Serena Williams and Venus Williams are no strangers to claims against their womanhood. The names of both tennis legends were recently used by NFL legend Shannon Sharpe to prove his point to a user.
On Monday, the three-time Super Bowl champion went scorched earth on UFC Fighter Josh Hokit, who claimed former US President Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle Obama, was a man. Hokit’s false and inflammatory remarks came after he defeated Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn. After the win, he shouted:
“Michelle Obama is a man! Am I right, America?”
Shortly after the event, Sharpe blasted Hokit for his absurd claims, calling him a racist for shaming a black woman.
“When you go outside and try to take a jab at something, bro, come on, bro. You’re not that funny. You’re not that entertaining, and nobody thought you were funny,” Sharpe said on his show. “All you did was perpetuate a racial stereotype that they’ve been saying for years.
Sharpe further added that the Williams sisters faced the same thing for so many years. The former NFL star accused the other race of always trying to shame people of color.
“They said the same thing about Venus and Serena,” Sharpe said. “Every time a Black woman becomes something, some people from that side try to take a shot at them. It’s been going on. I mean, when is it gonna be enough? You don’t see us get in position, we don’t do anything like that. We don’t take shots at nobody like that. But they do it all the time and it’s cool.”
Under this post, Sam Eldridge, an X user who recognizes himself as “Voice for patriots, MAGA & global pushback,” asked Sharpe to name the black woman who was accused of man, like Michelle. Easily, Sharpe named the two tennis legends.
“Venus, Serena Williams.”
Serena Williams and Venus Williams Had Suffered Racial Misogyny
Serena Williams and Venus Williams are the benchmark names in women’s tennis but they suffered racial misogyny on their way up. The Williams sisters faced racist taunts, sexist remarks, scrutiny of their bodies, and accusations unlike their white peers at the time.
In the 2001 Indian Wells Finals against Kim Clijsters, Serena suffered constant booing, abusive remarks and her unforced errors were getting celebrated all in front of her father Richard Williams and sister Venus. This is when she decided to boycott the tournament and vowed not to return until 2015.
In her essay in Time Magazine, she wrote:
“The false allegations – that our matches were fixed – hurt, cut and ripped into us deeply. The undercurrent of racism was painful, confusing and unfair.”
This is just one example. Serena, in particular, was frequently portrayed as “too muscular” or “too masculine.” In all fairness, both sisters battled a lot of racism. Despite that, they didn’t let those remarks make them any less confident.
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