The surprisingly contentious Serena Williams-American Pharaoh debate has taken another unusual turn.
Controversy arose in the aftermath of Williams' victory in the Sports Illustrated "Sportsperson of the Year" award over the Triple Crown winner, stemming from the horse's supporters talking about how difficult that accomplishment was, having taken 37 years to reproduce.
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Williams' backers were aghast when SI put photos of the two side by side -- as in how dare the magazine compare the strong African American woman to an animal. Her supporters also cited SI's criteria to be eligible for the award to demand "a winner that embodies 'the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement,'" as CNN reported.
CNN took that as a strike against American Pharaoh. But New York Post columnist Phil Mushnick saw sportsmanship differently, getting in a jab not only at Serena but also Donald Trump in the process.
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"Would the same folks at Sports Illustrated who selected Serena Williams 'Sportsperson of the Year' encourage the kids in their lives to behave like her?" Mushnick wrote. "You know, to curse out linespersons, give no credit to those who beat her or gave her a tough match, and shouting 'Yes, bitch!' at Roberta Vinci after Williams won a point in her semifinal loss in the U.S. Open this past September.
"Williams is a great tennis player. Period. But a standout sportswoman? Not in any year. Maybe the standards to qualify as 'Sportsperson of the Year,' like those qualified to run for President of the United States, have changed."
British racing journalist Brough Scott told CNN via The National, however, that American Pharaoh shouldn't even be considered next to Serena.
"I don't think there is any comparison between the two," he told CNN. "If that is how Americans are reacting, that is something of a wider discussion about society. It is about their attitudes to race and female emancipation.
"There has been an anti-Serena element because she didn't fit the stereotype of the old-fashioned, elegant white female tennis player. She was big and muscular and black."
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