Prompt: Do you think that the caricature at the heart of this controversy is a reasonable satirical criticism of Serena’s (un)professional behavior on the court (as one of the most influential players in the world)?
Or is it a visual representation of Serena that reveals a racist perspective – and/or willingness to perpetuate racist tropes (stereotypes) – about black people through the physical features the producer chooses to exaggerate?

Serena Williams is widely considered as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, and one of the greatest sportswomen ever for the sheer number of grand slams she has won and her incredible ability be the ‘top dog’ no matter who she faces.

If someone told me that a player has 23 grand slams, I would certainly entertain the claim that they are a great player regardless of their background.

But it matters that she has shown resilience and willingness to rebuke and ward off constant racial abuse ever since her adolescence. Her off-court battles exemplify her status as a great, but they can also seem like a thorn-filled bush at times, and this is what happened in the 2018 US Open Final.

Carlos Ramos, the umpire of the match, had to be careful in how he responded to her spiteful accusations of being a ‘thief’ as Serena could play the pity card of her history. Despite handling the situation fairly well, that is exactly what she did, putting him in a very tough spot as he risked facing severe backlash from the entire world.

Given this context, I think this cartoon is a fair representation of Serena’s frankly unprofessional tantrums on the night and the inclusion of the pacifier on the court pinpoints the purpose of the exaggerated drawing: to portray her as an obnoxious baby. To me, the producer’s choice to place her in the foreground and exaggerate her features in a caricature-like manner seem justified given her frequently wild choice of outfit and her usual powerful figure.