In class Thursday, we talked about how the Williams family encountered hostile fans at an Indian Wells match. First off, I believe that the tour officials were wrong for not telling fans earlier that the match between the Williams sisters was not going on. I don’t know why the officials waited so late to tell fans that Venus had dropped out because of an injury. The officials had plenty of time to tell fans and spectators that the match was being cancelled. The way the officials did that was very unprofessional and Serena suffered the most from the whole situation and it wasn’t even her fault. Secondly, I believe that the tour officials or someone in charge of crowd control should have done something to calm the crowd down during the finals match against Serena and Kim Clijsters. I know it was devastating for me to hear that the crowd was booing her and her family for something that Serena did not do. It was neither Serena nor Venus’s fault for the late announcement about the match. You can’t get mad at someone for dropping out, because of an injury, but you can get mad for how the officials handled the situation. I thought it was crazy how the crowd was booing the Williams sisters when they did not play against each other and also when they did play against each other. Was the crowd still mad? I know the crowd was very upset when they wanted their money back. That is something that the tour officials should have took into consideration, before they made the late announcement.
Alicia Jefferson
I agree with Alicia about the fact that the tour directors could have announced what happened much earlier than what they did. If i was a fan I probably would have reacted the same pissed off way. However, I don't think I would have booed the Williams sisters. It wasn't their fault that tour didn't take the correct procedures to handle something like this. A lot of fans wanted to see the two sisters go up against each other, and should have taken it out on the directors instead of the athletes in the match. During the Serena and Kim Clijsters was another clear showing of the fans being upset about the previous match. I understand how the fans feel, and in other events (NFL, NBA, MLB) booing would have been acceptable, but they should have carried themselves better in a professional tennis match.
ReplyDeletePatrick McFall
I agree that the tour directors were the ones to blame in this situation and not the Williams sisters. The Williams sisters took the heat for something that wasn't their fault. It wasn't Venus' fault that she got injured and was unable to follow through with the match, however, it was the tour official's fault that they failed to announce this to the fans beforehand. I understand that the fans were upset that they were unable to see the match that they had paid to see and were looking forward to seeing, but the fans reacted harshly toward the participants who didn't deserve it. I don't believe that in any instance, the fans should've reacted the way that they did, they should've been more respectful to everybody involved. But, they should've been more upset at the tour officials than they were at the Williams sisters, who did nothing wrong.
ReplyDelete-Paxin Stern
Alicia,
ReplyDeleteI agree, the directors should have informed the crowd much earlier about Venus calling off the match. I wonder if they regret their decision to wait to make the announcement after witnessing how the sisters were affected not only in the short run, but the long run as well. If not, was this because they made the announcement belated on purpose in order to ensure the sisters would receive the treatment they did? Either way, the fans should have understood that the Williams sisters were not at fault in the situation and they should not have acted like they did. The media could have helped the sisters as well because they could have explained the story in a different light explaining how the tour directors were the ones who made a mistake. Because media has such a major impact on society, I feel as if they could have helped persuade society that the sisters were not the reason that the fans were forced to leave without watching a match they intended to see.
Casey Daulbaugh
I agree with Alicia in saying that it was the tour directors’ fault because they should have let the fans know ahead of time that Venus was injured. It also wasn’t fair to Serena that she was getting booed because she had no control over what happened and she was still ready to play. The final match must have been awkward for both Serena and Kim Clijsters because the fans didn’t come to watch her play and wanted to see the two sisters face each other. The fans did get to see two great players face off against each other and shouldn’t have acted in the disrespectful manner. The tour directors do need to have control over the tournament and make sure everything functions smoothly. Ultimately though, fans need to have respect for athletes and behave in a manner that does not cross the line.
ReplyDeleteRyan Viselli
Alicia
ReplyDeleteI couldnt agree with you more in this situation the tour director and officials are the ones to blame. They shouldve come out along time before the match was to take place and said that Venus was not goin to play in the match that day. I think that the fans kinda over reacted in the situation also by booing the williams sisters and their father. I mean i understand that they wanted their money back but i dont think that you should take it out on the athletes. The tour directors are there to have control over the event and make sure it functions as well as possible. The fans should however have respect for atheletes and act in a manner that is more acceptable at that event.
Tyler Clifton
I do not blame the Williams' sisters for vowing not to return to Indian Wells and for keeping their word up to this point. I also think it is unacceptable that the tournament officials have yet to acknowledge the unfair treatment of the sisters or offered any sort of apology.
ReplyDelete- Marc Rodriguez