[Flikemommoilt]

Remember when Serena had that racist heckler in Miami who she had ejected? She keeps going back there...

The Miami folks took action. The Indian Wells folks did not.

Plus, there's a big difference between 1 person and thousands.

[mloversia]

It couldn't matter to me any less whether racist comments were made or not. Though that would make Richard, and Venus to some degree, a liar. But you don't have to scream the "n" word at folks to make it abundantly clear that, for at least some in the audience, there were serious, racist undertones to their actions on that day.

Every time people criticizes/booes/doesn't like the sisters there will be someone seeing racist undertones to it... I'm not saying they don't exist in some of those people, but the race question pollutes the whole debate and can be used either way. The question is larger: were the insults something made up by Richard later? was boycotting the tournament an adequate reaction from them? how to handle this situation in light of the new rules? are they getting a free pass, then?

[BaselBimbooooo]

I've avoided watching the 2001 Indian Wells final.

Until today. This is what I wrote two games into it:

I'm two games into the match.

Two games.

Having grown up not too far away, Indian Wells was like a home tournament for the sisters.

And you can imagine what's going through Richard Williams' mind, son of a Louisiana sharecropper, as the crowd boos his daughter, reminding him of the booing crowds [mobs] right before they strung somebody up on tree.

He holds out his cell phone during the boos so who's ever on the other end can get a sense of what's going on.

But I'm sure you had to be there to really know.

If I were them, I wouldn't step foot on that property for as long as I drew breath.

It's chilling.

And it looks like it could have been avoided. Pam Shriver says that the tournament officials prepared the ushers for the likely atmosphere.

I'm going to repeat that:

Tournament officials told Pam Shriver that they prepared the ushers for the likely atmosphere.

They saw it coming and they allowed it to happen.

I'm all for free speech, but the tournament director could have simply made a statement before the final verifying Venus' injury and apologizing to the fans on behalf of the event for a situation that, while unfortunate, is entirely understandable. S/he may have even added that athletes get injured at inopportune moments. A player can begin a match and twist her ankle in the first game and be forced to retire. But from all of the tests Venus underwent from all of the resident experts, there was no match fixing going on. They were certain of this and I ask all of you to give these two great finalists the respect they deserve. Enjoy the match.

Or something like that.

It didn't happen. And who knows what went on behind the scenes between the semi and the final anyway. I'm not going to use the "R" word to describe anyone's behavior because it's too incendiary.

But I'm taking my time getting to the end of the match because I feel haunted just watching the damn thing on YouTube.

For me, that is the crux. How do the sisters feel? That's all that matters.

Credit to them: they haven't made this some big political issue. They haven't asked any other player to take up their cause and boycott the event in order to promote justice, or some such. They don't talk about it unless asked, and even then, they have little to say.

They have simply made their choices based upon what they experienced, the extent of which none of us probably know because we're not them and we weren't behind the scenes, and that's that.

They don't need to get over it. They are free women. They don't have to play the event if they don't feel like it.

If they don't want to walk into a haunted house, why should anyone else really care?

[Injurnerona]

Racial slurs are unacceptable. With that said, it seems unlikely to me that there were more than a few people yelling anything racial. It is especially suspicious given the main source is Richard Williams who is a big idiot whose integrity is very suspect. The secondary source is Venus who you would expect would protect her father.

So, I don't really believe that there was a significant racial aspect to this other than a possible moron or two who should have been ejected if they could be found.

In many sports, athletes are booed. Often this is for no good reason. Vince Carter is mercilessly booed when he plays basketball in Toronto because of the way he left the team. He plays on. Many teams or people are booed when the put in subpar performance. We, as tennis fans, are usually more polite. Every athlete needs to get over the booing. It's part of the risk that's taken.

I think it's definitely plausible that given Richard Williams was involved that the match was fixed. It was not a ridiculous conclusion and the fans booed. Get over, take your money and move on.

The Williams can skip the event but there should be no special exemptions and they can face the penalty if that's what they choose to do.

They should take the high road and return. This sort of stupid grudge is an example of why we humans get in so many pointless battles in which no one wins.

[Flikemommoilt]

Every time people criticizes/booes/doesn't like the sisters there will be someone seeing racist undertones to it... I'm not saying they don't exist in some of those people, but the race question pollutes the whole debate and can be used either way. The question is larger: were the insults something made up by Richard later? was boycotting the tournament an adequate reaction from them? how to handle this situation in light of the new rules? are they getting a free pass, then?

Lots of people criticize either or both of the sisters (or their father) for a variety of reasons, and the subject of race doesn't factor into my mind at all. But Indian Wells was a different situation. For me, the question has always been, "Why were so many people so eager and so willing to assume the worst about the sisters?" Keep in mind that this was before Agassi had to withdraw before a final and went on court to apologize to the fans... Andre might have done that anyway, but I'll tell you this much, after what happened at Indian Wells, he certainly had no choice.

If Richard made things up, he'll get his one day, if he hasn't already. Karma is a bitch. And it don't miss a beat.

And I don't think either sisters has gotten a free pass from anyone on anything. In fact, except maybe for Navratilova, I can't think of any female tennis players who have been more scrutinized... and often, mercilessly raked over the coals (wait, are we counting Renee Richards? ).

Case in point... The Drucker piece is the FIFTH highly biased, downright vitriolic piece I've read on this subject SINCE THIS MORNING. I have yet to see one piece that looks at the situation from either an inpartial or even sympathetic viewpoint. And all of them ended the same way... With what was basically a plea for the WTA to take action against them.

So when I hear people say that it's time to move on and put this ugly moment behind us, then such statements should be directed less often at the sisters and more often at folks like Drucker.

[Savviioor]

The WTA drawsheets for IW say Premium Mandatory -- if it's mandatory, then they should have to pay a fine for not showing up, isn't that the rule?

[verybigf]

Racial slurs are unacceptable. With that said, it seems unlikely to me that there were more than a few people yelling anything racial. It is especially suspicious given the main source is Richard Williams who is a big idiot whose integrity is very suspect. The secondary source is Venus who you would expect would protect her father.

So, I don't really believe that there was a significant racial aspect to this other than a possible moron or two who should have been ejected if they could be found.

In many sports, athletes are booed. Often this is for no good reason. Vince Carter is mercilessly booed when he plays basketball in Toronto because of the way he left the team. He plays on. Many teams or people are booed when the put in subpar performance. We, as tennis fans, are usually more polite. Every athlete needs to get over the booing. It's part of the risk that's taken.

I think it's definitely plausible that given Richard Williams was involved that the match was fixed. It was not a ridiculous conclusion and the fans booed. Get over, take your money and move on.

The Williams can skip the event but there should be no special exemptions and they can face the penalty if that's what they choose to do.

They should take the high road and return. This sort of stupid grudge is an example of why we humans get in so many pointless battles in which no one wins.

I have read lots of IW threads on various forums and this kind of post is one of the reasons I don't partake in them.

And you know what, I think I'll excuse myself for now.

Foxy

[bonyrek]

To me, there has always been some vital behind-the-scenes piece of this story missing that would definitively explain why the WS won't even consider coming back to IW. I think someone mentioned upthread that they have been booed at several venues the world over, and they come back to play those tournaments.

[Injurnerona]

I have read lots of IW threads on various forums and this kind of post is one of the reasons I don't partake in them.

And you know what, I think I'll excuse myself for now.

Foxy

I didn't mean to offend. If I've expressed an opinion that causes someone to withdraw from debate then I've obviously expressed something in a way that I shouldn't have.

I apologize and I really mean that.

[Flikemommoilt]

The WTA drawsheets for IW say Premium Mandatory -- if it's mandatory, then they should have to pay a fine for not showing up, isn't that the rule?

There are "loopholes", kandi. Some articles mention doing promotion work for the event (Venus said a few weeks ago that she'd be doing promotional work associated with Indian Wells); some say you can do other promotional events in the 51 weeks following the event; one article even mentioned some kind of charity work as a loophole.

So, to answer your question, no, it's not really mandatory. None of them are.

Should Maria be fined, too? She's playing doubles but not singles. I think that's perfectly understandable. But if we're going to advocate strict enforcement of the non-rule... She also has said she'll be doing promotional work at Indian Wells. So it seems to be within the rules... Or non-rules, depending on how you look at it.