Addiction in Society

What this article neglects to mention is the other physical and emotional factors Serena was experiencing at this moment. After playing for hours, and losing her first set of the tournament she was UNDERSTANDABLY upset. That bogus call put her 1 point away from losing all that she's worked for these past few weeks. Does that count for anything in your opinion? As she pushes herself mentally and physically through this match, do you expect her to be the ambassador of etiquette even in the face of incompetence?

It is very strange that we pick and choose which sports and sport figures we will decide to castigate once they exhibit aggressive behavior. Baseball players yell, curse and spit at officials quite often. Hockey players are well known for slugging players who aren't looking.

Yet, calling a foot fault in a pivotal moment just because you can is justified. From what we have been shown it was clearly a bad call.

It is condescending to say that the player must submit to anger management with a therapist because they became upset at a very questionable call. Serena is the reason why they had to create player challenges (replay) due to extremely bad calls by umpires during her match with Capriati in the U.S. Open.

Serena is the one who lost a pivotal point against Justine Henin in the French because Henin would not tell the truth. The Times article where you stated that Serena exhibited the same behavior (which is untrue) was against Martinez-Sanchez who refused to admit that the ball hit her which would have resulted in her losing the point. Martinez-Sanchez wanted to win that badly. But does she need therapy? Does Henin need therapy for wanting to win at any cost?

Serena Williams has always had to deal with overly critical announcers, tennis observers and those who just want to stir up hatred. I am not a member of her entourage but I see how she could become upset.

Hold you horses, people, words are words but shaking your racket at someone and actively threatining them to "shove down this f...ing ball your f...ing throat" is way over the top.
There's no use in denying, it's been recorded and millions saw and millions heard.
Serena would have lost anyway, the way things were going, but for that kind of behaviour the should have got deducted not only a point but a whole game, maybe even resulted in a ban for the next tournament.
Stress or not, players must learn to behave civilized and the few who don't are not any excuse for others, because there are thousands who do. ( not to mention those millions of people who got to work under stressing conditions every single day and must keep calm, no matter what )

I had a situation last week where I got upset when security refused me entry to a library because I was in bare feet. I wasn't abusive (name calling, threats), but I was upset. I did try to keep the subject on topic (I thought he was wrong), and when I couldn't cope, I left. Some people would call me abusive for losing my temper at all, and I certainly didn't want to. But here I am trying to cure years of damage from bad shoes, and someone springs a policy that interferes with that, two months after I went looking for one and couldn't find it. Very frustrating for me.

Sometimes people are abusive, period. They throw their weight around and think it's right. Sometimes people try their best and get cornered and get upset. Some people find it easy to manipulate things their way through tantrums, or smooth talking, while others have disabilities or a history of discrimination that closes doors on them easily (part of my situation), no matter how much they play by the rules.

I'm reluctant to judge a situation I haven't seen, and I don't know Williams' history, but I always wonder, since I get upset myself when I don't want to and try not to. How do you tell when someone is over the line or not? Does the majority rule? What if the majority is wrong? Or the procedure for dealing with conflicts is insufficient?

I suspect that athletes who get inconsistent feedback get upset more easily, since they have little room for error, and it's confusing when you keep getting given different sets of rules to follow.

[PS I'd apologize if asked to, but that hasn't come up. I'm still waiting to hear from higher up on the policy.]

I watched it live. First of all, I did not feel that McEnroe defended Williams that much. I recall that he said there was no foot fault, but that did not excuse her behavior. He wasn't as negative as I think he should have been, but he wasn't admiring. In fact, he seemed awkward and embarrassed that she had named him as one of her heroes, in this context. I think Serena has a way to go in terms of maturity and wisdom, something her sister just seems to have. There was another way to handle this; possibly to ask for a video to look at the supposed foot fault. This was an unfortunate incident that threw everyone off. Serena could also have apologized for the kind of anger that comes from stress. Although I cannot defend ruining the racket and then this, we all sometimes "lose it." If she just could have said "I lost it" and apologized, this could be over quickly, but there was an entitled arrogance to her performance during her interview. This is a young woman who has not learned how to reflect on her experience or her behavior.

Some athletes are like Derek Jeter; class acts and role models for athletes, future athletes and, in general, all youngsters. Then there are others like McEnroe and Williams who are coddled children who never grow up. Babies.

Hey. it's a game. You win/ you lose, no one dies. Both are paid outrageous sums to hit a ball over the net and/or talk about someone else hitting a ball over a net. How great is that? The American dream of getting rich playing games at a level above the norm?

Enjoy the fact you are living in these times and country where all this is possible. The least you can do is be civil when a call goes against you especially since many many calls go in your favor as well. You'll have a chance to win the next event and make more money than most people around have to live on for the next year or possibly decade. All for swinging a racquet or talking about it-----babies, coddled babies.

wow ... a new low for all you closet psychologists. poorly written article. yes, she should control herself. yes, mcenroe was a tool at times. no, even when you are having a bad day, does not give you the right to drop the f-bomb at your co-worker, we should visit your workplace, and maybe speak with your human relations officer. good sports don't dis, they put up or shut up.

How can you conflate this with spousal abuse?

Why is there such a need to try to reign in her behavior and condemn her character? It is amazing to me that people would say things such as she is lucky to be able to enjoy playing so well and living in a country that allows her to do so.

Hunh?

Just remember this. When your personal hero falls, you better be there with the same level of criticism and you better not hold back.

Many assert Serena and people that don't agree with them make these associations (about unfairness) because they are not mature. But, no one reading this can say that they have not had a moment where they have regretted their actions. Further, no one pontificating on this subject can say that they have not reacted with anger (inappropriately) when someone has wronged them (whether you agree or not with Serena's perception that she was wronged).

Serena happened to have an altercation in full view of millions. From the privacy of their homes and in their personal lives, where no one knows the transgressions they have committed, people ask why isn't she as saintly as they are. "Why isn't she more like me?"

They insult her and her behavior with the vilest of words. Most would not likely say their words in person. I could say all of these words in person to anyone.

What everyone should really be asking is how the Williamses were able to become so successful in the face of such adversity and prejudice that so many say doesn't exist. People need to ask how did Richard William groom such champions? Two of them. But of course, someone will say that I'm an apologist and defending her for no good reason.

The call was wrong. The line judge and the person who trained her are inept. When someone works and trains as hard as Serena Williams and is as great a Champion, has an error called against her in that tough of a match at that crucial time, well it speaks for itself. Kinda hard to blow off and with millions of dollars at stake, I guess whomever penned this is just a far superior human being.

this article is biased, not objective at all...

I think you have to look at all sides of this controversy. Her outburst was not acceptable, that's for sure. Explainable but unacceptable. I agree that she should have apologized, not to the lineswoman, but to the public for the language used. And for it to be "similar outburst" as in Roland Garros is a total lie.
writing this article, all you really wanted was to do was to create even more controversy than there really was... I don't see how this article relates to the objectives of this website anyway (Our staff of writers, editors and programmers include individuals who have extensive expertise in the field of psychology, both from a clinical and an academic perspective. Many of our articles are written by, and rely upon information provided by, Doctors and Ph.D.'s who have dedicated their professional lives to the promotion of sound psychology for the benefit of the communities in which they live. Our interactive tools have been designed and built by highly qualified Psychiatrists with unrivalled experience.)

P.S. you cannot compare this situation with a spousal abuse... seems like something is wrong with you! you need to see one of them therapists... and, before writing an article like this, you should really think hard, and let your emotions on the side (and you're supposed to be an expert in the field of psychology... pshhh!)

I don't watch tennis at all but I dare say that this article seeks not to debate whether the umpire made the right call or even to debate the motivation behind William's actions.

Much more, it is to examine how bad behaviour is being perpetuated in our society. And yes, it is bad behaviour, under most circumstances.

Put yourself in the linesperson's shoe. You have been told that your job is to watch for players' foot position when they serve and shout "fault" if they step on the line prior to hitting. I mean, that is your JOB. What are you supposed to do if you saw before your own eyes that the player is treading on the line? Think about the importance of the occasion and make a judgment accordingly? No, your job is not to think or judge. Your job is to watch and call, as mechanically as possible. You are basically a human camera or machine. That is your job as a linesperson. Besides, the chief umpire has the authority to overrule your call anyway.

Nobody in this forum was in the better position to watch the position of Serena's foot than the linesperson. Let's stop criticizing the linesperson, just because Serena is a famous star. It is entirely unfair to do that.

I think anyone with a speck of common sense can see the wrong in what Serena did. Let's not argue that. Right is right, wrong is wrong. Any 3rd grade child can tell you that what she did was wrong.

I agree with Leticia's comment about the point of this article, which is to characterize the prevalence of child-like, "it's not my fault" behavior in society as a whole (not just those under the spotlight). Sure, the author used extreme examples by comparing televised outbursts to domestic violence, but sometimes extreme examples are needed to get the point across. Let's not try to read too much into those examples, searching for some sort of hidden message that you can blatantly disagree with, just to give yourself a sense of victory.

That being said, I think there's another issue that's being completely overlooked here. Going back to my "child-like behavior" comment, let's consider a scenario where a child, let's call him Joe, gets caught using the f-word. Now, let's also say that our run-of-the-mill kid, Joe, witnessed another child, let's call him Kenny, saying the f-word. If Kenny wasn't punished, but Joe was, you can easily imagine what Joe's first defense would be: "But... but... Kenny did it too!" Putting aside the discourse above regarding "one act does not justify another", let's discuss another side of Joe's statement. Joe's statement also brings to the table another question, which is, "Why wasn't Kenny punished in the same fashion?"

Serena Williams is being punished for what she did. Maybe it's an appropriate punishment, or maybe it isn't. But, when Serena referenced John McEnroe, why aren't people asking the obvious question: "Why wasn't John McEnroe punished in the same fashion?" Nobody is asking why John McEnroe gets treated like a pop star when he goes on tirades long enough to span a television commercial break, but when Serena Williams does it, she's fined and threatened with suspension from future tournaments.

If other players were punished in the same fashion that Serena is being punished, then she would have nothing to complain about. But, that's not the case. She feels singled out, and it isn't fair. Is it because she's black? I don't know. Regardless of the reason, this surprising punishment screams foul play.

All she's asking for is a little consistency and equality in the way the tournament officially responds to events such as these. Without consistency, the fairness of the officiating is now in question.

Just my two cents...

Yes - don't abuse the linesman. Imagine if the linesperson were expected to be "generous" on line calls during crucial points. There really is no difference between that and foot faults. The ball is either in or out. Same with the foot on the baseline.

What Ms. Williams did is unforgivable. Many of these players, with all the adoration and their millions, think they have been given a pass on sportsmanship and simple good manners. If it were up to me I'd ban her from the sport for 90 days. Same goes for McEnroe and Conners back in the day. These lines people have a thankless job, and the last thing they need is some pompous, self-important jerk player threatening them. I was appalled and embarrassed and ultimately disgusted.

The reason why Serena Williams is treated differently from the Jimmy Connors and John Macenroe's of yesteryear is simply because of the Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe's of yesteryear. Officials have learnt that it became, unfortunately, necessary to set guidelines and enforce rules to prevent the type of behaviour that became A-typical of Connors and McEnroe. The rules have been tightened up for ALL players, not only for Serena Williams or black players. It is really a pity that some people should immediately attach a race card to the unfortunate event. Face it, Serena Williams is a brilliant sportswomen who behaved badly. I sincerely hope she will be a brilliant sportswomen with the character to realise her position as a role model to many young sportspersons, black and white and refrain from such behaviour in future. The best thing for sport, for Serena Williams and for her millions of fans would be for her to accept that she behaved badly, accept that she is bigger than a line call, apologise for her behaviour and move on. I trust she will.