If you’ve noticed that I’ve been absent more than usual for the past several days, it’s primarily because my wife Helene and I have been entertaining (and being entertained by) a delightful house guest, Seda Noorlander, one of the players competing in the third annual Boyd Tinsley $50,000 USTA Women
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For that matter, consider how the tennis court itself creates a hostile playing environment for tennis players of color. They can hardly miss the symbolism inherent in the fact that the boundaries, the lines across which they cannot hit the ball successfully, are white.
It might be argued that the ball itself is white, giving players of color a chance to strike out at a symbol of whiteness, but note that even so, the ball must fall into an area delineated by white lines. This can only remind players of color that their hopes, dreams, and points are circumscribed by the dictates of white society.
I won’t even get into the significance of the fact that in ice hockey all the players are encouraged to strike as hard as possible an object that is black.