At least that is what the father of Venus and Serena Williams believes. What’s his evidence? Well, he has none, but evidence is never necessary to prove racism. Simply uttering the charge (in public preferably) is all that’s needed.
AP: Women’s tour CEO Larry Scott reacts to Richard Williams’ remarks on racism
WTA head Larry Scott said Thursday that he strongly disagrees with comments made by Richard Williams, father of Serena and Venus, regarding racism on the women’s tour.
Saying he was disappointed by Williams’ recent remarks during an interview in India, Scott said in a statement: “The Tour has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to racism, and I have previously let Mr. Williams know that he should let me know if he ever had evidence of racist comments or acts in women’s professional tennis.”
While his daughters were playing earlier this month in Bangladore, India, where Venus reached the quarterfinals and Serena won the title, Williams told the Deccan Herald, “Well, I’m black and I’m prejudiced, very prejudiced. People are prejudiced in tennis. I don’t think Venus or Serena was ever accepted by tennis. They never will be.”
He said the media treated his daughters unfairly, that it was “the worst media job that they have done on any human being in the world,” and that if he were Serena and Venus, he would have quit playing.
“But if you get some little white no-good trasher in America like Tracy Austin or Chris Evert, who cannot hit the ball, they (the media) will claim this is great,” he said.
Scott said, “Champions like Chris Evert and Tracy Austin have done so much to help build women’s tennis to where it is today, and it is regrettable that anyone would criticize them in this manner.”
The Williams sisters haven’t played at Indian Wells since 2001. They were booed after Venus pulled out of a semifinal match against her sister, citing knee tendinitis. Serena went on to win the title, but was booed during and after the championship match.
Note the lack of self-awareness. This loud mouth of a father believes the world takes racist attitudes around his daughters, but smearing two white women as “little white no-good trasher[s]” who “can’t hit the ball” is alright.
Maybe if the Williams sisters were less arrogant, less unlikeable, they might be treated a little better. Call me crazy.
But with a father like this who smears people with baseless accusations of racism while insulting two of the best tennis players in history, any wonder why his daughters carry on the way they do?
Filed under: Everything Else , arrogance, Chris Evert, Larry Scott, Richard Williams, Serena Williams, Tracy Austin, Venus Williams, WTA
