An Additional Postscript On "OMG, is That White Tennis Player Racist ?!"

A few responses on Twitter from the critical post down below. Now Sports TV producer Jeff Freeman, who is a good sir, definitely does a great job of being aware of racial problems in America and globally. I give him credit for that.

But there are a few troubling things from his comments below: 

Freeman said in that section of highlighted tweets above, "However when you're in a position of celebrity as she is, she has to be so careful. People could definitely be offended and, just because Serena thinks it's fine, doesn't mean it may not offend someone else. I agree with you on the most part but not everyone is open-minded and intelligent. She needs to be mindful of the audience where she is doing this." 

I have a major problem with this, and why us in the news media have got to stop treating the audience like ignorant and not intelligent spectators.

The ONLY people who have a right to be offended are those who actually know what is going on and what is being perceived, and that is the problem here.

We have to stop treating people in TV as kids and instead as adults, and inform them of any wrong things in the field of news that we cover. If people are still offended, then they are fully being irrational and frankly idiotic in that instance. That is their problem, not rational society's problem.

At what limits do we set on Wozniacki by telling her to limit what she does and when she does it, especially when SHE IS NOT committing a shameful action here?

So now Wozniacki has to act a certain way and not be as candid because she would offend "some people?" Nonsense.

Wozniacki should be mindful if she is doing a frankly idiotic thing, and she is not here. Where was all this outrage last year? I really do need to know.

Frankly, this all comes down to us in America and globally being able to analyze racism and race issues well. And frankly sometimes, when we don't have all the facts and make lazy assumptions, we tend to be quite horrible in that department.

And also, Jon doesn't need a response from her about this to ask about the reaction. As I told him on Twitter, though it's great that he is cautious of just outright racist people in general and how it "looks bad," that he, like every other elite tennis journalists who knows the history of Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams, need to correct them.

If prominent tennis journalists did their job and had a consistent vocal presence, they would prevent non-tennis news sources from crying racism and leading to broad, inaccurate discussions out in the mainstream public on this story, like on ABC's The View today:


Could have all been avoided if tennis journalists got out on the story and actually had courage to correct people on this. Sadly, when we don't have enough diversity in those positions to handle race related subjects in a sport now not featuring exclusively white people, then that tends to happen.

Further Thoughts On Other Tweet Responses

The assumption that all black women, especially black American women, have the same physique as Serena, made by even black people. 

We (and I mean everyone, every race) have got to get past that, because it is not true. Venus Williams and Serena would tell you that, and basically every rational person not scared of the simple truth, whether a black women or not. 

Finally, on this whole issue, I just wish people who aren't sports journalists with decent to large platforms in news media, whether TV, traditional print or online, actually talk to someone who is a sports analysis (and specifically one that's from a particular sport) to get the full narrative and actually know what's going on.

In fact, that needs to be the case with EVERY genre of news, no matter what it is. The world is too interconnected to not find someone in the news world who is an expert in that department of news you are writing or reporting about.

(More of on The Whole Delivery, later on today).