Serena and Naomi's Women's U.S. Open Final: An Autopsy

For any of those who saw the Women’s US Open Final yesterday AND who have read the post match commentary by fans:

I’m not writing this because the tennis match was more important than
it is but because the behavior during and after the match illustrates
all too well the power of celebrity culture and the power of the mob
mentality.
I watched the match and I have been reading much of the individual twitter responses (including a surprising one from
Billie Jean King).

Naomi Osaka of Japan defeated Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4 to win the U.S. Open. The match was overshadowed by several Serena tirades. One that cost her a point and the other which cost her a game penalty. Serena complained to the umpire and cried and discussed her honor and the honor of her daughter and she pointed a finger at the chair umpire and demanded an apology for what seemed to go on for several games. In the end, the crowd supported her. We all should know why by now. She is an uber celebrity and an American. In a typical demonstration of mob mentality the U.S. Open crowd booed in support of a totally childish and boorish and abusive Serena Williams. Their booing came at the expense of first time champion Naomi Osaka who clearly dominated the match from beginning to end, controversies, penalties, and tirades, notwithstanding.

The whole thing reminds me of Trump-ism. A celebrity dumps on an
anonymous minion (chair umpire, member of the media, handicapped
reporter, etc..) and people stop thinking critically. They don’t think
clearly. We in America love celebrities above all else. It makes no difference how you became a celebrity. If you are rich and powerful then you get the benefit of all doubts. It just makes no sense.

While berating the chair umpire for legitimately giving her a warning for a coaching violation, Serena was able to introduce sexism into the discussion. Her coach clearly was trying to coach her. He admitted
it. Replays showed it clearly. The umpire gave Serena a “warning” for
what is a violation. Billie Jean King later said “coaching should be allowed”. So
what! It isn't allowed by the rules. King’s comments are bizarre. It
was merely a warning and Serena, appearing ignorant fell apart and
defended her character and her daughter’s honor. What? This had nothing to do with Serena’s honor. The warning was legitimately levied
because of the coach’s actions. He never said Serena was cheating. She
should have watched the replay before acting so foolishly and paranoid.

Then, she broke her racquet by smashing it on the court. That is a
clear racquet violation. It's a point penalty. It’s not a subjective judgment. It’s a clear
call. Serena should take responsibility for that. Maybe smashing
rackets should be legal but it is not according to the rules.
Then,
Serena consistently verbally abused the umpire. She kept coming back
time after time. She treated him like a lesser being. “You’ll
never work a match with me as long as you live”. That’s a threat and
intimidation for making a call. That’s totally inappropriate.. “You
are a thief, a liar”, she said. It was then the umpires judgement call
(subjective) to issue a game penalty for verbal abuse. You can say that
you wish he had let her get away with the abuse but her actions
certainly qualify as verbal abuse. Yet, because Serena is a celebrity
her actions and behavior and infractions are ignored by fans and the
blame is levied on the umpire. He is called a racist (by some on twitter) and a sexist. He
is labeled a sexist by Billie Jean King. This is cray cray. People act
in packs. It explains mob mentality, lynchings, gang rape, and even
this issue over a tennis match. It certainly explains how we got Trump. A celebrity was able to pull out the
sexist card instead of taking responsibility for childish and abusive
behavior AND, the mob supported her. Celebrities aren't held responsible for their actions. They can get away with anything....think about it, maybe.

“When you find yourself thinking like the majority, think again” - Mark Twain