Even if American Pharaoh wins the Triple Crown he will only be that other great horse not named Secretariat- the only great horse the average sports fan remembers anyway. In the build up to this 3rd leg of the Triple Crown, ESPN's SportsCenter posted a video depicting many of the recent greats in the realm of sports, but they missed the best of them all-Serena Williams. In the past 2 decades, the most dominant players in all of sports have been a black man and woman- Tiger Woods in golf and Serena Williams in tennis, sports not typically dominated by blacks or players over 30.
The elder Williams' sister deserves recognition for awakening us to the Williams name and keeping tennis dominance in the Williams family before Serena surpassed Venus, currently racing past Mars to claim her place in American history since her sports acclaim is secure. What Serena and Tiger started together, she is resoundingly completing before our eyes. For Serena, the picture has not always been pretty or even lady like per se, but a raging fire is only pretty when you appreciate the glow. When both of these athletes are at the top of their game, fist pumping and yelling are par for the course- and so is winning. So much winning in fact, that it might be time to consider the impact of these fabulous athletes on sports around the globe, and maybe even American politics in some way.
The Michael Jordan Legacy
Had golf been exposed to poor black kids like me growing up, I would certainly have dreamed of a life on the links. Occasionally I do even now. What Tiger Woods has accomplished enticed that dream for athletes of all ages and races, since golf can be played for a lifetime. Although few minorities have risen to the level of Tiger, white people aren't the only ones playing anymore. Serena (and Venus) did the exact same thing to tennis. Both of these worlds have seen a sprinkling of blacks over the years, but never have blacks officially dominated the sports of the elite.Simultaneously, Tiger and Serena have risen to the top of these really white sports and helped to reprogram a worldwide view of a particular race of people- the African American, a transplanted, crossbred mutt of a race who have a resilience and beauty that is as much inviting as it is mysterious. How and why we thrive to the point of blossom in the worst of conditions is even beyond our understanding: a divine providential journey of sorts that uses our struggle to narrate our triumphs. In my mind, Tiger and Serena changed the way white people view blacks and indirectly made it possible for a few of the otherwise skeptical to be curious and eventually convinced about the viability and resiliency of our current black president. Given the rarefied White House air that the Obama's turned blackish, history will grade Barack against the racial curve. For Tiger and Serena history will get to do no such thing.
Michael Jordan seems beloved if you consider shoe sales a social barometer. In reality, blacks have been hoopin' for too long for an exceptional jumping, fire breathing competitor to break any significant stereotypes. Golf and tennis remain white people sports, and the white guys don't often
expect any black other than Tiger to play the sport very well. If Tiger has seen the zenith of his career already, he still remains the strongest draw on the tour. The doubters from his recent struggles represent some of the debris from way back when Tiger originally blew up the stereotypes against blacks and golf. Tiger remains an inviting mystery that makes watching an American black boy succeed in golf head scratching, almost disrupting in some ways. Follow the career of the Williams' girls and you would think that they played before Jim Crow crowds over the past couple of decades. Serena is only finally starting to get fans that are rooting for her success instead of instantly cheering for the other player whenever she takes center court.
She Did It Again....and again, and again.
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Watching Serena come from behind to overcome a first set loss in back to back to back performances was scary before it was special to witness because Serena represents an era of change that could soon be ending. Seeing Sloan Stephens- a black tennis star with skin darker than Serena- fall to the star who inspired her says great things for the other elite sport that has been elusive to non-whites in America. The process of destroying racial and gender barriers is so challenging because the disease of such oppression is NEVER an illness of the oppressed.
As for golf?
No one dominates in golf for long stretches of time because it is not a sport to be dominated. Golf is like a powerful woman. No matter how good you get, she'll keep you humble, and no matter how much pain she causes you, you find yourself running back for more. You can overcome the field and outwit the weather only when your swing is precise enough to allow- for the golf course is governed by certain ethereal standards that must be adhered to- namely a solid balance of competitive courage and wise humility. In some ways, Tiger is simply experiencing the normal evolution of those governing standards since he disrupted them with dominance we had never seen before- especially from a black.
Serena's dominance is similar but different- maybe greater in that old guys win in golf all the time, and Tiger could finally finish his meteoric journey with sporadic wins over the next 15 years or so. Serena is the only player of her age that remains competitive in the top rankings of women's tennis except for Martina Hingis who only ranks well in doubles these days. Every time I get the sad feeling that Serena has finally come to the end of the road- along with her number one ranking in the world- she unleashes a fire in her game that comes from a place that only the great ones can pull from. If you watched her win the 2015 French Open today, you now understand that completely.
- Born: September 26, 1981 (age 33), Saginaw, MI
- Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
- Weight: 150 lbs (68 kg)
Serena was not happy with her own "lack of professionalism" as she called her slow starts and rough finish today, but she can't be upset with the results when an opportunity to keep pressing towards your goals remains intact. If her age wasn't enough of a challenge, the flu attempted to bring Serena down in her semi-final match. She overcame sickness in the semi-final and a worthy opponent in the finals to win the French Open Finals and add to her Grand Slam title count. With all of the great things that these great athletes have overcome, nothing is more fearful than encountering your own mortality at the same time you face down the generation that you inspired.
Around the world, golf courses and tennis courts are integrated in a way we've never seen before.
Undoubtedly, Tiger and Serena helped shattered the color barrier in a way that is far reaching, maybe even up to the whitest house in the land, because if these great black sports heroes have helped to de-stigmatize race in some way, they've also cleared a path for racial progress that likely touched the ballot box during the Obama years. Assuming Tiger can't regain his championnship moxie, Serena seems poised to carry the banner for the both of them.
While nobody is perfect- her yelling and cursing when the heat is on is proof- I admire Serena because she embodies the challenge of womanhood and blackness, a challenge that each of my 5 black daughters must endure as well. Only a true professional understands how to make the most out of the holes you encounter in life, especially those you dig for yourself. Serena's many examples of professional finishes, regardless of the start, will be a hallmark for every professional person to follow, and a model for kids of all colors. AND SHE IS A WOMAN!
Who's Better Than Serena?
When we start to analyze greatness in sports, women are usually forced to occupy a list of their own and are rarely considered in the same conversation with great male athletes.
No one who is racist can easily recognize the error of their ways, and the same is more true for gender bias. The misogynistic spirit that impacts each of us- even women- is often subconscious. I'm certain that I didn't monitor my own gender bias before having 5 women's lives to oversee. Serena is achieving in the face of the kind of gender disparity that I am certain hurt Hillary against Obama, and will possibly keep her from being elected again despite a thorough list of qualifications. .
If Hillary loses because she can't be trusted that is more than fair, however, if Hillary never really had a chance (regardless of the polls) because of her gender, that does not bode well for our world or my 5 black daughters whom I hope to see the height of their possibility. If it seems as though I am biased by the no nonsense power of Lorretta Lynch or the professional spirit of Serena Williams, its because they are models of possibility to the people that matter most to me.
Black Women
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