Serena Defines Professional, Black, Athlete (Woman)

So Cam Newton (quarterback of the Carolina Panthers) thinks he's doing something that's never been done at quarterback in bringing his combined running and passing skill set to a position that black people didn't always get to play.  He could be right since Andrew Luck isn't black and usually does his barreling over unsuspecting cornerbacks when the play breaks down. While watching the French Open unfold, I realized that Cam needs to look to a serious sports pioneer if he is seeking to pave new territory.

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.

1		S. Williams	6  6   6			Finals
13		L. Safarova	3  7   3			Jun 6, 7:00 AM (MT)
1		S. Williams	4	6	6	Semifinals
23		T. Bacsinszky	6	3	0	Jun 4, Completed
1		S. Williams	6	6		Quarterfinals
17		S. Errani	1	3		Jun 3, Completed
1		S. Williams	1	7	6	4th Round
		S. Stephens	6	5	3	Jun 1, Completed
1		S. Williams	3	6	6	3rd Round
27		V. Azarenka	6	4	2	May 30, Completed
1		S. Williams	5	6	6	2nd Round
		A. Friedsam	7	3	3	May 28, Completed
1		S. Williams	6	6		1st Round
		A. Hlavackova	2	3		May 26, Completed

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.

1. Born: September 26, 1981 (age 33), Saginaw, MI
2. Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
3. Weight: 150 lbs (68 kg)
4. Grand slams won (singles): 19
5. Siblings: Venus Williams, Yetunde Price, Isha Price, Lyndrea Price,Dylan Williams, Richard Williams III

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

Nadal Extends His Run At Majors Winning 9th French Open, 14th Major.

Up 2 sets to 1 with a chance to break his opponent in the 4th set, Rafa Nadal went for a tough shot against his rival Novak Djokovic.  He got the point, but when it was over he remained bent over at the waist agonizing in both pain and fatigue from the effort he'd just exhibited.

30 seconds later, the towel girl stood waiting for Nadal to take the cloth and clean his face from the sweat he had amassed.  Nadal was in the driver seat on the scoreboard, but no one, especially his opponent, could ignore the physical cost that Nadal had obviously paid.  The only question that remained from this outward display of despair was how much reserves remained in the immense account of this legendary champion after paying out so much on just one point.

Months earlier, Rafa, and an ailing back provided an opportunity for Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland to make his way to the champions table in the Australian Open.  Every point that followed Nadal's bent over moment of weakness seemed to go towards Djokovic......Sort of.

Earlier in this match Djokovic had a fateful decision.  He had opened the match with a 6-3 route of Rafa and pushed the second set to a virtual stalemate, and then Rafa came alive.  What followed was some of the best tennis my eyes have seen in years. Not from a standpoint of sheer strategy (points tend to last a lot longer on the softer surfaces), but from a standpoint of sheer energy and attack. This felt like hard court shot making complete with the sliding stops that only soft courts provide. These are two of the best in the business and neither is really lacking on any level.  They can serve, they can return.  They can volley or they can attack you with any shot from any angle that you leave vulnerable.  They are two of the most complete players of all time and their championship accomplishments agree.

Rafa might have dominated the scoring, but the competition was fierce.  Nadal's 13 championship victories provided a competitive thought process that Djokovic simply didn't possess fully.  Djokovic's deficiency of thought seemed to unveil itself when he chose to fight to save a set that he might have been better served to let go of and save the energy for later rounds.  By this point of the match, and of the live commentary, this was being compared to the greatest of great boxing matches, because that is exactly what it was.

Djokovic tried valiantly to save that 3rd set and appeared to be physically (he puked on the court) and mentally worn when it did not work.  Rafa beat him and battered him and broke him time and time again....but suddenly Rafa, not Djokovic was bent over at the waist.....and he wasn't moving.  Djokovic was now down 4-2 and nearly dead, but this gave him the breath of life. Djokovic jumped all over the battered champ and tied the game within an instant at 4-4......Sort of.

In hindsight, Rafa did what Novak should have done for himself earlier in the match.  Rafa rested for a few games and did not push his body towards an injury, but allowed himself time to gather his physical composure and to search for what his tired body could and could not do.  Somewhere in the process he must have opened a safe deposit box full of sunken treasure.  Somewhere in the process, Rafa found a new reserve of whatever it is that makes champions tick.

By the end of the match, Rafa had pulled off the tennis equivalent of the rope-a-dope.  Rafa had suckered Djokovic into the same errors that burned him earlier in the match.  Thinking he had a wounded animal forced Djokovic into a physical attack without a mental approach.  In the end, the wounded animal lured his victim just close enough to kill him.  In a match that Djokovic should have been striving to send to a 5th set, just to see if Rafa could endure, he let the fuel of his own excitement burn too fast and explode, finishing with no answer at all to the seemingly recovered champion.  

Rafa won his 14th major title (including a record 9 French Open titles) in 4 sets and sit 3 titles behind the legendary Roger Federer for most majors (17) among active players  In the process he passed Pete Sampras on the all-time list for major titles. The Serbian Champion Djokovic may only have 6 major titles, but he is currently the most consistent player and could win more titles than anyone if he keeps playing at this level for too much longer. At 27, he has the game and the time to get it done. When it came time to honor Djokovic, the runner up in this match, the crowd would not stop cheering until they pulled a tear from the eye's of this phenomenal player.  I'm crying just recalling the moment. When he actually spoke to the crowd, his address, spoken in all French, was great French and great class (his Italian is impressive too).

Watching moments of greatness can be difficult to analyze when your mouth is open in amazement.  It takes the benefit of hindsight to understand greatness. Rafa was placing the icing on the cake of an exceptional career that deserves to be topped off properly.  To have his career end minus these kinds of victories would compromise his place in the discussion of all time greats. He knows it and he plays accordingly, sacrificing everything for the chance to be considered the best.

After today, Rafa Nadal remains firmly in that discussion.