couldn’t play two hours ago.”

Yet regardless of who said what to whom and when, the perfect firestorm was already set in motion. After tournament officials announced Venus’ withdrawal, the fans were incensed and wanted blood. And blood is what they got when Serena took the court against Clijsters.

For everyone who has the gall to say that Venus and Serena should move past the ugliness of that day, I implore you to close your eyes and imagine yourself in that moment. Stop hiding behind the “I can’t begin to imagine what it must feel like …” one-liners and put yourself in their shoes.

Imagine being a 19-year-old black female mercilessly booed by a mostly white crowd for reasons that she cannot explain. Imagine looking up at the chair umpire expecting some type of support and relief from the vitriol but receiving none. Imagine looking up in the stands and seeing the despair on your sister’s face while also seeing the festering fury in your father’s eyes as everyone around you is screaming, yelling and pointing the finger. Imagine all of this happening while no one dares to do a damn thing about it. Would you really be so quick to dust off your shoulders and go back? Would you not feel betrayed by the very sport and fans to whom you had given so much?

Maybe the Williamses would have been more inclined to return to the tournament if someone, anyone, from Indian Wells or the USTA had offered some type of apology, publicly and privately. Some type of acknowledgment of what happened was a disgrace and assurances that nothing like it would ever be allowed to happen again. Instead, all the Williamses got were a bunch of passive-aggressive denials and senseless babbling from then-tournament director Charlie Pasarell, who was trying to save face and defuse the situation.

“If Richard says someone yelled something, maybe they did,” he said after the tournament in 2001. “But I know that’s not Indian Wells people.”

What Pasarell and critics of the Williams sisters fail to understand even now is that when a 19-year-old woman is booed, reduced to tears and made to feel as if the world is raining down on her with a bevy of racial slurs and epithets, nothing short of an immediate public apology will ever suffice. It doesn’t matter if a few fans and journalists who were in the crowd claim they never heard any racist language. This is what Venus and Serena say they heard; this is what they say they felt. For people to trivialize and discount these feelings in favor of moving on for the good of the sport is not only self-serving but also absurd. It speaks volumes about how, even in 2013, racism is still one of those things that people want to quickly dismiss because the reality of it is too uncomfortable.

For their part, Pasarell and the officials at Indian Wells have claimed that they have reached out to the Williams family on numerous occasions in recent years to try to make things right. But again, what’s the point in all of that now? You can’t come back several years later after the fact, when Venus and Serena are the biggest names in American tennis and when your tournament needs their presence to boost its sales and visibility, and say, “Oops, we’re sorry. Can’t we all just get along?”

The Williamses’ boycott has never been about two petulant young ladies crying over spilled milk. It has always been about the tournament, its fans, its leadership and the wounds that were opened on the court that day.

“It’s not about not doing our best for the sport,” Venus said in 2008. “We have a legitimate issue here [at Indian Wells], and it’s something we’ve all been dealing with over the years. But ultimately, sis and I psychologically cannot play at Indian Wells.”

We often criticize athletes for not taking a stand, for not doing enough on matters of politics and social justice. In this case, however, Venus and Serena have quietly taken a stand against what they perceived to be an injustice by politely saying, “Thanks, but no thanks.” To them, we’re the ones who need to move past Indian Wells. We’re the ones who need to simply Get Over It.
 

Kieran

The GOAT
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
17,039
Reactions
7,329
Points
113
Si Si Simona said:
tented said:
If it were a racist environment, then why James Blake, Donald Young, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Taylor Townsend, etc. have played there since then?

1) They probably had a thicker skin or just wanted to show that they don't back away.

But that implies that they're aware of racism at that tournament and have decided to stand up to it, or ignore it.

Have they ever said they noticed racism at the tournament? Or is it only the WS who have complained?
 

RJD11

Major Winner
Joined
Jul 11, 2013
Messages
1,063
Reactions
0
Points
0
Location
Louisiana
Kieran said:
Si Si Simona said:
tented said:
If it were a racist environment, then why James Blake, Donald Young, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Taylor Townsend, etc. have played there since then?

1) They probably had a thicker skin or just wanted to show that they don't back away.

But that implies that they're aware of racism at that tournament and have decided to stand up to it, or ignore it.

Have they ever said they noticed racism at the tournament? Or is it only the WS who have complained?

There was no racial incidents that I heard of before at IW and we haven't

heard of any since then. I think, as stated in the Newman article above, that

the circumstances in 2001 all came together in a " perfect Storm " scenario.

The match fixing accusations, The Dementieva comments, the failure reporting

the injury, the crowd feeling cheated, all came together to create that moment

in time.

Since Serena's match was the final most of the other players who had lost had

gone on to Miami for the next event and were not present to witness what

happened. Also these other players were not the Williams Sisters. It did not

happen to them and they could not or would not afford the loss of revenue

and points every year to support the Sisters. For the newer players it was so

long ago they may not even know the details of what happened. Taylor Townsend

was a child then. So was Sloane and Keys. They are far distanced from 2001 IW.
 

Moxie

Multiple Major Winner
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
43,700
Reactions
14,878
Points
113
tented said:
Question: Why does Serena still go to Miami, and not Indian Wells?

Judging by that article, the tournament reacted swiftly to one bad egg, and that might be the difference.
 

Fiero425

The GOAT
Joined
Jul 23, 2013
Messages
11,513
Reactions
2,576
Points
113
Location
Chicago, IL
Website
fiero4251.blogspot.com
Moxie629 said:
tented said:
Question: Why does Serena still go to Miami, and not Indian Wells?

Judging by that article, the tournament reacted swiftly to one bad egg, and that might be the difference.

Which is why I use the word "overeaction!" These girls are from Compton; spare me fear, embarrassment, recentment, or any number of other "cop out" reasons! They've heard and seen it all before! :nono
 

Moxie

Multiple Major Winner
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
43,700
Reactions
14,878
Points
113
RJD11 said:
Kieran said:
Si Si Simona said:
tented said:
If it were a racist environment, then why James Blake, Donald Young, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Taylor Townsend, etc. have played there since then?

1) They probably had a thicker skin or just wanted to show that they don't back away.

But that implies that they're aware of racism at that tournament and have decided to stand up to it, or ignore it.

Have they ever said they noticed racism at the tournament? Or is it only the WS who have complained?

There was no racial incidents that I heard of before at IW and we haven't

heard of any since then. I think, as stated in the Newman article above, that

the circumstances in 2001 all came together in a " perfect Storm " scenario.

The match fixing accusations, The Dementieva comments, the failure reporting

the injury, the crowd feeling cheated, all came together to create that moment

in time.

Since Serena's match was the final most of the other players who had lost had

gone on to Miami for the next event and were not present to witness what

happened. Also these other players were not the Williams Sisters. It did not

happen to them and they could not or would not afford the loss of revenue

and points every year to support the Sisters. For the newer players it was so

long ago they may not even know the details of what happened. Taylor Townsend

was a child then. So was Sloane and Keys. They are far distanced from 2001 IW.

RJD, I think this is a cool-headed assessment, and I also appreciate the article that you posted above. There were a lot of things that came together to create the 'bad blood.' Personally, I've always applauded Serena and Venus for sticking to their guns. They had the power of the purse, meaning their marquee names, to keep a focus on a racist incident. I agree with tented that it can't be said that the tournament itself is racist, but when they were made to feel humiliated and hard done by a stadium of fans, (and the tournament, in the subsequent lack of understanding,) they refused to lend their star power to it.

That said, and the position of the article's author notwithstanding, I'm glad Serena is going back. After a strong point was made, it gives everyone a chance to heal an old wound. That is fine states(wo)manship.
 

GameSetAndMath

The GOAT
Joined
Jul 9, 2013
Messages
21,141
Reactions
3,398
Points
113
RJD11 said:
Fiero425 said:
Si Si Simona said:
tented said:
If it were a racist environment, then why James Blake, Donald Young, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Taylor Townsend, etc. have played there since then?

1) They probably had a thicker skin or just wanted to show that they don't back away.

2) I believe 'golds girl' here:
golds girl said:
Now, turning back to the actual tournament, I've been to quite a few U.S. Based tourneys and this is the, uh, least diverse of all of them. I was at Indian Wells a couple years ago and was pleased to see a little more diversity, but in comparison to a Miami or a Stanford, pretty much night and day.

But I may be wrong and I was not there to witness it.

Exaggerated and totally overblown! I saw it as just a "cop out" to give them reason not to show up! I'm a lot older, lived in California for over 10 years and I never felt threatened in the least!


Article from Elizabeth Newman from SI ....Mar 2013

Serena and Venus Williams are boycotting Indian Wells, what many call the fifth major, for the 12th straight year.

Few things anger me more than being told to just get over it. That I should rise above it all and forgive and forget even when I feel I’ve been slighted or wronged. The phrase “Get Over It” is particularly irksome because it essentially means, “Whatever it is that has caused you to be upset is not important.” It places all of the responsibility on the person who is distressed to shake off whatever it is that is ailing her and pretend to be OK, while liberating everyone else from any obligation to listen or try to understand what’s going on.

I imagine this is how Venus and Serena Williams feel each year in March, when tennis enthusiasts around the world debate whether the sisters should “Get Over It” and end their boycott against Indian Wells. It’s been 12 years since the sisters were relentlessly booed and shouted down in their home state at a top tour event. Twelve years since Venus unwittingly started a firestorm by daring to pull out of a much-anticipated semifinal match against Serena, citing tendinitis in her knee. Twelve years since the sisters hastily exited the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in a cloud of shame, vowing never to return.

I have read several editorials (including one by Bruce Jenkins at SI.com) suggesting that Venus and Serena should suck it up and move on, that they should set aside all of the pain and embarrassment from that fateful day and be the bigger people for the good of the sport. Sure, each plea for the sisters to come back to Indian Wells is written with a convenient eloquence and soft undertone so as not to overtly offend. They are often written by white male critics who have never experienced the complexities of race and discrimination and who use patronizing language like, “I know I can’t begin to understand what it felt like for the sisters in that moment, but I am disappointed that after all this time they can’t just get past it.” If the sisters were to read such commentary, they would likely roll their eyes and respond, “It’s been 12 years people, why can’t you get past it?” I know I would.

Each year as Indian Wells, now the BNP Paribas Open, rolls around, Venus and Serena are incessantly poked and prodded about whether they will return. Every year the answer is the same: a resounding NO.

“Even now, all these years later, we continue to boycott the event,” Serena wrote in her 2009 autobiography, On the Line. “It’s become a mandatory tournament on the tour, meaning that the WTA can fine a player if she doesn’t attend. But I don’t care if they fine me a million dollars, I will not play there again.”

I can’t say that I blame her. If it were me, I would never go back. I would never subject myself to the possibility of such shame and ridicule ever happening again. The words “Indian Wells” would never form on my lips again. I wouldn’t waste my time acknowledging the city and the fans who reduced me to tears or the tournament that failed to stand up for me in my time of despair.

As a black woman, it has always been difficult for me to find the right words to describe to others the effects of racism on the psyche. To describe what it feels like to be stripped of your dignity and made to feel as if you’re nothing, simply because your skin is of a darker hue. To describe why certain words immediately set you off because there is no way to mask the hateful intent behind them. No, I was not in the stands in 2001 to witness the chaos at Indian Wells, so I cannot verify any claims by the Williamses that the crowd’s anger was racially motivated. However, one can only imagine how easy it was for Serena and Venus to feel as if the contempt and hostility emanating from the crowd had everything to do with race.

For two hours, the packed stadium of 15,000 mostly white fans viciously booed and shouted obscenities, first at Venus and her father, Richard, as they entered and then at Serena as she began her final against Kim Clijsters. The crowd booed and heckled Serena after every point she won and cheered her double faults and unforced errors. When she finally won the match, the boos drowned out any applause. When she held up the trophy, the boos became even more intense as the shouts of condemnation grew louder.

Remember, this is all happening at a tennis event. Not a football game where boorish behavior runs rampant and drunken fans fill up the stadium. Not a basketball game where unruly fans have gone so far as to throw sodas and water bottles at players on the court.

We’re talking about tennis, a sport steeped in etiquette, decorum and protocol; a sport where errant catcalls and whistling are considered low brow and where even standing up during a point will get you a stern admonishment from the chair umpire. This was an event where Venus and Serena would normally feel safe and loved, not only because it was tennis but also because the tournament was in their backyard, in the very state in which they grew up. Yet on this day, all propriety and respectability was left at the gates. The negative reaction to the Williamses was blazing with anger and outrage, to the point where some black fans in attendance have said that they, too, feared for their safety.

Twelve years later, the details that led to the ruckus at the women’s final still remain in dispute. According to tournament organizers, Venus pulled out of her semifinal against Serena four minutes before the match was to be played. Venus, however, maintains that she injured her knee in the quarterfinals against Elena Dementieva and that she alerted the trainers of her injury soon after the match was over.

In the post-match press conference, Dementieva seemed to back up Venus’ claims, alluding to something being off about Venus’ physical condition by saying, “I think we both played very bad today. I didn’t expect such a bad play for Venus. It looks like she has some injury or something. … I didn’t expect this play from Venus. I thought she’s going to hit the ball like she did hard, and she didn’t.”

Serena wrote in her memoir that Venus had been telling the trainer for hours that day that her knee didn’t feel right and that she didn’t think she could play, saying, “I really don’t know why they’re not making some kind of announcement. I told them [tournament officials] I couldn’t play two hours ago.”

Yet regardless of who said what to whom and when, the perfect firestorm was already set in motion. After tournament officials announced Venus’ withdrawal, the fans were incensed and wanted blood. And blood is what they got when Serena took the court against Clijsters.

For everyone who has the gall to say that Venus and Serena should move past the ugliness of that day, I implore you to close your eyes and imagine yourself in that moment. Stop hiding behind the “I can’t begin to imagine what it must feel like …” one-liners and put yourself in their shoes.

Imagine being a 19-year-old black female mercilessly booed by a mostly white crowd for reasons that she cannot explain. Imagine looking up at the chair umpire expecting some type of support and relief from the vitriol but receiving none. Imagine looking up in the stands and seeing the despair on your sister’s face while also seeing the festering fury in your father’s eyes as everyone around you is screaming, yelling and pointing the finger. Imagine all of this happening while no one dares to do a damn thing about it. Would you really be so quick to dust off your shoulders and go back? Would you not feel betrayed by the very sport and fans to whom you had given so much?

Maybe the Williamses would have been more inclined to return to the tournament if someone, anyone, from Indian Wells or the USTA had offered some type of apology, publicly and privately. Some type of acknowledgment of what happened was a disgrace and assurances that nothing like it would ever be allowed to happen again. Instead, all the Williamses got were a bunch of passive-aggressive denials and senseless babbling from then-tournament director Charlie Pasarell, who was trying to save face and defuse the situation.

“If Richard says someone yelled something, maybe they did,” he said after the tournament in 2001. “But I know that’s not Indian Wells people.”

What Pasarell and critics of the Williams sisters fail to understand even now is that when a 19-year-old woman is booed, reduced to tears and made to feel as if the world is raining down on her with a bevy of racial slurs and epithets, nothing short of an immediate public apology will ever suffice. It doesn’t matter if a few fans and journalists who were in the crowd claim they never heard any racist language. This is what Venus and Serena say they heard; this is what they say they felt. For people to trivialize and discount these feelings in favor of moving on for the good of the sport is not only self-serving but also absurd. It speaks volumes about how, even in 2013, racism is still one of those things that people want to quickly dismiss because the reality of it is too uncomfortable.

For their part, Pasarell and the officials at Indian Wells have claimed that they have reached out to the Williams family on numerous occasions in recent years to try to make things right. But again, what’s the point in all of that now? You can’t come back several years later after the fact, when Venus and Serena are the biggest names in American tennis and when your tournament needs their presence to boost its sales and visibility, and say, “Oops, we’re sorry. Can’t we all just get along?”

The Williamses’ boycott has never been about two petulant young ladies crying over spilled milk. It has always been about the tournament, its fans, its leadership and the wounds that were opened on the court that day.

“It’s not about not doing our best for the sport,” Venus said in 2008. “We have a legitimate issue here [at Indian Wells], and it’s something we’ve all been dealing with over the years. But ultimately, sis and I psychologically cannot play at Indian Wells.”

We often criticize athletes for not taking a stand, for not doing enough on matters of politics and social justice. In this case, however, Venus and Serena have quietly taken a stand against what they perceived to be an injustice by politely saying, “Thanks, but no thanks.” To them, we’re the ones who need to move past Indian Wells. We’re the ones who need to simply Get Over It.

Quite moving portrayal from their perspective. Thanks for posting this.
 

special700

Masters Champion
Joined
Jul 3, 2013
Messages
927
Reactions
1
Points
16
Moxie629 said:
RJD11 said:
Kieran said:
Si Si Simona said:
tented said:
If it were a racist environment, then why James Blake, Donald Young, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Taylor Townsend, etc. have played there since then?

1) They probably had a thicker skin or just wanted to show that they don't back away.

But that implies that they're aware of racism at that tournament and have decided to stand up to it, or ignore it.

Have they ever said they noticed racism at the tournament? Or is it only the WS who have complained?

There was no racial incidents that I heard of before at IW and we haven't

heard of any since then. I think, as stated in the Newman article above, that

the circumstances in 2001 all came together in a " perfect Storm " scenario.

The match fixing accusations, The Dementieva comments, the failure reporting

the injury, the crowd feeling cheated, all came together to create that moment

in time.

Since Serena's match was the final most of the other players who had lost had

gone on to Miami for the next event and were not present to witness what

happened. Also these other players were not the Williams Sisters. It did not

happen to them and they could not or would not afford the loss of revenue

and points every year to support the Sisters. For the newer players it was so

long ago they may not even know the details of what happened. Taylor Townsend

was a child then. So was Sloane and Keys. They are far distanced from 2001 IW.

RJD, I think this is a cool-headed assessment, and I also appreciate the article that you posted above. There were a lot of things that came together to create the 'bad blood.' Personally, I've always applauded Serena and Venus for sticking to their guns. They had the power of the purse, meaning their marquee names, to keep a focus on a racist incident. I agree with tented that it can't be said that the tournament itself is racist, but when they were made to feel humiliated and hard done by a stadium of fans, (and the tournament, in the subsequent lack of understanding,) they refused to lend their star power to it.

That said, and the position of the article's author notwithstanding, I'm glad Serena is going back. After a strong point was made, it gives everyone a chance to heal an old wound. That is fine states(wo)manship.

FYI Serena is not going back to IW
 

Fiero425

The GOAT
Joined
Jul 23, 2013
Messages
11,513
Reactions
2,576
Points
113
Location
Chicago, IL
Website
fiero4251.blogspot.com
Kieran said:
Si Si Simona said:
1) They probably had a thicker skin or just wanted to show that they don't back away.

But that implies that they're aware of racism at that tournament and have decided to stand up to it, or ignore it.


That said, and the position of the article's author notwithstanding, I'm glad Serena is going back. After a strong point was made, it gives everyone a chance to heal an old wound. That is fine states(wo)manship.

FYI Serena is not going back to IW[/quote]

Like anyone really cares; well some of us couldn't care less! :nono