I wrote last week about how I don’t think Millennials believe in sportsmanship. But do you know what Millennials do believe in? Saying what they feel when they feel it.
Just ask Serena Williams.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF8ZoevMJQc&feature=player_embedded]
According to Reuters Serena said, “I swear to God I’m… going to take this… ball and shove it down your… throat, you hear that? I swear to God. You better be glad — you better be glad that I’m not, I swear.”
Yes, Serena’s rant was a little inappropriate. But I think as a Millennial I see Serena’s point. Millennials are competitive and they want to win. Millennials are honest with their feelings, and yes sometimes even a little inappropriate. She didn’t hit anyone (like LaGarrette Blount), and no one got hurt. A member of another generation may have taken her situation lying down, but not a Millennial.
Millennials say what they feel when they feel is, is there anything wrong with that?
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes there is something wrong with threatening and intimidating an official. If the line judge thinks that Serena will hurt her ( and she is bigger and in better shape than that poor judge) will she feel more inclined to let Serena have her way? Maybe. Maybe not. But you can’t allow the participants to bully officials in any way.
Hey Craig,
I see your point that athletes owe respect to the people officiating their games. But what if the official is doing a bad job? Should the athlete just stand there and pretend like nothing is happening? I don’t think that’s fair to anyone.
Thanks for your comment!
I think people are making a relatively straightforward situation more complicated than it needs to be. None of Serena’s specific attributes (generation, gender, race, etc.) matter here. She is a professional athlete and should conduct herself in a professional manner. She is a human being and should treat other people with respect. Her role is to play a tennis match to the best of her ability. The role of the line judge is to call the line to the best of her ability. A professional tennis player advances only as far as her talent takes her. Presumably, the same is true of line judges. It is not Serena’s job to evaluate the performance of the line judge. The line judge is reviewed by her superiors – not by Serena.
Some team sports have developed a culture in which a well-timed tirade toward the officials can be seen as a strategic move. This is the case in baseball & soccer, for example. But in these cases it is pretty much understood that the participants will be ejected from the match (and probably fined) for their behavior. I don’t agree with this approach, but it is accepted. In an individual sport (like tennis) there is no legitimate analogy. Players should respect the judgments of the officials.
This is what we teach our children and it is the standard to which we should hold their professional role models.
Are you serious? As a member of the generation between the boomers and the so-called millennials… I think both you groups need to shut up and listen for a change. It isn’t all about YOU! It’s about all of us… instead of just spouting what is on the top of your mind, why not try to think about things, huh? Or, better yet… try listening.
Take a moment… look at the damage the boomers have done, and they are/were exactly the same as you. You didn’t invent the selfish need to be the loudest voice in the room, you just reached an age where your thoughts are more complex than when you were a child and, for some reason… without having actually contributed anything to society, you feel that when you are espousing your views we should all bow down to you as though YOU have just figured out the meaning of life.
There’s being competitive, and then there’s being a professional athlete and being competitive. What she did was wrong, plain and simple… don’t try to explain it as “oh, well… she’s a millennial”… she, as well as most people of your generation, is a spoiled rotten kid who always got her way, and doesn’t know how to handle herself in the face of adversity.
Hi Steve,
I don’t think I understand the point of the rant you made here on my blog. I’m assuming by your comment you are a member of Gen-X, but why should boomers and Millennials shut up and listen to you? By the lack of research and explanation in your comment, I can’t imagine that either of our generations would learn very much from shuting up and listening to you.
Like I said above to Craig, when faced with adversity was Serena supposed to just stand there and let the referee make a bad call? What about voicing her opinion when it matters makes her spoiled?
That being said, if you are interested in authoring a guest post in my blog I would be more than happy to host your thoughts on Gen-X. It seems that you have a lot to say.
Thanks for stopping by!
Blake,
I owe you an apology, I was very boorish in my approach, which is something I actually try to avoid. I’m not really like that.
I really was perturbed by the sentiment in your post that you would imply that Serena be given a pass for threatening the judge simply because she is a member of the generation that she is, and that maybe we should just accept that millennials are just that way.
I realized later that my frustration with “your generation” seems to have more to do with the aggression. Serena’s body language and actual language were threatening, whether she intended for them to be or not, they were (Kanye West managed to display it again last night at the VMAs). Disagreeing can be done without threat of violence or invading someone’s personal space.
Everyone seems to be comparing Serena’s outburst to John McEnroe. One big difference, he called the officials names (all sorts of names), but he never got in their space, and never threatened them. Serena has threatened other contestants before, too. Sometimes, there’s having an attitude due to the generation you are part of, and sometimes, there’s just being a bully or being spoiled.
What I see is a lack of respect in both cases. And not to be outdone, we have the boomers with Joe Wilson heckling the president during a presidential address to congress and the nation. Total lack of respect.
I don’t agree with these behaviors; however, I am big enough to admit when I am wrong about things… I’m sure that 20 years ago, the Boomers wished we would shut up, too. And probably still do
Thanks for not completely writing me off as a ranting lunatic… although I would have deserved it if you had.
I think its wrong to say she doesn’t know how to handle herself in the face of adversity- I think the Williams sister’s have overcome a lot to get where they are today. You don’t grow up a spoiled child and become a fantastic tennis player- that comes with hard work, determination, and discipline.
What she did was wrong, and I don’t agree that she should get away with it because she’s a millenial (although I don’t even consider her one).
Steve,
Thanks for your apology. I agree that there have been a lot of public outburts this week (LaGarrett Blount, Joe Wilson, Serena and Kanye), and I think you will find there are rude/disrespectful members of every generation.
The offer still stands if you are interested in writing a guest post!
By the way… that wasn’t directed at you personally… mostly the “millennials” in my life whom I wish would read this, but know that they probably won’t
Is Serena considered a millenial? I thought she was a bit older. Yes, millenials should say what they feel. But they should also respect authority- I’m always hearing about how people my age don’t respect their elders etc, and outbursts such as this one don’t help matters. It’s also unprofessional to speak to someone like that in any capacity, especially in public.
Should she hide her frustrations? Maybe not. Should she profess them in a more professional way? Definitely.
Sheema,
Serena was born in 1981, so yes she is considered a Millennial. I do agree that a more professional way of approaching the situation might have worked better for her.
Thanks for your comment.
Blake,
She can complain all she wants. John McEnroe ( A very non-millenial) did that all the time. But not by threatening to stuff a tennis ball down her throat. Life is not fair, bad calls happen. How you deal with them is the key. Is yelling at the judge going to change anything? Honestly, when has threatening someone during a tennis match paid off? Even Johnny Mac never really won after yelling.
And to quote you “Millennials say what they feel when they feel is, is there anything wrong with that?” I guess you agree with Kanye West’s actions last night. As he said…he was just keeping it real.
Hey Craig,
Great point. I agree Serena could have taken a different approach and received a better result. As far as Kanye is concerned, I do not believe he did the right thing. He was not involved in the situation at all, his reputation and chance to “win the game” was not on the line, and I believe he had no right to do what he did. Also, Kanye is not a Millennial (born in 1977) so my post doesn’t really apply to him.
Thanks for your comment!
Hello Blake Sunshine,
I just read your article and I will admit that I’m somewhat of a tennis fanatic. I have actually written an article on Serena incident in my blog. As for your post I don’t agree with justifying Serena’s re-action by saying that it’s normal for a person in her generation, to react in a hyper competitive way. By saying that, you are making an extremely broad generalization about a characteristic that is present with only some of the Millennials. I said this in my blog but I’ll say it again here. Serena, was out of control the whole way through the match and she really deserved to be disqualified, due to bad sportsman like conduct. If you go back and watch the match you will see that she was on the verge of being penalized for racquet abuse, after she lost the first set.
As for the Millennials, say what they feel comment, I don’t really see how that attribute is exclusive to only that generation. I mean, don’t Gen X and the Baby Boomers speak their mind’s too?