This is why we can’t have nice things.
We knew it was a matter of time before the commentary on Serena Williams as the recipient of Sport Illustrated’s sportsperson of the year would commence.
Normally unwarranted, racially tinged, patriarchal and sexist commentary comes from a social media troll or super-enraged member of the privileged community who feels entitled to spaces Black people earn their way into (e.g. #StayMadAbby).
This time it was the Los Angeles Times. The publication thought it would be a good idea to take a poll on who the public thought the true sportsperson of the year was: Serena Williams or American Pharoah.
That’s right, they pit Serena Williams against a racehorse.
Who’s not a person.
They pit a Black woman against a horse.
Of course Twitter erupted with commentary about the audacity of the newspaper to suggest Serena’s athletics are most comparable to that of a race horse, versus actually suggesting a worthy opponent that was at least a fellow homosapien. Stay classy, LA Times.
