ESPN commentator Doug Adler compared Venus Williams to a primate during the Australian Open. “You see Venus move in and put the gorilla effect on. Charging,” he stated matter-of-factly during Williams’ second-round match at the first Slam of the year in Melbourne against Stefanie Voegele.
Fans are furious with the former professional player, calling for him to apologize. It’s obvious why many are shocked and take the comment offensively. African Americans are quite sensitive to this racist comparison to primates, and it’s not without rationale. Williams, who stands a six feet one inch tall, is no small woman and it is no small feat to be as accomplished an athlete as she is, but to say she moves like the largest living primate — a hulking one that can weigh as much as 350 pounds — is completely inflammatory and insulting.
FOX News is making light of it and even have the nerve to say he probably said “guerilla” not “gorilla.” I have news for you, FOX: the five-time Wimbledon champ is not a freedom fighting soldier; she is a tennis star. Let’s be clear, you can’t downplay this.
From our sitting first lady being called an “ape in heels” to this, this writer is not here for it. Let’s face it: apes and gorillas are ugly, meaning they possess no physical beauty by no one’s standards and I personally don’t want to be compared to any primate.
Was his comment racist? Maybe. Was it stupid? Absolutely.
This isn’t the first time Adler has uttered negativity. As The Tennis Island blogger points out, he saw fit to point out everything that the former tennis pro perceived as negative during a match at Wimbledon last summer ruined the thrilling first round … by virtue of his mere presence in the booth.
