Reply #125: To everyone here talking about rules and consequences confined to the actual sport.

[darkstar3]

You've missed the point.

Those of us pissed for Serena's sake are not saying that her treatment by the WTA is unfair. (At least, I'm not.) She made a bad decision, she performed in an unsporting manner, and she is being punished for it much like John McEnroe once was.

The problem here isn't what's happening to her professionally, it's what's happening to her publicly. When Mac went RTF OFF on the court, people thought it was funny. Some people thought he was justified. Sports can get REALLY tense sometimes, and when a ref makes a bad call, people have been known to lose their shit. Mac didn't get a pass from his tennis peers, but he DID get a pass from the public, and THAT is the difference between him and Serena. People just won't let this one go, and those of us who notice the blatant surface differences between her and Mac are left to wonder why that is...