Tennis legend Serena Williams accepted her Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Award in New York City earlier this week and delivered a truly magnificent speech.
Strangely, the magazine’s fans nominated a champion racehorse American Pharoah in the same category, leading to controversy for comparing Williams’ achievements to that of an animal.
Sorry, American Pharoah fans. Serena Williams wins @SInow Sportsperson of the year. Remember, he’s not a person. He’s a horse.
— Mark Singelais (@MarkSingelais) December 14, 2015
Williams spoke of overcoming adversity to the audience: “I’ve had people look down on me, put me down because I didn’t look like them — I look stronger,” she said. “I’ve had people look past me because [of] the color of my skin, I’ve had people overlook me because I was a woman, I’ve had critics say I [would] never win another Grand Slam when I was only at number seven — and here I stand today with 21 Grand Slam titles, and I’m still going.”
Williams is a 21-time Grand Slam winner and is viewed as one of the greatest athletes of our time.
You can watch the video below:
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