This is the headline that greeted me this evening on Yahoo!: Serena 'classless' and 'graceless' in loss.
The American media turned on Serena Williams on Wednesday, labelling the former world number one as "classless" and "graceless" after her sullen reaction to her U.S. Open exit at the hands of Justine Henin.
Huh?
"I just think she made a lot of lucky shots and I made a lot of errors," Williams said at her news conference. "I really don't feel like talking about it. It's like I don't want to get fined. That's the only reason I came. I can't afford to pay the fines because I keep losing." Players who fail to appear for post-match news conferences face fines from tennis officials.
How does "I really don't feel like talking about it" equal "classless" or "graceless"? What was she supposed to say? "I love losing. It's great to give other people a chance to win."
I am so tired of this nonsense. To give you some perspective on the source of my frustration, I give you this clip of a non-female, non-colored athlete infamous for his history of tirades:
Maybe that was a show of youthful exuberance, you say? I give you this clip, entitled John McEnroe throwing a tantrum at age 48:
I don't recall anyone in the American media ever suggesting that Mr. McEnroe could "use charm school."
I'm all irritated now. I hate being held to some double standard squared as a black woman being punished for knowing how awesome she is. I need some HSM2 therapy:
