FanNation - The Republic of Sport

You've got to be kidding.

'The Tennis Channel's Martina Navratilova gasped, "the fat lady ain't sung, yet." Then, immediately following Kuznetsova's victory over Williams, Navratilova remarked, "she finally got that 'monkey' off her back." '

You're reading WAY too much into that...if she had said the same thing, and Serena was WHITE, would it be a story? These are phrases that have been used forever, and the fact that you now think they had a racial undertone to them says more about your state of mind than Martina's.

This is a joke, right?

Poor old Rick - clearly "proverb" has too many syllables for his level of education. Strange though - homophobe and idiot seem to have made it through

"Al.......Al Sharpton, is that you stirring the pot again?" Do us all a favor and give yourself a rectal exam with your racket, dbag!!!!

Kobe Bryant made the same comment after winning the NBA title....he was referring to finally winnng a title without Shaquille O'Neal..I guess O'Neal is the proverbial "monkey" in this analogy. So is this one of those things that's okay for blacks to say but not whites? Seriously the initial post by JRL has to be one of the dumbest things I've read on the SI Fan Nation blogs...and that is saying a WHOLE lot.

QUOTE:

Originally posted 07:22 PM ET  06.09 by JRL Tennis

Why hasn't this story gotten any attention? Upon Serena Williams saving her second match point against Svetlana Kuznetsova during their quarterfinal match at Roland Garros yesterday, The Tennis Channel's Martina Navratilova gasped, "the fat lady ain't sung, yet." Then, immediately following Kuznetsova's victory over Williams, Navratilova remarked, "she finally got that 'monkey' off her back." During previous telecasts, she has referred to a gathering of young, teenage boys whistling at Maria Sharapova, as, "stupid men"!!!Many a commentator, like ABC's Jimmy the Greek, Jim Grey, and the Golf Channel's Kelley Tillman, have been harshly criticized, suspended, and/or fired for making eerily similar racist and/or sexist remarks while on the air. Martina Navratilova should not be treated any differently. The Tennis Channel should immediately suspend or fire her, and issue a public apology, not only to Serena Williams and her family, but also to the american people, as well. I'm shocked that President Barrack Obama, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and the entire NAACP hasn't rallied and protested at the Tennis Channel's California studios, demanding the immediate dismissal of Navratilova.While shocking, her remarks should not surprise us. She boasts about being gay, and while on air, claims, "I have crushes on women, not men." She also proudly and vociferously criticizes our past presidential administrators while on the air. Spewing these political views in private is one thing, but allowing her to make such comments and to publish her outlandish and left winged radical opinions and beliefs while on the air, is quite another.We don't want to hear about her openly gay pride while watching a tennis match. We don't want to hear her say she has crushes on woman, not men, while watching tennis on television. We don't want to hear vicious attacks on our past leaders from someone who illegally defected from her country. We don't want to hear her demean a group of teenage boys for whistling at Maria Sharapova, while watching tennis on television. We don't want to hear her refer to African Americans as, "fat", and "monkeys", while watching tennis on television.The Tennis Channel needs to do the right thing by suspending and/or firing Navratilova, and encouraging her to issue an immediate apology to Williams and the american people.Rick LambertFort Lauderdale, Florida

Truly hilarious...especially the "monkey on the back" being a racist statement. What planet is this yahoo from?

And XX? Laughing so hard I nearly cried...

Gotta be a level.. GOTTA BE.

JRL, I clearly understand your point. In the instances that you pointed out about the racial overtones, I tend to agree with others on the board that this was not related to race. As a sports announcer, it's clear in your comments that Martina can better select more approrate words with whatever she is trying to convey. As far as her on political agenda, I agree 100% that no one is interested in her views when watching tennis. If she needs to fill in some remarks it's better that she focus on doing some analogy with present/past tennis players. Perhaps that will get the monkey off her back.