The ITHOF’s Continuous Dismissal of Black Tennis Contribution
Dear Dan,
Let me begin by congratulating you on your appointment as the CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. I wish you success in your role.
Richard Williams and Oracene Price, through their exceptional coaching of their daughters, Venus and Serena Williams, have left an indelible mark on the sport of tennis. Their unorthodox and nurturing approaches have not only guided their daughters to numerous Grand Slam titles but have also revolutionized the game. Despite their undeniable impact and the compelling case we have made for their induction, the ITHOF has continuously excluded them from making the ballot, let alone getting inducted.
Before you became the CEO of ITHOF, I wrote to your predecessors. Regardless of the different people I wrote to, the responses consistently provided excuses and justifications for Williams and Price’s exclusion. There appears to be a pattern whereby when we raise concerns regarding the continuous exclusion of Williams and Price from the Tennis Hall of Fame, we see the well-worn tactics of getting racial gatekeepers to respond to our queries. One wonders what the objective of this tactic is. Is it to absolve white complicity in the exclusion or to add a veneer of racial credibility to the nominating process?
After our third attempt at trying to get Richard Williams and Oracene Price nominated to the Hall of Fame, the ITHOF announced on 11 December 2023 that Vijay Amritraj and Richard Evans had been elected to be inducted into the Contributors category of the Tennis Hall of Fame. A few months later, Amritraj and Evans were officially inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in July 2024. Despite Williams and Price’s stellar and unmatched accomplishments, their contribution has been ignored under the guise of formality and shifting goalposts. The ITHOF wasted no time in framing Amritraj’s induction as evidence of being inclusive, stating he was the first Indian and Asian man to be “Bestowed with tennis’ Ultimate Honor.”
The International Tennis Hall of Fame’s decision to exclude Williams and Price for the third time in seven years and exclude the black founders of the American Tennis Association (ATA) is a profound injustice. It sends a clear message to the world: BLACKS HAVE MADE LITTLE CONTRIBUTION TO THE GAME OF TENNIS. This disregard for our advocacy and the contributions of Williams and Price perpetuates inequality in the tennis community. It’s not just a matter of exclusion; it’s a matter of injustice we must address.
We recently discovered that there is a Golden Achievement Award, presented annually on a worldwide basis to a person ‘Who has made important contributions internationally to tennis in the fields of administration, promotion or education and has devoted long and outstanding service to the sport.’ This award, jointly offered by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation, once again follows the same trend as the Contributor Category of the ITHOF in that black contributions remain unrecognized. Since 1999, when the award was first issued, not a single black hand has lifted the award. This not only speaks volumes about the lack of diversity and inclusivity in the tennis community but also about the systemic issues that continue to plague the sport. Doesn’t this say something about how the tennis aristocracy views black contribution to tennis? Paradoxically, while the likes of Richard Williams, Price and the black founders of the ATA are excluded from the Golden Achievement Award winners, it is interesting to see a man who the WTA suspended and fined for describing Serena Williams and Venus Williams as the ‘Williams Brothers’ made the cut.
When we raise issues of anti-black bias at the ITHOF, we are told, “Show respect for the process,” but how can we show respect for a process that appears to be rigged against black contributors? We are told to wait for the next cycle, but how long should we wait? Until Price and Williams are in their graves? We are told to leave our negativity outside of this space, but how can we be positive when black excellence is overlooked? We are told to remove the undertone from our comments, but how can we remove it when history keeps repeating itself? These questions are not just rhetorical, but they demand answers that address the fairness and inclusivity of the nomination process. Despite these challenges and veiled threats, we remain steadfast in our advocacy. Our refusal to be intimidated is a testament to our unwavering commitment to justice and equality in the world of tennis. We will not be deterred in our mission to ensure a fair and inclusive tennis community.
The integrity of the nomination process for Contributors is now at stake. In its current form, the Contributor nomination process is not fit for purpose, and it needs to be more transparent. There needs to be more consistency in the player and contributor nomination process. In the Players Category, the number of inductees is usually significantly lower than the number of players who make the ballot. In the Class of 2024 Player Category, six players were nominated, and eventually, Leander Paes was inducted; in the Class of 2023 Player Category, seven players were nominated, and eventually, no one was inducted; in the Class of 2022, five players were nominated, and no one was inducted; in the Class of 2021 Player Category, five players were nominated, and eventually Lleyton Hewitt was inducted; in the Class of 2020 Player Category, four players were nominated, and eventually Conchita Martínez and Goran Ivanisevic were inducted. However, when it comes to the Contributory Category, those who make the ballot are the ones who end up getting inducted. Despite receiving numerous nominations for the Contributors Category for the second consecutive cycle, the ITHOF only announces two names for the ballot, both of whom eventually get inducted. This raises concerns about the selection process and the transparency of the induction procedures. We urgently need a fair and transparent nomination process.
Revealing only the names of nominees chosen for the ballot can raise concerns about favoritism and perpetuate existing prejudices. It also makes it challenging to question the rationale for who is included on the ballot. This could create a suspicion that the nomination process is controlled by an “old school network”, requiring individuals to have close connections with tennis elites to be considered. This system also makes it easier for unconventional and outsider candidates, like Williams and Price, to be disregarded.
For years, we have been asking important questions about the racial composition of those who decide the fate of people who get inducted into the Contributors Category. Yet, to date, our questions remain unanswered. Answers to these questions are crucial to understanding and addressing the systemic issues at play. The urgency and significance of these questions cannot be overstated. They are the key to unlocking a fair and transparent nomination process.
One might find a paradox in that the ITHOF describes someone as the first Indian and Asian to receive tennis’ Ultimate Honor while excluding Williams, Price, and the black ATA founders from the same honor. This may suggest that the argument that Black Contribution to tennis doesn’t matter to the tennis aristocracy is unfounded. One could say that we now have a 21st-century BAME contributor. This line of reasoning cannot withstand scrutiny under the light of racial justice as the inclusion of a brown man in the Tennis Hall of Fame is not a sufficient or necessary condition to suggest the possibility of anti-black bias in the ITHOF Contributors Category is unfounded. Throughout history, the same worn argument has been used to deny the evidence of anti-black bias, ranging from — “I’m not racist; afterall my best friend is black” to “There is only one race, the human race,” to “When I look at you, I don’t see colour.”
The recent exclusion of Richard Williams and Oracene Price from the Tennis Hall of Fame because they “Did not receive the necessary votes to move forward to the ballot for 2024,” only for it to be given to another person of colour, is a demonstration of the hierarchy of race in which black folks find themselves at the bottom of the racial totem pole. Undoubtedly, Richard Williams, Oracene Price, Dr Johnson, and the founders of the American Tennis Association are victims of what Shawn Rochester calls the “Black Tax.” The ITHOF seems to take comfort in taking the path of least resistance by putting blacks into its digital breaking boundaries exhibition rather than in its Hall of Fame. ITHOF needs to realize that Blacks should not only be showcased on computer screens as digital exhibits but also worthy of being acknowledged as Contributors Hall of Famers who have significantly impacted the game of tennis.
Your organization may think we should get over Williams and Price’s exclusion from the Hall of Fame. But we cannot and will not. When people outside of the ITHOF bubble see that Richard Williams and Oracene Price are overlooked while, with all due respect, the likes of Richard Evans are getting inducted, their response is usually, “Williams we know, Price we know, but who is Evans?” It’s truly astounding that an individual whose influence on the world of tennis inspired the portrayal of his story in the film “King Richard,” resulting in an Oscar win for Will Smith, and also led to a feature documentary directed by Stuart McClave to showcase his remarkable achievement, is currently being disregarded by the organization responsible for recognizing significant contributors to the sport of tennis.
We have once again nominated Richard Williams and Oracene Price for the Contributor Category Class of 2026. We remain cautiously optimistic that it will be the fourth time lucky. Will Richard Williams and Oracene Price finally get their day in the sun in 2026? Or will a black person considered acceptable to the tennis establishment be inducted instead? Or will the status quo prevail? Time will tell.
Selah.
Ahmed Olayinka Sule, CFA
@Alatenumo
August 2024
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ITHOF Board of Governors
Patrick McEnroe
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