Sexism is nothing new in the world of sports, and the most recent display of the double standards against women was on September 8th during the U.S. Open final game match between Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams. During the game various incidents occured in which the umpire, Carlos Ramos, issued Serena Williams violations for actions committed, which the United States Tennis Association also fined her a heavy sum. The first violation was due to supposedly receiving coaching on the side lines and second one was for slamming her racket on the floor. However,the final one was for calling the umpire a “thief”, without receiving a “first warning” as it is generally given to men for saying much worse things, William received a violation and fine of $10,000 for “verbal abuse.” This violation caused her to openly question the umpire saying “There are men out here that do a lot worse; but, because I am a woman, you’re going to take this away from me? That is not right.” The controversy of the match sparked comments from many tennis players expressing their disagreement with the calls of the umpire. Billie Jean King, tennis legend and long time fighter for women rights in the sport, expressed in a tweet: “When a woman is emotional, she’s “hysterical” and she’s penalized for it. When a man does the same, he’s “outspoken” & there are no repercussions. Thank you, @serenawilliams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same.” Some male counterpart players such as James Blake and Andy Roddick also expressed how they have said much worse things during matches and have never been penalized for it. The game continuing as if nothing had happened after the violation was a display of the pure sexism that women in the sports world have sadly had to endure. Serena Williams standing up for herself with the support of many other female and male players, show that the sexism is as clear as day and will not be left as it is without a fight. Sources: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/remysmidt/tennis-players-stunned-wi… https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/09/09/serena-is-still-treate…
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FIU chapter.