Inside Sport By Robert Drane Summary

Rankine’s essay concentrates on the idea that racism affects the perception of Serena’s excellence as the world’s best female tennis player. Toward the beginning of the essay, Rankine states “…the legendary Chris Evert, who herself has called you a ‘phenomenon that once every one hundred years comes around.’ Imagine that you’re the player John McEnroe recently described as ‘the greatest player, I think, that ever lived.” Rankine goes on to say, “Imagine that you have to contend with critiques of your body that perpetuate racist notions that black women are hyper masculine and unattractive”. These quotes, rooted toward the beginning of the essay, easily suggest the idea that Serena’s excellence cannot be discussed without the addition of the racist notions she so often encounters. This statement clearly reflects the lesson in which Serena’s father, Richard Williams, attempted to teach

The author of The Colonel, Michael Hogan, details how a certain Army Colonel influenced his life through the sport of tennis. Hogan begins by indicating how mainstreamed tennis is today, to the point an average adolescent could not imagine tennis as a ‘rich man’ sport. In the fifties, when Hogan was a child, tennis was a sport reserved for mostly men at country clubs and private resorts. Women had competed at international competitions such as Wimbledon for a several years, but many of them were amateurs (oftentimes paid little). Fortunately for female tennis players, Billie Jean King’s assertiveness, in 1967, and the Virginia Slim tournaments, in the seventies, influenced tennis to include women in professional tennis (such as Chris Everts

Ashe had a career filled with many ups and downs and faced considerable hardship playing tennis in an all white sport. He never relished his status as the sole black star in a game dominated by white players, but he didn't run away from it either. One such struggle he faced was his trip to South Africa. For many years Ashe had wanted to go to South Africa to play at the South African tennis championships, but every time he tried to gain a visa to travel there he was denied. Finally, in 1973 after much lobbying Ashe was awarded the opportunity to play in South Africa (Arthur Ashe Biography). This occasion was a giant step for not just for South Africa but for Ashe as he became the first African American to play in South Africa’s tennis championships. Amongst all the hate Ashe received from tennis he excelled against all odds and became a trailblazer for black people in tennis. Ashe’s legacy was composed of many firsts for an African American like becoming the first to win a Grand Slam, to be elected onto a US Davis Cup team and win one, in addition to becoming the first African American to be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame (Carter). Ashe’s career was cut short from medical issues, but he continued to work in the sport becoming an activist for African Americans helping them to exceed in this all white society (Carter). At the young age of 49 Ashe died after his

Althea Gibson (August 25, 1927- September 28, 2003), also known as the tennis Jackie Robinson, was the first African-American woman to not only play amateur tennis but also join the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Althea Gibson was one of the most influential and significant figures in African-American women’s sports history (Douglas). Althea was the figurehead that established that blacks were equal competitors in sports (Gould). On the streets of Harlem, New York City is where Althea got her start; Traveling the globe breaking racial barriers in different countries and winning their tennis tournaments is what Althea did. Although she did not receive any monetary gain from her winnings she did receive many awards and trophies, as well as the meeting of many important individuals.

For example,“Her accomplishments were revolutionary because of the impact on black America. She proved that blacks, when given an opportunity, could compete at any level in American society(Truong).” This quote not only shows that Althea proved what African American women could do but it opened doors for AA because without her incredible success and ability and opportunities to play at such high levels AA may not have the chance to compete at high levels like they can now. Second, since the beginning of Althea's career she had started to break barriers because “Back in the 1930s and '40s, when Ms. Gibson first started playing tennis, black players weren't allowed to compete against white players. But she was so good that she soon dominated the all-black tournament circuit.

He has many accomplishments in tennis as well. Possibly his best accomplishment, was when he entered a tournament unseeded, but ended up sweeping every person he played, 6-0 and 6-0. The tournament was a well-regarded tournament

Throughout the years, sports have become a major part of society. Sports, a large percentage of the time, are a part of peoples’ lives in one way or another. Whether they participate in them or just enjoy watching them, sports are a big deal to the majority of people. There are also some individuals who have redefined the expectations when it comes to certain sports. For instance, Babe Ruth redefined the way people think about baseball, or Michael Jordan completely changing the game of basketball. But Joe Louis and Venus and Serena Williams have changed their games in a way no one could have imagined. Although “Champion of the World” by Maya Angelou and “Woman Who Hit Very Hard and How They’ve Changed Tennis” by Michael Kimmelman are different, they are similar in the ways they show how the respected athletes, Joe Louis and the Williams sisters, changed the game and were seen using symbolism in racial and sexual progression.

Throughout the entirety of her career Billie made strides for bettering women and giving them more opportunities in sports. King saw the inequalities between male and female athletes such as women earning considerably less than males in price money as evident to Billie in 1973 when she made $15,00 dollars less than her male counterpart who won the US open. When Billie found this out she stated that she would not return back to the US Open until they offered equal prize money, the following year the US open became the first major tournament to offer equal amounts to both sexes. Throughout her career Billie also helped to develop many organizations and programs centered for women. She helped to form the women’s professional circuit of tennis known today as the Virginia Slims Tour.

Serena Williams is the number one women’s tennis player in the world. Her outstanding skills have earned her 50 million dollars through just prizes; that is more than any other athlete in the world (“Serena Williams Fast Facts”). Her fast reflexes, amazing skills, and outgoing personality have made her known as a powerful woman and an inspiration to many young girls. This African-American woman is almost six feet tall and is made of steel. With her long, muscular legs and her quick arms, no wonder she is number one!

In the first part of his lecture he talked about Claudia Rankine who is author and wrote an article about Serena Williams titled “The Meaning of Serena Williams.” In this article Claudia Rankine explains that Serena Williams has a title match against Jennifer Capriati.

One of the biggest things that she pushed for in her career was equal pay for men and women in sports. This was a struggle for her as she had trouble paying for her tennis. In the early days of her playing she was not allowed in the picture of her first tennis club because she was not wearing the proper tennis skirt, but instead had on shorts. Her family did not have a lot of extra money to put into her expensive tennis career and it was hard for them to afford the elitists sport. She along with other women had to stand up and risk being band from the tennis league when they signed one dollar contracts with the Virginia Slims to bring attention to the struggle for equal play. It became apparent to Billy even from the young age that she was when she was not allowed in the picture because of her attire that women where not

The men’s French Open Final was a tale of two players: Novak Djokovic, the undisputed best player in the world, and Andy Murray, the man who rarely gets it done in big matches.

On that Friday morning, five victories in the U.S. Open allowed her to play in the Arthur Ashe Stadium against Roberta Vinci. Unfortunately, this sixth one was unlucky. The 32-year-old Italian tennis player, No. 43 in the world, beat Serena and prevented her from claiming a historic title.

Society continued to undervalue female athletes by using their sex as a manner of oppression during the second wave. In 1973, Billie Jean King played the famous tennis match, The Battle of the Sexes, against Bobby

Now that you have attracted the man of your dreams, it is time to get him to stay in love with you. There are plenty of stories of people falling out of love for various reasons. This normally happens when two people don 't agree with something, or when the equilibrium of the relationship is off in some kind of way. You have to ignite the fire back into your relationship by renewing it sometimes. Do things never done before and trying new stuff. Be innovative and creative. Take a vacation somewhere to breathe new life into your soul. Buy a videogame and and play it with him. Watch a football game or two with him. Read with him. Play sports with him. Just don 't be boring or dull. This can make a