Mental Health Matters

Serena Williams

"For all the ladies out there, yes, we can do it."

By Elizabeth Narins
Last night, Serena Williams, Sports Illustrated's newly minted Sportsperson of the Year, accepted her award with the speech to end all speeches. 

She opened with a thank you to Sports Illustrated for naming her sportsperson of the year, as opposed to sportswoman. (The title has been awarded annually since 1954 but women receive the honor fairly infrequently. The last time a woman made the cut, it was 1999, when scrunchies were cool and Sports Illustrated, evidently making up for lost time, named the entire U.S. women's soccer team, which won a championship that year.)

"For all the ladies out there, yes, we can do it," she said. "My hope by winning this award [is that I] can inspire many, many, many more women ... to stand right here on this podium and accept another 'Sportsperson of the Year.' So yes, ladies, it can be done."

Serena goes on to reiterate that is hasn't been an easy ride to the top: "I've had people look down on me, put me down because I didn't look like them — I look stronger," she said, likely alluding to a hotly contested New York Times article published earlier this year, which thrust Serena into a body image debate over whether female athletes aspire to be both strong and feminine.

"I've had people look past me because 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 no. 7 — and here I stand today with 21 Grand Slam titles, and I'm still going."

Here's to a winning streak that never ends. Congrats, Serena!