The French have gone to far!

[Tmy]

Oppose the war wh Iraq. Fine. BUT TO BOO SERENA WILLIAMS AT THE FRENCH OPEN!!!!! That really makes me mad!!!!

The crowd was horrible to her, jeering her every chance they could get. Why? Cause she's an american. At the press conference she was driven to tears becaue it upset her so much. Real nice. I cant recall Americans treating any French athletes that way. ( To be fair I also cant recall any French athletes.)

Its one thing when you mess wh my President, its another thing to mess with my future wife! Damn you France...

[Tricky]

Originally posted by Tmy
Oppose the war wh Iraq. Fine. BUT TO BOO SERENA WILLIAMS AT THE FRENCH OPEN!!!!! That really makes me mad!!!!

The crowd was horrible to her, jeering her every chance they could get. Why? Cause she's an american. At the press conference she was driven to tears becaue it upset her so much. Real nice. I cant recall Americans treating any French athletes that way. ( To be fair I also cant recall any French athletes.)

Its one thing when you mess wh my President, its another thing to mess with my future wife! Damn you France...
I can imagine that the French are a tad put out with America. After all, the US wasn't very diplomatic in the way they reacted to the French criticism of the war, what between calling them "surrender monkeys" and refusing having Congress vote to eleminate the word "French" from cafeteria foods. I'm guessing that you even saw a few internet posts flying around ridiculing the French. I can't say I blame them for having a little hostility towards Americans, although certainly not Serena herself. She'll just have to realize that the crowd was booing America, not her.

But of course, Americans have a reputation for being rude and tactless, while the French... um... well, never mind.

[c0rbin]

surrender monkeys

That's Homer Simpson talking and, well, if the French can only channel their anger to a young woman, maybe that speaks volumes.

BTW, the French won the World cup last go around, so there is some athletic prowess in the hexagon.

[Flo]

Originally posted by Tmy
Oppose the war wh Iraq. Fine. BUT TO BOO SERENA WILLIAMS AT THE FRENCH OPEN!!!!! That really makes me mad!!!!

The crowd was horrible to her, jeering her every chance they could get. Why? Cause she's an american. At the press conference she was driven to tears becaue it upset her so much. Real nice. I cant recall Americans treating any French athletes that way. ( To be fair I also cant recall any French athletes.)

Its one thing when you mess wh my President, its another thing to mess with my future wife! Damn you France...

She wasn't booed because she was American, but by the men because she was going to marry you and not them, and by the women because of pure jealousy :D

[Flo]

Originally posted by c0rbin
BTW, the French won the World cup last go around, so there is some athletic prowess in the hexagon.

The French didn't win last time in Japan (but only because of the climate, the grass in the pitch that wasn't up to standard, the Japanese public unable to cheer in correct French, the bad quality of the wine, no smelling cheese, badly cooked snails, sauce with too little garlic, the curious habit of the Japanese to bathe everyday, and mainly the unfair exigence that they actually defend their previous title in the pitch instead of just showing up at the final ceremony to be awarded the cup as was their god-given right ... :D )

[Jon_in_london]

Perhaps they were boo-ing her for reasons other than being American? not that being a yank doesnt warrant being booed though.........

[Tricky]

Originally posted by Jon_in_london
Perhaps they were boo-ing her for reasons other than being American? not that being a yank doesnt warrant being booed though.........
You're not suggesting that French tennis fans are racist?:eek:

[Flo]

Originally posted by Tricky

You're not suggesting that French tennis fans are racist?:eek:

Well, I wouldn't vouch for their virtue in that regard ;) However, the Williams sisters are not well liked in Europe in general. They're regarded as loudmouths/having made derogatory comments about some of their opponents, I remember their father has been linked to some cult, etc.

I must confess I haven't got an opinion since tennis is not a passion of mine ...

[ZeeGerman]

Originally posted by Flo


The French didn't win last time in Japan (but only because of the climate, the grass in the pitch that wasn't up to standard, the Japanese public unable to cheer in correct French, the bad quality of the wine, no smelling cheese, badly cooked snails, sauce with too little garlic, the curious habit of the Japanese to bathe everyday, and mainly the unfair exigence that they actually defend their previous title in the pitch instead of just showing up at the final ceremony to be awarded the cup as was their god-given right ... :D )

Hehe,

say Flo, which of France's goals in Japan did you like best?

Deuxieme, et vous?

:D

Zee

[KelvinG]

I've always wondered why baseball players are expected to hit a 95 mph fastball while fans are booing, heckling and screaming at them, while golfers and tennis players demand total silence while they play.

It might also be noted that the French fans at the open were booing Serena after plays were over and not before or during.
Why is this so wrong? It's a common practice in other sports.
It goes against tennis etiquette you say. Well then, it's up to the officials in the sport to take action if such disruptive behaviour continues.

This story is getting play because Serena is a known whiner and crybaby who couldn't deal with the fact that she actually lost, so she tried to blame the defeat on the fans.

And if we are talking lack of tennis etiquette, someone might want to look at her father's behaviour in the past.

Forgive me if I feel little sympathy for the poor William's clan.

[Tmy]

Originally posted by Flo


She wasn't booed because she was American, but by the men because she was going to marry you and not them, and by the women because of pure jealousy :D

Maybe they were saying "boo-urns".

(note: Simpsons joke above)

[Jon_in_london]

Originally posted by KelvinG

This story is getting play because Serena is a known whiner and crybaby who couldn't deal with the fact that she actually lost, so she tried to blame the defeat on the fans.


Apparently she has also been trying to blame her opponent for cheating.

[Skeptic]

Oppose the war wh Iraq. Fine. BUT TO BOO SERENA WILLIAMS AT THE FRENCH OPEN!!!!! That really makes me mad!!!!

Needless to say, if it was Americans booing a black French tennis player in a tournament held in the US, the French by now would have published a three-volume "scholarly work" by all the "leading intellectuals" about how this proves the essential racist attitude of the post-colonialist American of deconstructivist times in anti-surrealist reality.

Or something like that.

[Monketey Ghost]

Originally posted by Tmy


Maybe they were saying "boo-urns".

(note: Simpsons joke above)

(frail old man's voice) I was saying "boo-urns."

I have a hard time feeling sorry for millionaires.

[jimlintott]

Maybe they booed her for the same reasons half the NASCAR fans boo Jeff Gordon. They don't like her and hope she loses. Badly.

[UnrepentantSinner]

Originally posted by c0rbin


That's Homer Simpson talking and, well, if the French can only channel their anger to a young woman, maybe that speaks volumes.

Not to be a Simpsons stickler, but it was Groundskeeper Willey who used the "Cheese-eating surrender monkeys" line.

[Frank Newgent]

"The problem with the French is that they don't have a word for entrepreneur." —George W. Bush, discussing the decline of the French economy with British Prime Minister Tony Blair

[reprise]

The Williams sisters and their mother were somewhat disappointed by the crowd reaction they received at the Australian Open, too; their mother going so far as to suggest in interviews that there was a racist undertone to the failure of the crowd to embrace her daughters and worship at the altar of their greatness.

It didn't seem to occur to her that while Australians admire sporting ability for its own sake, we have a very low tolerance for those elite athletes to whom the concept of good sportsmanship is alien - one reason why we adore Andre Agassi, but only respect the sporting ability of the Williams sisters.

[Flo]

Originally posted by ZeeGerman


Hehe,

say Flo, which of France's goals in Japan did you like best?

Deuxieme, et vous?

:D

Zee


Sorry, the whole affair is a total blank ... :D

[DialecticMaterialist]

Very childish.

[Trollbane]

Umm.. What if the boo´ers werent french, but belgian? Belgium aint that far from France and I would imagine them attending a match of one of their own.

And reprise, I surely hope that the aussies hate Hewitt too, for his lacking good sportsmanship..

[reprise]

And reprise, I surely hope that the aussies hate Hewitt too, for his lacking good sportsmanship..

He's certainly coping a lot of flack over here for his "spoiled brat" attitude at the moment.

[Kimpatsu]

Originally posted by Frank Newgent
"The problem with the French is that they don't have a word for entrepreneur." —George W. Bush, discussing the decline of the French economy with British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Is this for real? Or an urban myth?

[DialecticMaterialist]

Booing at an athelete , save for something extreme is childish and mean spirited. Doing it for a political reason shows intolerance and malice.

I would be just as critical if American's booed and jeered at a Frenchman.

[reprise]

Originally posted by DialecticMaterialist
Booing at an athelete , save for something extreme is childish and mean spirited. Doing it for a political reason shows intolerance and malice.

I would be just as critical if American's booed and jeered at a Frenchman.

Are you suggesting that these very highly paid performers should be exempt from the same kind of criticism which would be levelled at those highly paid professionals in other fields who failed to meet the standards of conduct which the word "professional" implies?

FWIW, Australia is one of the countries opposing the new rule the OIC wants to introduce which would eliminate people like Eric the eel (http://oneolympics.nzoom.com/stories/sep27_12.html) from Olympic competition.

[DialecticMaterialist]

I'm saying the issues are unrelated and disagreement in one field does not dictate rudeness in another.

Just because someone disagrees with me on politics does not mean I piss on his living room floor.

[reprise]

I agree with you, DM, that whatever political disagreements exist between nations should not be reflected in how we treat the citizens of those nations - whether they are elite athletes, sporting heroes, or just average citizens touring our nations.

I just don't believe that elite athletes should be exempt from the kind of hostile crowd reaction that a politician, an actor, or a corporate CEO would expect to receive if they behaved in a manner which violated the rules and conventions of their particular profession.

To boo an athlete because they are not on "our" side, or because they are defeating one of "our" team, would - indeed - be the height of childish and mean-spirited behaviour; as would be booing an elite athlete who failed to turn in a stellar performance on the day we had tickets to watch them perform. But I seriously don't believe there is anything wrong with a crowd being quite vocal in expressing their displeasure about bad sportmanship - whether it's being displayed by Lleyton Hewitt, Mark Phillipoussis, Jelena Dokic, or the Williams sisters.

[mbp]

Originally posted by DialecticMaterialist
I would be just as critical if American's booed and jeered at a Frenchman.
What about a Scotsman (http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/ce/multi/0,1329,1419392_85,00.html)?
;)

[Mike B.]

Originally posted by Skeptic
Oppose the war wh Iraq. Fine. BUT TO BOO SERENA WILLIAMS AT THE FRENCH OPEN!!!!! That really makes me mad!!!!

Needless to say, if it was Americans booing a black French tennis player in a tournament held in the US, the French by now would have published a three-volume "scholarly work" by all the "leading intellectuals" about how this proves the essential racist attitude of the post-colonialist American of deconstructivist times in anti-surrealist reality.

Or something like that.

:D :D :D

[no one in particular]

Originally posted by Frank Newgent
"The problem with the French is that they don't have a word for entrepreneur." —George W. Bush, discussing the decline of the French economy with British Prime Minister Tony Blair Originally posted by Kimpatsu
Is this for real? Or an urban myth? Snopes.com (http://www.snopes.com/quotes/bush.htm:) says:Claim: President George W. Bush proclaimed, "The problem with the French is that they don't have a word for entrepreneur."

Status: False.

[Tricky]

Originally posted by mbp

What about a Scotsman (http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/ce/multi/0,1329,1419392_85,00.html)?
;)
There hasn't been a Scotsman tennis player since the Blancmanges (http://gdtvd.tripod.com/monty_python.html) ate all the other contestants.