But it should be directed at Garcia-Navarro, not McEnroe. Why did he even dredge up a tired argument that only inflames the gender animosity? It’s not even worth arguing, which McEnroe’s critics pointed out. Whether there are 699 males who are actually better than Williams is debatable.īut nobody can seriously think it’s zero. (See: all those years Michael Jordan did not win the MVP.)īest means best, as in nobody else on the planet is better. The “most valuable” player in a league may not always be the best. But terms like “greatest” and “champion” are open to interpretation. You could easily argue Williams is the greatest tennis champion of all time, regardless of gender. Seriously, if you think Williams would beat Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray, do yourself a favor and don’t go within 1,000 miles of a Las Vegas sports book. So since Garcia-Navarro wanted to know why he couldn’t just call Williams the best player in the world, McEnroe simply told the truth. He did not insist on comparing men and women the host did.Īnd when asked a direct question, one thing McEnroe always has been is honest. Note that McEnroe did not bring up the topic the host did. “Well, because if she was in, if she played the men’s circuit, she’d be like 700 in the world.” “Yeah, the best tennis player in the world,” Garcia-Navarro said. “Oh! Uh, she’s not, you mean, the best player in the world, period?”

McEnroe seemed surprised at the question. Garcia-Navarro asked, why not just call her the best player in the world? He was on NPR’s “ Weekend Edition” discussing his new book “But Seriously.” The host, Lulu Garcia-Navarro, noted McEnroe called Williams the best women’s player in the world. The thing is, McEnroe did not go looking for this fight. Expressing that opinion is a one-way ticket to PC purgatory. Any time you declare a particular gender (guess which one) superior in any situation, it doesn’t matter what the statistics, history and common sense tell us. I’m ashamed to admit I have no idea what “ intersectionality” is, so I probably need to join McEnroe in the lab where people read Salon in the waiting room while waiting to see the doctor.Īll this was laughably predictable, of course.

Salon said the statement was “reductive, hyperbolic and dismissive,” and that “McEnroe probably needs to go back to the lab and work on his intersectionality.” Williams chimed in via Twitter, asking McEnroe to respect her privacy and leave her out of statements are not “factually based.” “John McEnroe said something stupid about Serena Williams (again)” was the Fox Sports headline. Why “try and belittle Williams’ legacy by comparing her to men’s tennis players?” “Insulting,” is how the Huffington Post put it.

John mcenroe cannot be serious