mishar
May 2nd, 2002, 10:36 PM
FOR THOSE 99 percent of sports fans who have absolutely no clue about the Federation Cup, except a suspicion that it wasn’t the cup donated by Lord Stanley, it is the less famous women’s version of the Davis Cup. And in today’s sports climate, being less famous than the Davis Cup makes it only slightly less famous than my neighborhood Wiffle Ball competition.
* * * * So you’ll have to take my word that in women’s tennis it is something of a big deal. And it has always been a competition that is a matter of special pride for the U.S. women’s racqueteers, who through the years have showed up for the Stars and Stripes with far more sense of patriotic duty than our elite men players. And not surprisingly, they have dominated the Federation Cup throughout its four decades, winning 17 times.
* * * * That’s what makes the events of the past weekend so remarkable. Because the U.S. captain, fabled tennis great Billie Jean King, literally threw away America’s chances to win by booting Jennifer Capriati off the team right before the competition. Capriati wanted to practice with her father—she said she thought it wouldn’t really matter since she would be on her own time. King said Capriati knew the rules, and they were explicit.
* * * * King’s move essentially surrendered two points to Austria—one an outright forfeit, one when her substitute lost—which is a lot of points to concede in a best-of-five showdown. And all over a silly matter of Capriati refusing to abide by team rules, followed by Capriati throwing a profane snit fit. The U.S. is now out of the tournament.
* * * * Which is why I suggest that every one of you write the U.S. Tennis Association, whether you care about tennis or not, and let it and Ms. King hear exactly—and resoundingly—how you feel about this defeat. I’d suggest saying something along these lines: Right on, Billie Jean! Haven’t all of us sports fans been waiting for someone, anyone, to stand up to one of these petulant, whiny, self-involved, self-important kids and say, “Hey, just get your butt out of here. The team will play without you.” That it happened in relative obscurity shouldn’t detract from its significance. The coach of an American national team put principle above winning and she deserves our praise and support.
* * * * Much of America’s patriotic outburst over the past six-plus months has played out in sports arenas and stadiums. Inherent in our flag-waving and chants of “USA, USA” is a faith that our country stands for something special, that our national values are particularly worthy. By extension, that should mean that representing this country is also a special privilege. And with that privilege comes a requirement to elevate one’s behavior over the standards that may be needed to represent, say, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Boston Bruins or the Chicago Fire.
* * * * Too often that isn’t remotely the case. I wrote earlier this year, right before the Salt Lake Olympics, of my grievances against the U.S. hockey team for their mortifying behavior—trashing a dorm room and refusing to own up to it—at the ’98 Nagano Olympics. Almost as unsettling was Sydney 2000 where, in victory, our men’s Olympic 4 x 100 relay team treated the flag with about as much reverence as their jockstraps, draping Old Glory around themselves while flexing their muscles. It recalled a shameful scene almost a decade ago when some NBA clowns, with their strutting and crotch-grabbing antics, made a mockery of the world championships. Our ’98 World Cup team in France wasn’t that bad, if you ignored how they played.
* * * * Now we have Ms. Capriati, who at 26 years old, couldn’t bear the thought of spending a few days practicing with just her team instead of with her daddy. Capriati has, of course, received a lot of praise for her comeback from teen burnout and drug-rehab graduate to international tennis champion. But while Capriati has earned millions in purses and endorsement deals, she hasn’t done a single thing that puts her in the same class—as either a player or person—as King. It’s not King’s dozen Grand Slam titles. It’s that Billie Jean has fought the good fight for the women’s game for decades now. If it weren’t for her battles, Capriati might be hustling games in Florida against Bobby Riggs wannabes in order to make a decent living.
* * * * King is one of the few figures with enough stature to take the heat for her decision. She was such a ferocious competitor and a great champion that she is indeed the perfect person to send a long overdue message: winning isn’t everything. As for Ms. Capriati, maybe she just had a bad day and will be woman enough to eventually admit her error. But if she ever wants to play for her country again, whether in the Federation Cup or some future Olympics, I’d make her first apologize to Billie Jean, then to her teammates and, finally, to all of us, her countrymen, for squandering the great honor bestowed on her.
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* * * *© 2002 Newsweek, Inc.
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* * * * So you’ll have to take my word that in women’s tennis it is something of a big deal. And it has always been a competition that is a matter of special pride for the U.S. women’s racqueteers, who through the years have showed up for the Stars and Stripes with far more sense of patriotic duty than our elite men players. And not surprisingly, they have dominated the Federation Cup throughout its four decades, winning 17 times.
* * * * That’s what makes the events of the past weekend so remarkable. Because the U.S. captain, fabled tennis great Billie Jean King, literally threw away America’s chances to win by booting Jennifer Capriati off the team right before the competition. Capriati wanted to practice with her father—she said she thought it wouldn’t really matter since she would be on her own time. King said Capriati knew the rules, and they were explicit.
* * * * King’s move essentially surrendered two points to Austria—one an outright forfeit, one when her substitute lost—which is a lot of points to concede in a best-of-five showdown. And all over a silly matter of Capriati refusing to abide by team rules, followed by Capriati throwing a profane snit fit. The U.S. is now out of the tournament.
* * * * Which is why I suggest that every one of you write the U.S. Tennis Association, whether you care about tennis or not, and let it and Ms. King hear exactly—and resoundingly—how you feel about this defeat. I’d suggest saying something along these lines: Right on, Billie Jean! Haven’t all of us sports fans been waiting for someone, anyone, to stand up to one of these petulant, whiny, self-involved, self-important kids and say, “Hey, just get your butt out of here. The team will play without you.” That it happened in relative obscurity shouldn’t detract from its significance. The coach of an American national team put principle above winning and she deserves our praise and support.
* * * * Much of America’s patriotic outburst over the past six-plus months has played out in sports arenas and stadiums. Inherent in our flag-waving and chants of “USA, USA” is a faith that our country stands for something special, that our national values are particularly worthy. By extension, that should mean that representing this country is also a special privilege. And with that privilege comes a requirement to elevate one’s behavior over the standards that may be needed to represent, say, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Boston Bruins or the Chicago Fire.
* * * * Too often that isn’t remotely the case. I wrote earlier this year, right before the Salt Lake Olympics, of my grievances against the U.S. hockey team for their mortifying behavior—trashing a dorm room and refusing to own up to it—at the ’98 Nagano Olympics. Almost as unsettling was Sydney 2000 where, in victory, our men’s Olympic 4 x 100 relay team treated the flag with about as much reverence as their jockstraps, draping Old Glory around themselves while flexing their muscles. It recalled a shameful scene almost a decade ago when some NBA clowns, with their strutting and crotch-grabbing antics, made a mockery of the world championships. Our ’98 World Cup team in France wasn’t that bad, if you ignored how they played.
* * * * Now we have Ms. Capriati, who at 26 years old, couldn’t bear the thought of spending a few days practicing with just her team instead of with her daddy. Capriati has, of course, received a lot of praise for her comeback from teen burnout and drug-rehab graduate to international tennis champion. But while Capriati has earned millions in purses and endorsement deals, she hasn’t done a single thing that puts her in the same class—as either a player or person—as King. It’s not King’s dozen Grand Slam titles. It’s that Billie Jean has fought the good fight for the women’s game for decades now. If it weren’t for her battles, Capriati might be hustling games in Florida against Bobby Riggs wannabes in order to make a decent living.
* * * * King is one of the few figures with enough stature to take the heat for her decision. She was such a ferocious competitor and a great champion that she is indeed the perfect person to send a long overdue message: winning isn’t everything. As for Ms. Capriati, maybe she just had a bad day and will be woman enough to eventually admit her error. But if she ever wants to play for her country again, whether in the Federation Cup or some future Olympics, I’d make her first apologize to Billie Jean, then to her teammates and, finally, to all of us, her countrymen, for squandering the great honor bestowed on her.
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* * * *© 2002 Newsweek, Inc.
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