by Altheria Gaston

On Tuesday night, September 8, 2015, I was among millions of people across the world tuned-in to ESPN to watch the U.S. Open Quarterfinal competition featuring two iconic players—Venus Williams and Serena Williams. In Fortune’s "Can Venus and Serena Williams Save Tennis Ratings?" Mary Pilon noted that the match was the second most watched tennis broadcast in ESPN history. Tickets to the match, held at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis stadium by capacity (22,547), were sold-out. And Twitter was on fire with tweets about Venus and Serena—150,000 tweets about Venus and over 190,000 about Serena.

by Erika Nicole Kendall for The Guardian

Serena Williams has often been called an “ape” and “gorilla” across the dark caverns of social media; her body has been described in language not unlike the kind you’d find in old timey slave auction advertisements or Old English freak show exhibits; her deep brown skin, her cheekbones, her muscular physique – the physique of someone who takes their sport seriously, with the trophy case to prove it – are all used as grounds to question the sex she was born at birth or whether she came by her athleticism naturally.

by Leah C.K. Lewis

Serena Williams is adored. She is revered. She dominates in such an elegant sport and the world knows it. Tennis lovers, especially those of us who understand her impact and age-defying accomplishments, are happy to be alive during her tenure, which is now twenty years and running.

The US women's national team made history recently by becoming the first to win three Women's World Cups. With the increased national attention on women's soccer, there's been little focus highlighting the racial disparity of the sport in America and what can be done to combat it.

We spoke to retired goalkeeper for the 1999 championship national team, and two-time gold medalist for the Olympic teams, Briana Scurry, about her path to soccer and getting black girls to see it as an option.

by Raisa Habersham


Mo’Ne Davis was a hot commodity among the sports circuit last year. The 13-year-old baseball phenom was the first little leaguer on the cover of Sports Illustrated and was also named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. Davis’ success is much to be celebrated as the athletic child prodigy sits in good company with the Williams’ sisters, Dominique Dawes, and Gabby Douglass—all of whom started their sports careers in their youth.

This week five-time US national champion Alysia Montano ran at this year's national championships while only weeks away from giving birth to her first child.