How often do you watch Tennis? Some of the best Tennis players are African American & play extremely well. Serena Williams quoted “I've always considered myself the best and the top. I never considered that I was out of it.” As of now, 2016, Serena Williams is one of the best female Tennis player to hit a Tennis ball, along her older sister Venus Williams. Serena has won 20 Grand Slams & Venus 11. The Two started playing when they were only 12 and 13 years old in the 90’s. They were taught to play by a book read by their father Richard Williams. Although the William sisters are great players, they’re not the only to achieve in Black success.
Althea Gibson was the first African American to win a Grand Slam, and first African American to play international not only did she play Tennis, she also was an Professional Golf player. Gibson turned professional in 1959, and made more history by becoming the first African-American competitor on the women’s pro golf tour in the 1960s. Althea Gibson has won five single Grand Slams alone. Ms. Gibson discovered Tennis was her talent during the 40’s & 50’s, during that time the Tennis court was closed to African Americans. That didn’t stop her from chasing her dreams, her skills could no longer be denied, and in 1951, she became the first African American to play at Wimbledon. Gibson won the women's
…show more content…
He won three Grand Slam titles, ranking him among the best tennis players from the United States. Arthur Ashe is the first African American to win the men's singles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Ashe learned that he had contracted AIDS via a blood transfusion, he turned his efforts to raising awareness of the disease. In 1963, Ashe became the first African American to be recruited by the U.S. Davis Cup team. In 1975, Ashe registered another upset by beating Jimmy Connors in the Wimbledon finals, marking another pioneering achievement within the African-American
Betty Marion White was born on January 17, 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois. She is the only child of Horace and Tess White, an electrical engineer and a house wife. At the age of two her and her family moved to Los Angeles. Betty White graduated from Beverly Hills High School California, in 1939 at 17. Betty started modeling they same year she graduated. She first did various radio shows in the 40s. But her first TV show was on Hollywood in Television in 1949. Whites first produced television show was Life with Elizabeth. "I was one of the first women producers in Hollywood."
...Brooks’ uses the late Arthur Ashe as an example of an athlete who succeeded at their sport but was also very intellectual; all while honoring Arthur Ashe for his contributions to tennis and society in general.
What is it like to live a life with Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD)? Narcissism is a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy. People with this disorder can be vindictive, selfish, cunning person. They do not care who is harmed or hurt. Abigail was the leader of all of the girls that were seen dancing and calling on evil spirits. Abigail would threaten the girls by saying if they said anything, she would kill or harm them severely. She wanted what she couldn’t have, so that made her psychologically unstable. Abigail William’s would be convicted in today’s court because she gave many threats to kill the girls who were with her the night they were dancing if they spoke up in court, her behavior caused harm to many even though she may not have physically done damage herself and due to previous court cases, some people diagnosed with Narcissism were found innocent due to their mental instability but others were guilty because they were mentally unstable. As it is shown, Narcissistic Personality Disorder causes her to be selfish, arrogant, dangerous, and obsess over the man she could not have, because Abigail threatened the girls she was with the night they were dancing, to not confess to anything in court.
At the time that Althea was emerging as a recognized tennis player, African American’s opportunities were somewhat limitied. One organization called the American Tennis Association provided tounament opportunities for African American tennis players. In 1942, Althea Gibson had her first landmark
Black excellence: a term that is possibly defined as the recognition and celebration of the successes of the black community. Lacking from the definition is the idea that the acknowledgement of the excellence for black community is directly correlated to the experience of racism. In order for black excellence to be acknowledged, you must discuss the racism it had to overcome in order to reach said excellence. In the essay entitled “The Meaning of Serena Williams”, author Claudia Rankine discusses the career of tennis phenomenon Serena Williams and the natural excellence that she embodies. Throughout the essay, Rankine explores the perceptions of Serena’s excellence in relation to her identity as a black woman. For Rankine, while she never explicitly defines black excellence, she refers to the phrase when she states, “Only after they give 150 percent will white Americans recognize black excellence for what it is” (Rankine). They, in this case, refers to the black community and the belief among the community that in order to achieve recognition for being excellent, you must work harder than members of the white community. Even when acknowledged, it is often hypocritical because the acknowledgement stems from the idea that despite being black, you were able to achieve some sort of excellence. This is the problem.
Billie Jean King is a pro tennis player who wanted the pay in sports to be equal for women. She won many tournaments such as Wimbledon women’s singles, U.S. Open singles and the French Open. “...first woman athlete to win more than $100,000 in a single year” (“Billie Jean King”). Billie Jean King noticed that women were not winning the same amount of men in prize money. Billie Jean King criticized the prize money that the women would recite. “... women were receiving
In conclusion, Arthur Ashe successfully accomplished his American Dream, earned admiration from many and was recognized as one of the greatest tennis player in the country. As one of the first African American male tennis player who overcame inequality, he became an inspiration to others and encouraged them to work hard for their dreams. It had been years ever since his death in 1993, yet his legacy still live on.
Billie Jean King is known as not only one of the best female tennis players of all time, but also as one of the leading activist in the LGBT community. Billie Jean King was born on November 22, 1943 in Long Beach, California. As a child King decided that she wanted to be the best women’s tennis player in the world, and she accomplished her goal in 1967. She went on to win multiple grand slams and went down as one of the best to ever play the game. King was married for 22 years from 1965 to 1987 even though she came out as lesbian in 1981 amid a lawsuit from her former female lover. King was one of the first openly gay athletes and she did not shy away from the public scrutiny that came along with it at the time. She lost all her sponsorships
Who really runs the world? Beyonce is running the music industry while climbing the charts, she truly knows what she’s doing. Being driven and striving for greatness will lead you to success. She may have had bumps in the road during her career and still could experience some, but she doesn’t give up. The power of one person can have an effect on people all over the World for a good cause or not. Beyonce, twenty time Grammy winner, uses her confidence towards her acting skills, and her musical talents to show and inspire other artists and people around the world.
Although African American professional athletes nowadays rarely suffer racism, nowadays African American professional athletes are the ones who are standing up for their community because of the early racism in their own lives, the hateful assumptions about their race, and the powerful voice they can project to this country. Oh my God, she’s gone crazy, you say to no one.” (p.69) This quote demonstrates the frustration of Serena Williams while going through these different altercations.
...more free to develop their game plans rather than their outfits before the match, but hopefully their sexuality will not be completely submerged by the game either. In an article entitled, "Absent Anna Has Sexy Impact," it was noted, "Serena Williams has no problems with Kournikova's beauty bringing a tennis boost even if the subject herself cannot take a title....The majority of the credit pretty much goes to the Williams sisters and Kournikova. Those three have really made the biggest difference in the amount of publicity, the amount of popularity in the sport." Hopefully, there will come a time in women's sports when all women will be recognized for their superior athleticism, and the unique sexuality of each individual female athlete will be appreciated for how it transforms, challenges, and redefines the social, political, and intellectual dimensions of sport.
Glamour and money are not the only components surrounding sports; many athletes experience what can be considered the dark side of sports. In the article The Meaning of Serena Williams by Claudia Rankine, some not so glamorous aspects of her life are highlighted. One of the most prominent rough parts of her life includes the racism that constantly surrounded her as an athlete. Whether it be the name calling and humiliation, or being paid less compared to a white woman, Serena has endured it all through her career; it is how she handles such cases that promotes her positive character.
Women sports have come a long way, since the days when women were only allowed to watch. “The past three decades have witnessed a steady growth in women's sports programs in America along with a remarkable increase in the number of women athletes (Daniel Frankl 2)” From an early age women were thought to be “Lady Like”; they are told not to get all sweaty and dirty. Over 200 years later since Maud Watson stepped on the tennis courts of Wimbledon (Sports Media digest 3); women now compete in all types and levels of sports from softball to National racing. Soccer fans saw Mia Hamm become the face of Women’s soccer around the world , Venus and Serena Williams are two of the most popular figures in tennis, and Indy car racing had their first woman racer, Danika Patrick. With all the fame generated by these women in their respective sports, they still don’t receive the same compensation as the men in their respective sports fields. Venus Williams, net worth is 60 million dollars; 27 million came from playing tennis (celebritynetworth 4). Her sister, Serena Williams has a tennis...
After his early death, Arthur Ashe became even more of a legacy. He was able to offer so much in his very short lifetime. People of all nations remember Ashe as a tennis legend who made higher educational standards for all athletes and someone who later was a beacon for African Americans who wanted to play “white people sports.” He gave minorities more freedom in playing different sports and attending better schools. Ashe also became a role model for those experiencing life with HIV or AIDS. Millions of people received help from Ashe, as he was able to promote awareness for the disease and raise fund for it. He told others to stay strong and supported them. In most of America, people experience racial equality. If not for Ashe and other contributors, there may not be racial justice in this country. He went above and beyond to lead protests for those in South Africa living with apartheid. He did all he could to speak, teach, write, and do public service to end racism. But most importantly, “Ashe was an important thinker who considered himself as a moderate” (Carter). He built his life from humble beginnings, and during his tennis career and beyond, Ashe dedicated himself to dismantling the barriers of poverty, privilege, racism, and social stereotyping (Finn).
Throughout history, it is easy to recognize how African Americans have triumphed in sports. It is also enlightening and empowering to see and recognize the challenges that women faced in the past with achieving recognition in sports as compared to that of men.