John McEnroe figuratively got his teat in a ringer the other day when he, in an interview on his latest book, said that Serena Williams, were she playing on the men’s tour, would be ranked at about 700th in the world.
Sportswriters – mainly of the female type – were left clutching their pearls at this audacious and mind-numbingly tone deaf gaffe. How could he say such a thing?
More serene pundits also noted that Mac has at various times opined that Serena was undoubtedly the greatest WOMAN player of all time, and possibly the greatest athlete (allowing for her gender) of all time. But still…
Are we mature enough as a society to see that this remark is merely the open statement of an uncomfortable (for some) reality? What if he were talking about marathoners, and said that if there were no gender separation in the race awards no woman would ever place in the top 100 in an elite international marathon? In that case, his assertion would be obviously true. What about bowlers, golfers, swimmers, wrestlers, baseball players, or basketball players. In all of these cases, there would be little or no argument that even the topiest top, top female players are nowhere near as “good” as the best men. Because men are bigger and stronger, advantages that are more and more striking, the higher up you go in the skill chart.
I wonder if Mac is positioning himself for a “Bobby Riggs” match, to be held as soon as Serena fully recovers from childbirth. Would that be a television bonanza or what?
Where do I get my tickets?
Sportswriters – mainly of the female type – were left clutching their pearls at this audacious and mind-numbingly tone deaf gaffe. How could he say such a thing?
More serene pundits also noted that Mac has at various times opined that Serena was undoubtedly the greatest WOMAN player of all time, and possibly the greatest athlete (allowing for her gender) of all time. But still…
Are we mature enough as a society to see that this remark is merely the open statement of an uncomfortable (for some) reality? What if he were talking about marathoners, and said that if there were no gender separation in the race awards no woman would ever place in the top 100 in an elite international marathon? In that case, his assertion would be obviously true. What about bowlers, golfers, swimmers, wrestlers, baseball players, or basketball players. In all of these cases, there would be little or no argument that even the topiest top, top female players are nowhere near as “good” as the best men. Because men are bigger and stronger, advantages that are more and more striking, the higher up you go in the skill chart.
I wonder if Mac is positioning himself for a “Bobby Riggs” match, to be held as soon as Serena fully recovers from childbirth. Would that be a television bonanza or what?
Where do I get my tickets?
