Venus and Serena (Part II)

By Tom Kosinski Sports Central Columnist

I am always amazed at the amount of response you get when you make commentary, good or bad, about Venus and Serena Williams. My column last week clearly was one of those, and started quite a lot of discussion, especially on two major message boards. Who would have "thunk it?"

Which brings us to this installment. Once again, the response to my column triggered a rash of comments that branded me a racist, a bigot, a trash journalist, and a host of other very unpleasant terms. I'm pretty thick-skinned, so they just rolled off my back, but it sure is indicative of something much more serious.

If the readers read my articles, they would have seen that I never said Venus and Serena aren't great players, or that they get special treatment at tournaments, or anything else that denigrates their game and position on the WTA Tour. I often am critical of their conduct off the court, as well as critical of many others in the same way.

It seems that there are many people out there who believe that no matter what Venus and Serena do, they should get a free pass and never be called on it. Like what appears to me to be the obvious dislike and disrespect for the WTA Tour, and their inability to understand that fans count as much as the money does.

I attended the U.S. Open this year, as I do every year. While I was not on the grounds for every single moment, to my knowledge, neither Venus nor Serena stopped by the WTA autograph booth to sign during the tournament, even though they were in NYC for the MTV Awards.

To me, that is just wrong. Especially with Venus' somewhat late withdrawal, it is almost required of Venus, if not both Venus and Serena. They owe it to the game, in my opinion. And to me, that wouldn't be too much to ask.

I personally hate any professional athlete who does not respect his or her sport, its history, and traditions. When Ricky Henderson uttered those now famous words, "Lou Brock was great, but now I'm the greatest!", I was angered.

That comment, no matter how Ricky meant it to come out, was just disrespectful, especially to a player and a man who, without his personal sacrifice and contributions to baseball, might not have had the opportunity to break any record. I am constantly amazed and angered at the number of athletes who do not know the significance of many numbers in their sport.

In tennis, I continually find high-ranked juniors and some tour players who have no idea who is the only man to win two grand slams, who cannot tell me who the first winner of an Open tournament was, who the French Musketeers were, etc. These are some of the most important parts of the history and game of tennis. History is important to the game. So is tradition. I still cry that players no longer bow to the royal box at Wimbledon unless true royalty is there.

If a player truly knows the history and traditions, then they clearly demonstrate a love and respect for the game. When a player truly respects the game of tennis, then they do whatever they can to give back to it, and to help ensure its future. To date, Venus and Serena have never shown that level of love and respect. Whether it was the suggestion that they get paid more or just to show up, whether it is the way and timing they withdraw from tournaments or a host of other things, to me, they clearly do not show what I believe is requisite honor.

I am not alone in that opinion, but I am one of the few who will write it. Martina Hingis also did not truly respect the game, and her tantrums and frequent tirades on and off the court often left a pain in my gut. (And for the posters on the ESPN message board, the column I wrote about her injuries is no longer available, but I did say that I did not believe her injuries were as severe as they were indicated and I clearly do not believe that her sneakers were to blame.)

I don't know either Venus or Serena personally, so I can only speculate as to their motives for doing what they do. When I add up their actions on and off the court, to me it just shows that they don't love tennis, at least not like I would expect them to. You bet there was a lot of resentment on the tour when they first came on. Not because they were winning so much, but because they didn't show respect to the senior tour players, you know, the ones who have been trying to keep the tour robust and the sponsorship dollars coming.

I got the chance a few years ago to discuss this issue with several lower-ranked tour regulars, and without hesitation they all indicated that they felt Venus, Serena, and then tour dad Richard should at least treat them with a level of respect and professionalism that they deserved. I'm sure you all remember the infamous Iva Majoli bumping incident. It wasn't about race. It was about respect.

Okay, so I've rambled quite a bit. What's my point? Well, for me, race has nothing to do with my personal feelings about any player in any sport. I know full well that tennis is still a predominantly white sport, and still is associated with exclusive clubs who make you wear all white just to get on a court.

To judge any of us, though, based purely on the fact that tennis is predominately white is absurd and to insinuate that disagreement with Venus and Serena can only be based on the race card shows the true colors of those who perpetuate this. They are the racists, and the bigots, not the rest of us.

Which brings me back to my original thought. Tennis must beware. There is a group of people growing who wish to make race more important then talent, who are trying to undermine the game because they can, not because they wish to make it better. I miss Arthur Ashe. Without Arthur, there is just no grace, at least none left in this discussion.

Until next time, may all your shots be winners!

Article courtesy of Sports Central.