Monday, June 1, 2009

Serena Williams is on a Path to Image Destruction



The American sports world was taken by storm when Serena Williams exploded onto the professional tennis scene in 1999.

With an unusual geographical and cultural background for an American tennis player, Williams, along with her older sister Venus, consistently made national sports news with big tournament wins.

After winning a few smaller tournaments, Williams solidified her position as one of the world’s best when, as a seventh-seed, she upset #4 Monica Seles, #2 Lindsay Davenport and #1 Martina Hingis to win the 1999 U.S. Open Women’s Singles title, becoming just the second African-American woman (after Althea Gibson) to win a Grand Slam singles tournament.

Throughout the next 10 years Williams would be a staple at the top of the women’s world tennis rankings (reaching No. 1 on four separate occasions), winning a total of 20 Grand Slam titles (10 in singles, eight in doubles, two in mixed doubles), two Olympic gold medals and posting an incredible 420-88 record in match play.

Off the court, Williams has also made a big name in the fashion and entertainment world, along with earning millions in endorsements, and has become a larger-than-life sports celebrity superstar.

But after years of building her public image into an enormously successful and popular brand, Williams has been slowly chipping away at that brand with repeated ill advised quotes in the media.

The most recent of Williams’ inappropriate statements occurred this weekend in Paris during and after her third-round match win over Martinez Sanchez at the French Open.

A controversial play in which a ball hit by Williams apparently nicked Sanchez’s arm before bouncing off her racket for a return past Williams, giving Sanchez the point and game (an incorrect call if the ball hit Sanchez), ignited a series of ugly verbal fire between the two players.

Obviously unhappy with the call, Williams tried to say something to Sanchez during the changeover, but the player just kept walking. Williams then directed her anger at the chair umpire, facetiously saying, “I felt so bad. I didn’t mean to hit her.”

Williams continued her poor display of sportsmanship by uttering, “I don’t know why you gave her the game. That’s totally not cool...She better not come to the net again...Well, you know, I am from Compton, so, you know . . .”

Even after the match, which she won, Williams had a chance to compose herself but continued the petty bickering.

“I didn’t ‘think’ the ball touched her, the ball did touch here – 100 percent – on her arm,” Williams complained. "So the ball hit her body, and therefore, she should have lost the point – instead of cheating.”

If this was the first example of a poor display of class I believe most fans and sponsors would let it slide. It’s understandable when an athlete makes an inappropriate statement in the heat of the moment.

Understandable...but not acceptable.

However, Williams has been developing a new public persona over the last few years where she’s apparently not concerned as to how she comes across to her fans, sponsors and media, image-wise, and feels she can arrogantly boast whatever thoughts or emotions she’s experiencing without care of what anybody thinks.

If she continues this trend she’s really going to damage her public image and severely hurt all of the good-will she’s developed with the American sports fan.

Take Williams’ response to a media question a few weeks ago about Dinara Safina replacing her as the No. 1 ranked-player. “We all know who the real number one is,” Williams said. “Quite frankly, I’m the best in the world.”

How is someone supposed to root for, or even like, a player who makes that statement?

(Incidentally, Williams lost the very next match she played in the Italian Open after uttering that awful quote.)

The beginning of Williams’ arrogant outbursts and displays of poor sportsmanship can probably be traced back to her quarterfinal loss to Justine Henin in the 2007 U.S. Open.

Bringing a nasty disposition into the media room following the match, Williams initially refused to discuss her defeat (again, she’s in the media room). Williams finally offered this explanation for losing, “I just think she made a lot of lucky shots, and I made a lot of errors.”

That’s a statement a 5-year old would make.

Americans want to root for Williams and want to love her for her ferocious play on the court and unique style off it. But it’s tough to do so when she’s portrayed in the media as an arrogant whiner who disrespects her opponents.

Perhaps that’s not a fair assessment of the real Serena Williams. But that’s the image she’s presenting to the media.

Although America loves winners, winning doesn’t give you a free pass to act and say whatever you please.

Most fans and sponsors will eventually get tired of this act and disconnect with Williams if she continues it.

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