“I swear to God, I’m taking this ball and shoving it down your f-king throat!” ― Serena Williams addressed lineswoman Shino Tsurubuchi in front of a national and international TV audience at the 2009 U.S. Open.
We in the media have done it again. We suppressed undeniable, repeating, and obvious facts in order to establish a sustained illusion in service to apprehensive, careful falsehoods.
The Tiger Woods Media Pandering Syndrome is a term used to describe this phenomenon. It’s not enough that Woods and Serena Williams were among the all-time greats in their respective sports. Unfiltered gibberish had to be added to that:
They were the most honorable players ever. Their unrivaled deliciousness may never be matched. They were the most extraordinary positive influencers, role models, humanitarians, children, spouses, parents, and selfless crusaders who impacted our otherwise terrible, desperate hearts.
Williams was celebrated as more than a world championship tennis player this week, Coast to Coast and across all forms of media. She is a woman of exceptional bravery and grace.
It makes no difference how much proof there is to the contrary, and there is enough. It was wishful, uninformed, compulsory, and pointless nonsense. Is Tiger Woods’ Impaired Driving Academy and Serena Williams’ Charm School coming to a strip mall near you?
Tennis may never be “blessed” again by a lady who was a consistently bad winner and much worse loser. She, and only she, determined whether she won or lost. If she gave an opponent credit, it was perceived as fake, short, parenthetical, and clipped.
Was it just a coincidence that many in attendance at Williams’ second-round victory on Wednesday felt entitled to obnoxious, bully-like conduct in favor of Williams, celebrating opponent Anett Kontaveit’s blunders, including double faults?
According to her quiet during and after the match, Williams, the media embodiment of the sportswoman, was fine with that.
The crowd cheered Williams’ seething, wild-eyed fury at the chair ump during the 2018 Open — he’d identified she was cheating, which she denied, via signals from a coach before she exclaimed, among other things, “You’re a thief!”
Williams later defended herself, claiming that her actions were motivated by a desire to advance women’s rights.
Sure enough, the willfully blind and deaf media flocked to believe that “social activity” fantasy. She cried on her own behalf, as she usually did.
The woman whose rights were violated that day was newcomer Naomi Osaka, who was left in tears for having the courage to beat Williams in the final, as US Open chair Katrina Adams took the court microphone to express dissatisfaction for all in the outcome, stating that Williams will always be her and everyone’s champion.
Adams, a black woman, subsequently clarified her statement, saying she was “delighted” to be on the stage with “two ladies of color.” The head of the US Open acknowledged prejudice based on race rather than tennis.
Even Williams’ previous appearance at Wimbledon last summer was marred by allegations of excessive self-indulgence. Wimbledon conducted a Centenary Celebration to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its Centre Court. Previous champions, including an ailing Roger Federer, traveled in.
Williams ignored it. According to UK media, she was irritated that the five expensive courtesy vehicles she and her entourage asked and received had to be returned the day after a player was eliminated. The house rules.
According to sources, after losing in the first round, Wimbledon declined her request to keep the automobiles for the remainder of the event. So Williams left, ignoring the ceremony and Wimbledon.
Weeks later, ticket buyers enticed by a final live peek at Williams were rewarded to her recurrent generous side in Cincinnati. She left after being crushed in the first round, refusing to say goodbye to the audience on the court microphone and then refusing to participate in a post-match media session.
In the aftermath of the ugly, threatening 2009 incident with an Open lineswoman, she evidently proceeded to verbally attack her, rightly concluding that no one would have the audacity to dismiss her for such atrociously low behavior.
Or would the No. 30 seed have gotten such a break?
She was enraged by the allegation that she owed that lineswoman an apology: “An apology? What about me? “How many people shout at line workers?” Hers was typical tennis conduct.
She afterwards stated she was sorry.
Serena was an executive producer on the recent film “King Richard,” a glossy narrative of the Williams Sisters’ frequently unstable and racist father and mentor, which won Will Smith the Academy Award for Best Actor this year. Nonetheless, it has been a tremendous box office failure.
The reasons stated include the COVID epidemic and its availability on HBO Max.
The discerning public has become tired of the Williams Family’s charade, tired of marketing and media forcing Serena down our throats as someone we all adore and respect.
This week, ESPN’s top Open commentators, Chris Fowler, John McEnroe, and Chris Evert, exchanged obsequious, all-glory-to-Serena sonnets — artificially sweetened fairytales. After witnessing much of Williams’ egregious wrongdoing, there is no clearer conclusion than that their commentary was clearly and willfully deceptive.
Tiger Woods’ Pandering to the Media Syndrome: Believe what you’re led to believe rather than what you see and know. Some facts are irrelevant to you.
Rob Manfred, Hal Steinbrenner, and Yankees president Randy Levine have colluded to make West Coast, exclusively streamed Yankee games into next-day speculations. Tuesday’s game between the Yankees and the Angels may have taken place on the Island of Hoo-Hah.
However, since the new Yankee Stadium opened 12 years ago, much about the Yankees — ticket prices, 45 dollars to park, food and drink prices, and conspicuously vacant excellent seats — has given the team a clip joint vibe.
Consider the magnificent show the Mets put on for Old-Timers’ Day on Saturday, as opposed to this season’s on-the-cheap Yankees’ version.
The ESPN Little League World Series is always full of surprises that go beyond the requirement of a home run derby and thoughtless celebrations of immodest conduct among 12-year-olds.
This year, ESPN once again hooked a microphone to a non-English speaking trainer while without offering a translator.
As Curacao’s trainer approached the mound to attempt to stem the bleeding against Hawaii on Sunday, he was clearly heard saying something, most likely in Papiamentu, a Creole combination of African, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, French, English, and Arawak Indian spoken in Curacao.
“Here, wear this microphone,” how do you phrase that in Papiamentu?
Jessica Mendoza, the untreated baseball blabbermouth — “A blabbermouth, Alice!” — spurs deadly human runs for the mute button.
Despite a recent pitching shortage, Aaron Boone continues to try to prevent problems by inviting them.
Domingo German pitched 7 2/3 innings, allowed three hits, no walks, and struck out five batters on 79 pitches in a 0-0 game on Saturday in Oakland.
Boone had gotten his fill! German erupted! The Yankees were defeated 3-2 in 11 games.
