Richard Williams conquers prejudice with even more prejudice
Richard Williams, a man famous only for producing two talented daughters, was deemed worthy of interview last week. The old timer used it as an opportunity to thoroughly embarrass his offspring:
Tennis is a prejudice game. Well, I’m Black and I’m prejudiced, very prejudiced. I’ll be always prejudiced as the White man. The White man hated me all my life and I hate him. That’s no secret. I’m not even an American, it just so happens that I was born in America. People are prejudiced in tennis. I don’t think Venus or Serena was ever accepted by tennis. They never will be. But if you get some little White no good trasher in America like Tracy Austin or Chris Evert who cannot hit the ball, they will claim this is great.
After displaying the kind of racism that would make the actor who played Kramer in Seinfeld proud, Williams went on to criticise those in the game who have only learnt one trade:
There were taught that there is a life behind the baseline. If you look at most of your tennis players when they are finished playing tennis, where are they going? Look at (John) McEnroe, (Martina) Navratilova, Vijay Amritraj, look at all of them. All their lives they have been in sports, where are they now? Do you want that for your child?
You go spend 20 years playing tennis and another 20 years announcing tennis, that is 40 years of your life, you mean, you never learnt anything else!?
So, Richard, people like McEnroe who can only do one thing (at the highest level in their field) are losers. And that makes you, with no accomplishments beyond a good gene pool, what exactly? It’s a little like the kettle calling the pot… nevermind.
8 responses so far
1 Wunian // Mar 20, 2008 at 1:53 pm
how does he feel then that both his daughters have dated white men then?
i feel strongly about shit like this, i’m a white guy in a relationship with a black girl and views like this are messed up… how would it be if i don’t know david beckhams dad came out and said he was racist? there would be a hate campaign against it.
racism doesn’t fit in anywhere, prejudice or what ever coating you want to give it.
this guy is a prick.
2 bristle // Mar 20, 2008 at 2:04 pm
not only is he a prick but he seems to have no realisation that some people take what he says as the views of his daughters. How wonderful they must find it to have such an arsehole not only as their manager but also as someone who would claim to have brought them up.
I like Serena and Venus and have serious worries as to how they turned out so seemingly well adjusted with that as a father
3 Jo A. Murphy // Mar 20, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Richard Williams did not tell a lie. When Venus and Serena came into the tennis world. White People hated them, not all but most. They have had to take abuse from white fans and players. Yes, it some ways it has lighten up, but the prejudice will always be there. I could not watch Venus or Serena play when Chris or Tracy was the commentators not without mute on. People the abuse that his daughters have had to take, shouldn’t he feel the way he does, why, because them is his daughters. Stop pretending as though what he said is not true, how much of it is still true……..
Be honest with yourself…
4 wunian // Mar 20, 2008 at 3:39 pm
i am being honest with myself, it’s the one dimensional views of people like him and yourself that keep this world racist. A select few people are racist why should racial segregation exist when its just the minority supporting it? really?
his daughters were on the front and back page of every paper when they won wimbledon… whats racist about that?
come on now and realise this is a new era, the majority of us dont care what colour the skin is.
5 just me // Mar 21, 2008 at 2:02 am
I see where Richard is coming from,I mean yeah its a bit harsh but its kinda true.
they weren’t accepted when they first started.when they were up there and winning and stepping the game up thats when white people started to accept. BUT NOT ALL. you know just like last year when serena played at sony ericsson. Im sure white people are taking offence to what richard said but THINK ABOUT IT african american people had it worse!
6 arse biscuit // Mar 21, 2008 at 10:25 am
Richard Williams may be a dick, but he does have good reason to hate the tennis establishment (to be honest who would support the tennis establishment with its privileged, country club attitudes) - America had no choice but support the Williams sisters because outside of Davenport they havent had any white female players during their generation to get behind.
7 Robert Young // Mar 24, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Richard Williams was racist from the beginning. In 1990, when Martina Navratilova beat Zina Garrison (a black woman) at Wimbledon, Richard Williams said that one day Serena or Venus would win more Wimbledon titles than Martina’s 9. Hasn’t happened.
8 akan // Jul 4, 2008 at 3:35 pm
It does not take much for any human being to feel superior to another (how ironic that we are equal in that measure). White people have been told for many centuries that they are superior, do you think that humans change over night. We still live in a world were people of African descent are regarded as inferior by many including themselves. . Racism is like radiation residue remains. Take a good look around the world, we humans love to cling to the notion that we are superior to each other. What is it with people with partners from other cultures (we all belong to the same race) are you foolish enough to think that some how you or your children are less incline to be racist. Please give me a break.