Faulting Choice of Serena as Female Athlete of Year

Serena Williams has beaten out a horse to be named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press. That's right, a horse. But the question is this: Which one was the better role model for your daughter?

"People realize that I'm a great player, and one moment doesn't define a person's career,'' Williams told the AP.

"And I was right, for the most part. It wasn't right the way I reacted -- I never said it was -- but I was right about the call.''

Oh God, she's still arguing the foot-fault call at the U.S. Open. She wins a big award and takes the moment as the top representative of women's sports to go back to arguing.

She still doesn't get it, and that's even more reason why she did not deserve the award.

For those sports editors who were voting, if you didn't know which athlete to cast a ballot for, I would have suggested you write down this: Anyone But Serena.

I wouldn't have given it to Zenyatta, the brilliant mare that won the Breeders' Cup Classic. Kim Clijsters, who beat Serena and won the Open, finished third in voting. Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn was next. And WNBA MVP Diana Taurasi, who spent a night in jail for DUI, was fifth.

It's hard to know, as the father of a young girl, whether to be more outraged that Williams won or shocked by the sudden realization that women's sports are so short of legitimate candidates.

Tennis is the only women's sport that has made it in the mainstream, and there were no Olympics this year. So I guess the vote should have gone to Clijsters, who came back from maternity leave to win the only major tennis championship she played.

She sent a great message, that girls can have everything, a family and a hugely successful sports career.

It's hard to know, as the father of a young girl, whether to be more outraged that Williams won or shocked by the sudden realization that women's sports are so short of legitimate candidates.
What do you think was the message Serena left? First off, she spent most of the year not even trying, except in the majors and the world championships. In Cincinnati, it was clear to everyone watching, including ticket-buyers, that she was tanking her match.

She did win the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the tour championships, and is ranked No. 1.

But at the French Open, she threatened player Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, who had cheated Williams by claiming a ball hadn't hit her. That does make it acceptable for Williams to have said this: "I'm going to get you in the locker room for that. You don't know me.''

Let's dissect what Williams said in response to winning the award. "People realize that I'm a great player ...''

True. People do realize that. And if she would try hard all year and stay in shape, she would be the greatest of all-time and maybe the biggest athlete in the world.

But people realize my greatness? Who says anything like that about himself or herself?

Next she said, "One moment doesn't define a person's career.'' That's true, too. This moment will not define her, but it will stick with her forever.

And the award isn't about her career, but about this year. That one moment did define her in 2009.

And then, she inexplicably goes back into the argument of whether she foot-faulted. Since we're back here again, let me say this again: I was sitting behind the line judge, maybe 15 rows back or so and had a perfect view of the line. During the match, I was talking with the guy sitting next to me about why players stand so close, risking foot-faults.

From there, we both started watching for them. When Serena hit her second serve, her left foot moved forward. I pointed at the line and said, "Oh,'' and the guy next to me was doing roughly the same thing.

Then we heard the foot-fault call. It was obvious. It was clear. It was probably two inches onto the line.

From there, Williams was a study of contradiction. She waved her racquet in the tiny judge's face, and said if she could, she would take "this [bleeping] ball'' and stuff "it down your [bleeping] throat.''

She was given a point penalty, and it just happened to be match point. So Clijsters advanced to the final.

After the match, Williams, not realizing her threats were on tape, said, "I've never been in a fight in my whole life, so I don't know why she would have felt threatened.''

Someone asked if she had actually foot-faulted.

"I'm pretty sure I did,'' she said. "If she called a foot-fault, she must have seen a foot-fault.''

Yes, Williams was looking up at the ball. The judge was looking at her feet and the line. Amazingly, since then, no definitive video or still photos have emerged.

Yet on winning an award, she twists her story again to say that the call was wrong.

Through her career, Williams has shown that she's a great player who can break through barriers. This year, her message was that she's a bully who won't take responsibility for her actions.

That's the Female Athlete of this Year, the best example in sports for young girls?

No thanks.

Email me at gregcouch09@aol.com