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Introduction to Discrimination in Sports: Althea Gibson versus Serena Williams
Althea Gibson versus Serena Williams: How Far Has the Society Gone in Shunning Discrimination Against Groups of People? The call for society to advocate for equality and shun discriminatory practices has been one of the outstanding agendas for many human and social development advocacies. Indeed, the subject is important since addressing discrimination is mandated by the constitution, which recognizes every person should be treated equally regardless of background and cultural disposition.
Shunning discrimination is also a recipe for social and sustainable development because it stands against processes such as marginalization, exclusion, and disenfranchisement of some individuals. In the United States, the advocacy has all been common, orchestrated by the nation’s richness in diverse and multiracial populations and history of discrimination.
Yet the nation lends itself as a unique case amidst the divided views on the state of discrimination. Some groups hold that country is a post-discrimination society, while others argue the problem is still very rampant. Such a scenario invites the question of what could be the actual situation. Closely related to the question is, if discrimination exists, what is its nature and form? Has there been any change? If so, what could have changed? Engaging in the discussion is a means through which the issue can be understood and further addressed.
One way of approaching the subject is comparing past and present experiences of athletes, for instance, Althea Gibson versus Serena William. A comparison of the experiences of these two athletes provides evidence that although there have been significant changes oriented towards accommodating diversity, little has changed about gender and racial discrimination. One will quickly notice that, in both cases, despite their success in sports, they struggle with open discrimination in public, characterized by biased treatment and disparities in income following patriarchal dominance and racism inherent to the society.
Discrimination: Public Treatment
Despite their big successes, such as winning the Wimbledon titles, both sports stars faced discrimination because of their gender and color. The most outstanding form of discrimination that Althea Gibson faced was racism and gender bias. She joined the professional support at the time of racial segregation. The tennis sport was an all-white game, and blacks were not permitted to the United States National Championships. While many changes followed, allowing her to be the first black woman to feature in the championship, she had to contend with different forms of racial attacks. For instance, she was not welcome at many clubs holding the tournament. The sport continued to be overly represented by the whites. Despite her growing popularity, she would be denied rooms at hotels. In one notable case, one hotel turned down reservations for a luncheon in her honor.
Many a time, whenever she stepped on the lawns to play, she would be constantly bombarded with degrading racial epithets and vilifications. Many of her wins went unrecognized just because of her color. Her story was also underrepresented in the mainstream media, which often opted to cover white celebrities. In light of the heightened racism, Althea Gibson had to nurture the spirit of courage, telling herself she was not playing the game for the whites but for herself. Like Muhammad Ali, this spirit made her an icon of black power.
Despite the time difference, the story of Serena Williams is not any different from Althea Gibson’s. Her discrimination experience is both racial and sexist. In one of the notable cases of racial discrimination and sexism, Shamil Tarpischev, the Russian Tennis Federation President, was forced to make a public apology to Serena William and her sister after he referred to them “as “brothers” who were so “scary” to look at. These remarks, which Serena termed as both sexist and racist, elicited a sharp public reaction and cost Tarpischev a one-year ban by the Women’s Tennis Association and a fine. On another occasion, Serena has been reportedly ridiculed by the mainstream media, including social media, for her powerful body image of 5’9″ height and 150 pounds weight.
Popular media, including social media, is always seeking to characterize her image based on the socially-constructed standards of an ideal woman, such as light skin color and slenderness. Because she does not accurately fit into this standard frame, Serena is often ridiculed and vilified for being less of a beautiful woman. She has also been unfairly targeted in drug tests. When she was a child, she was discouraged from playing tennis because of her race. In this regard, like Althea Gibson, one can infer that Serena Williams continues to endure modern-day discrimination that is so profound in form and nature that her success stories are sacrificed over body image.
Pay Gap — Reward and Compensation Matters
Both Althea Gibson and Serena Williams had compensation problems that can be best attributed to gender and racial discrimination. At the height of her career, Althea was compelled to quit tennis for another well-paying opportunity, such as singing and golfing, since women’s tennis was not offering a sustainable income, much less for a woman of color. The patriarchal and racist society of the time invested in male-dominant sports and white-representative sports, planting a huge income disparity between different groups of tennis players.
Indeed, for most of her tennis career, she lived with roommates and lacked income, surviving on the generosity of others (Alvarez). Had she not quit, she would have gone further to win many other titles since she was the most dominant player. At one moment, Althea is reported to have been contemplating suicide when a close tennis friend opted to fundraise $1 million from her fans (Editor). Essentially, Althea’s experience creates the allowance for one to argue that discrimination limited her career.
Serena William presents a similar experience. As documented by Editor, although she ranks first as the world’s best tennis player, she does not command the market of the corporate world. She compared poorly with other white tennis players, such as Maria Sharapova. Indeed, based on Forbes magazine, Maria Sharapova is ranked the world’s highest-paid player following endorsements. Interestingly, she has lost to Serena Williams in 18 out of 20 tennis encounters, yet on the overall list of highly-paid men and women, Sharapova ranks 12th and Williams 20th. The effect of gender differences on remunerations is also significant. For instance, the income of Roger Federer, a dominant male tennis player, is $731,000, while Serena Williams is $495,000.
As Rothenberg highlights, whereas the compensation of men and women in tennis is fairly comparable to other sports, there is a disparity in income across gender. Female tennis players earn 80 percent of what male tennis players get. These differences mirror the position of women in other professions, which Musabyimana notes needs to be addressed . This view is further echoed by Senne, who notes that gender equity is still problematic in sports. The table below summarizes the income disparities with background disposition. Evidently, these figures sent a strong message that, despite the test of time, patriarchal dominance is still common.
Worldview — Current Public Profile and World Image
Both Althea Gibson and Serena Williams are famous figures, having posited exemplary performance in tennis while enduring various forms of discrimination. Consequently, their success story and experience have secured them a place position in women’s liberation in the male-dominated society, as well as the discourse of minority struggle for equality against racism. Althea was a black American tennis player who was celebrated for defying racial barriers to become the best international player of her time. She was the first African American to win the French Open Championship in 1956. She would later win the United States Nationals and Wimbledon in 1957.
Later, in 1958, she was voted the best Female Athlete of the year, an award organized by the Associated Press. During her time in tennis, she won 11 Grand Slam titles, including singles, doubles, mixed doubles, and Wimbledon titles. Because of her success against the odds of racial discrimination, she became an embodiment of black Americans’ struggle against racism. She became the role model and motivation for many other generations of black sportsmen and women that followed.
Like Althea Gibson, Serena Williams also commands a popular profile. She is particularly perceived as a symbol embodying the strength of a black woman and her determination to fight social obstacles. Serena is particularly celebrated for revolutionizing tennis using an outstanding playing style that has enabled her to win many Grand Slams titles more than any other woman. In light of rampant gender bias and discrimination against women of color, she has presented herself as a fearless advocate of change. Indeed, she has been equivocal in advocating for change against racism and sexism. In this regard, the two women are similar because they are competitive.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is indisputable that a comparison of the life of Althea Gibson and Serena Williams provides evidence that, although there have been significant changes oriented towards accommodating diversity, there is little that has changed about gender and racial discrimination. The two women share many similarities. In both cases, the two sportswomen particularly struggle with open discrimination in public, characterized by biased treatment and disparities in income following male dominance and racism inherent to society. Althea Gibson joined tennis and became the best player at the time of heightened racial segregation. She had to contend with racial discrimination and vilification.
These discriminatory forces limited her income from sports, causing her to earn less compared to her male and white peers. She had to make a choice to quit early because the income was unsustainable. The story of Serena Williams is not any different. Despite the change of time characterized by institutional change seeking to combat discrimination and her exemplary performance in tennis, Serena has reportedly experienced sexist, gender, and racial discrimination. She earns less than male players and white peers.
Meanwhile, because of their shared similarities, both Althea Gibson and Serena Williams have become role models and inspirations for women of color aspiring to earn a living from sports amidst rampant discrimination. Most importantly, the story of the two sends a strong message that there is still a lot that needs to be done to realize gender and racial diversity inclusion.
Works Cited
- Alvarez, A. (2017, December 22). At The Height Of Her Tennis Career, Althea Gibson Turned To Golf. Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2017/12/22/althea-gibson-golf
- Editor. (2015, September 15). Racism and Black tennis players. Workers. Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.workers.org/2015/09/15/racism-and-black-tennis-players/#
- Malm, S. (2016, August 2). The remarks still hurt: Serena Williams reveals she suffered racism on and off the court and was told to give up tennis dreams while growing up because she is black. Dailymail. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- Morris, R. (2014, October 4). The Legacy of Althea Gibson. Independent Institute. Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.independent.org/news/article.asp?id=5132
- Musabyimana, A. (2018). Race and gender at work: men’s and women’s experiences. Proceedings of the National Conferences On Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2018 University of Central Oklahoma Edmond, Oklahoma April 5-7, 2018.
- Prather, C., Fuller, T., & Jeffries, W. (2018). Racism, African American Women, and their sexual and reproductive health: A review of historical and contemporary evidence and implications for health equity. Health Equity, 2(1), 249–259.
- Rothenberg, B. (2016, April 14). Roger Federer, $731,000; Serena Williams, $495,000: The pay gap in tennis. Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.independent.org/news/article.asp?id=5132
- Schwartz, L. (n.d.). Althea Gibson broke barriers. Retrieved February 27, 2019, from [provide URL if available]
- Scott, D. (2018, July 25). Serena Williams says she’s facing discrimination over frequent drug tests. Businessinsider. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
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