Every now and then you watch a film and walk out of the theater knowing that you have just seen a classic (happened for me with Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence, Star Wars, The Matrix, and several foreign films). But you know the small screen has gotten better, when in the comfort of your own home you watch an original documentary and instantly feel the power of the moment. I’m talking about the ESPN sponsored “Venus Vs”.
Venus Williams may no longer be at the height of her powers, but there was a time not to long ago when she stood atop the tennis universe, changed the sport, and then turned around and changed how the sport viewed pay for women. She and Billy Jean King are shown almost as relay runners as one picks up the torch to carry it as far as she could, and then out of the blue this new type runner shows up ready to take the torch on to the finish.
The documentary shows early video of a young Venus dreaming of this grand place called Wimbledon, and then chronicles her struggles to walk out on the lawn of the All England Tennis Club and hold the Venus Rosewater Dish. This is heady stuff because unlike Serena, Venus comes across as a reserved introvert who enjoys her own company and is content to let the circus roll by. But this shy young woman makes up her mind to fight for equal pay and similar to her part in the 2005 Williams – Davenport longest women’s tennis final in Wimbledon history, simply refused to give up. A classic indeed!
And yet, my other take away from this viewing is that Venus need never win another tournament (although 5 Wimbledon Titles does put her in very rarefied air). Her legacy is that she changed the sport and then cast a giant shadow for equal pay.