Venus Williams: A global inspiration in an unjust world order

IOL News

2 days ago

VenVenus Williams became the second-oldest woman ever to win a WTA Tour-level singles match, since Martina Navratilova back in 2004.us Williams with her Barbie doll.
Image: Instagram
THIS past week, astonishing tennis champion Venus Williams became the second-oldest woman ever to win a WTA Tour-level singles match, since Martina Navratilova back in 2004.
In a brilliant display, she beat Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4 at the Washington DC Open. This marks her winning streak following her first doubles match in three years, where she solidified a win at the DC Open alongside Hailey Baptiste this week.
When Williams stepped onto the court this past week and clinched yet another hard-fought win, it was not just a personal triumph; it was a thunderous reminder of what resilience looks like in a world that has too often sidelined female athletes.
For Black women in particular, Williams's legacy stretches far beyond the boundaries of a tennis court. It speaks to grit, excellence, and the persistent fight against a system built to exclude us — particularly those who are both Black and female.
As a Black South African woman, I don't just see Venus. I see myself. I see the outstanding Caster Semenya. I see our stunning Banyana Banyana team. I see the first World Athletics Indoor Championships winner, Prudence Sekgodiso. And so, so many more. In the same breath, however, I also see the underfunded, overlooked, and underestimated athletes across our continent who rise despite various, arduous barriers set against them.
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Being a woman in the professional sports world is incredibly tough. However, being a Black woman in sport — and any other sphere of society — is a double disadvantage. Racism and sexism work together to create nearly impenetrable walls. Whether it is access to elite training facilities, sponsorships, or fair media coverage, they are constantly demanded to do more with less, and then criticised for not doing enough.
Black South African sportswomen face a specific set of challenges: historical racial inequalities, under-resourced development programmes in townships and rural areas, and deeply embedded gender biases. They are told to be grateful for crumbs when in reality they deserve seats at the main table.
Globally and locally, the gender pay gap in sports is staggering. While male athletes rake in millions of rand, women are left scrambling for basic sponsorship. When Banyana Banyana qualified for the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup, the prize money promised to the team was barely a fraction of what the men's team would receive for a similar feat, despite the women outperforming them in global rankings and progress.
This is not just a domestic problem. When Williams fought for equal prize money at Wimbledon — and won — it took years of hard-won activism, even with her legendary status. How much longer will it take for African women athletes to receive the most basic recognition?
The limitations in access also coincide with the limitations of women's rights. Access to sport starts early, at a foundational stage. In many South African communities, however, young girls are commonly discouraged from participating. Sport is still seen as a 'man's game', and their facilities are either unavailable or prioritised for males. When you add the constant threat of gender-based violence, you begin to understand why many promising girls drop out of sports altogether.
Even at professional levels, these basic rights are often denied. Female athletes lack access to legal support, maternity protections, and even healthcare. Many of our most formidable athletes retire early, not because of injuries or that their talent has faded, but because the system simply pushes them out.
Many of the challenges women face in sports are also a direct result of poor policies. While there have been moves toward policy reforms, implementation remains weak. Gender equity clauses are often tokenistic — included in sporting federations' documentation that demands international compliance — but rarely enforced. Funding for women's sports remains minimal, and when cuts are made, women's programmes are the first to go.
Furthermore, sports organisations love to make the widespread claim that if female athletes do not generate the same amount of viewership and visibility as male sports, they are undeserving of the standardised remuneration. This is nonsense and speaks to a wider problem of a general minimisation of female sports, from marketing to administration, and beyond.
Ultimately, we do not need more slogans or one-off 'Women in Sport' campaigns. We need meaningful, transformative, measurable action.
In fact, the most visible injustice is the lack of visibility of female sports. When South Africa hosted and dominated the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), the coverage was scarce and begrudging. More recently, Banyana Banyana made it to the semi-finals of the 2025 Wafcon. The coverage was undeniably minute! Which is particularly shameful, considering that the entire soccer world has recently concluded its most formidable competitions — such as the Premier League, the European League, and the Fifa Club World Cup — where it was a prime opportunity to garner viewership and sales for Wafcon.
All of this, which is easily comparable to the blanket coverage that men's teams receive during even minor tournaments, is truly despicable.
According to Change Our Game, 2022/2023 statistics, women's coverage represented an average of 19% of all coverage across the top five sports. Globally, only about 4% of sports media coverage is devoted to women's sports.
Additionally, there is a significant problematisation in the lack of depth in the coverage of women's sports compared to men's sports. Change Our Game outlined that women were commonly described as 'quiet achievers', 'hard workers' and 'punching above their weight'. This speaks to an issue with the socialisation of women that sees them as non-athletes, as physically inadequate, and as the exception to a 'male game'.
The media's silence certainly is not neutral. It directly shapes public perceptions, sponsorship interest, and the legitimacy of women athletes overall. It impacts the place of female sports in the world and restricts them to a second-class position.
Like so many female athletes across the world, Williams's victory was a spark — but what we need is a wildfire. We need more Black women in boardrooms, coaching, policymaking positions, sports journalism, media, and beyond. We need equity, not pity. We need representation, not mere symbolism. Waiting costs so much more than investing.
For every 'Venus' in the global spotlight, there are thousands of women on dusty fields and cracked courts across Africa, fighting for the chance to compete. They do not just want access; they deserve it, and they demand it. This is not merely about access, it's about justice.
Until sport dismantles its barriers and reclaims its promise of equity, it will fail those who need it most. And this plight will not stop until sports truly becomes what it was always meant to be: fair, inclusive, and open to all. In the words of basketball star (WNBA) A'ja Wilson: 'Adversity is like fertiliser for greatness.' But greatness isn't grown on barren soil — resources must come before results.
* Tswelopele Makoe is a gender and social justice activist and editor at Global South Media Network. She is a researcher, columnist, and an Andrew W Mellon scholar at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice, UWC. The views expressed are her own.
** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, IOL, or Independent Media. Get the real story on the go: Follow the Sunday Independent on WhatsApp.