Video Of The Day: Serena Williams Acceptance Speech

When news of Serena Williams being honored as Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson Of The Year first broke, it was lauded as a history making moment. Serena is the first individual woman in over thirty years to garner the title. Celebration was mired by the racist comparison to a horse by the LA Times, but now the attention is back squarely on Serena with the powerful video of her acceptance speech. In it, she details the racism and sexism that has played out over the course of her entire career, as well as her incredible tenacity that makes her the G.O.A.T.:

I’ve had people look down on me, put me down because I didn’t look like them — I look stronger. 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 number seven — and here I stand today with 21 Grand Slam titles, and I’m still going.

She never fails to remind us all where she has come from — and she is nowhere near done.

In 1984 in Compton is where I began my journey of becoming a tennis player on beaten down courts. Now 30 years later, I still have goals and still have dreams of winning, and this award actually makes me want to work harder to reach more goals…. 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’.

Watch the full speech here.