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Serena Williams, Umpire Abuse, and American Culture

Serena Williams, Umpire Abuse, and American Culture
Serena Williams yells at umpire Carlos Ramos during her Women's Singles finals match against Naomi Osaka of Japan in New York City on Sept. 8, 2018. Jaime Lawson/Getty Images for USTA
Mark Hendrickson
Mark Hendrickson
contributor
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Commentary

If you follow sports at all, you know that Serena Williams erupted into a rage and verbal nastiness during her U.S. Open tennis finals match on Sept. 8. Williams, arguably the greatest female tennis player of all time, called the match umpire a “thief” among other unflattering characterizations that were heard by millions of spectators around the world.

Mark Hendrickson
Mark Hendrickson
contributor
Mark Hendrickson is an economist who retired from the faculty of Grove City College in Pennsylvania, where he remains fellow for economic and social policy at the Institute for Faith and Freedom. He is the author of several books on topics as varied as American economic history, anonymous characters in the Bible, the wealth inequality issue, and climate change, among others.