Cartoonist Receives Death Threats Over His Depiction of Serena Williams

Veteran cartoonist Mark Knight has rejected suggestions his depiction of Serena Williams is “racist”, saying those condemning him are “making stuff up”.

The cartoon, published in the Herald Sun, was Mr Knight’s take on the controversial US Open final, which Ms Williams lost to Japan’s Naomi Osaka after being given three penalty points — one for coaching, one for breaking her racquet and another for verbal abuse of the chair umpire.

Ms Williams’ behaviour has divided onlookers, with some saying she was out of line and others believing she was the victim of overzealous or discriminatory officiating.

Mr Knight’s cartoon shows Williams stamping on her racquet with a dummy on the ground and the umpire telling Osaka, “Can you just let her win?”.

My toon in today’s @theheraldsun on #SerenaWilliams @usopen pic.twitter.com/didwtQg1R5

— Mark Knight (@Knightcartoons) September 10, 2018

Mr Knight said his cartoon was only about Williams’ behaviour on the court and said those suggesting it was racist or sexist were misinterpreting it. “I saw the world number one tennis player have a huge hissy fit and spit the dummy.

That’s what the cartoon was about, her poor behaviour on the court,” he said.

“I’m not targeting Serena. I mean, Serena is a champion. “I drew her as an African-American woman. She’s powerfully built. She wears these outrageous costumes when she plays tennis. She’s interesting to draw. I drew her as she is, as an African-American woman.

“So, this whole business that I’m some sort of racist, calling on racial cartoons from the past, it’s just made up. It’s not there.”

“I find on social media that stuff gets shared around, and it’s like a sort of rolling thunder. It’s like a hurricane. It develops intensity way beyond its initial meaning,” he said.

“I think racial tensions in America are, of course, more heightened than here in Australia. And Americans may look at it in a different light. “No racial historical significance should be read into it.”

Reactions continue to build

Well done on reducing one of the greatest sportswomen alive to racist and sexist tropes and turning a second great sportswoman into a faceless prop. https://t.co/YOxVMuTXEC

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 10, 2018

This small boy doesn’t realise he’s drawn a cartoon that will be studied and shown for generations after Serena retires for encapsulating the hostile misogynoir she endured from an insecure white gaze uncomfortable with her greatness. Even his erasure of Naomi Osaka is perfect. https://t.co/xgDFrURx3B

— SymeonBrown (@symeonbrown) September 10, 2018

Holy crap. This Serena cartoon is racist AF & reminiscent Jack Johnson cartoons in 1910. Mark Knight should be fired. But any Herald Sun editors that would allow this, should fire themselves first. https://t.co/Usgd7pWH8b

— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) September 10, 2018

Whatever you think of the Serena Williams situation, I think we can all agree that this cartoon is disgusting. Erasing Naomi Osaka’s blackness alongside a grossly racialised caricature of Serena, invoking racist stereotypes, is obscene. https://t.co/Z09T7rt5tt

— Anna Kessel (@Anna_Kessel) September 10, 2018

Criticism of Mark Knight’s Serena Williams cartoon shows the world has gone too PC & misunderstands the role of news media cartoons and satire. Poor behaviour in any sport needs to be called out. #media #cartoons #markknight @Knightcartoons @theheraldsun https://t.co/KQFuvIJp0Q pic.twitter.com/sRo3AQ1cJW

— Michael Miller (@mm_newscorpaus) September 10, 2018

Let’s be real about this cartoon from an Australian male. He’s placed emphasis on making Serena larger, uglier and brutish. Osako on the other hand, Anglo, slim and attractive. Don’t tell me this isn’t anything but racist and sexist. pic.twitter.com/JawauD8hyI

— JAGS (@JamesAGSaunders) September 10, 2018

The @theheraldsun has backed @Knightcartoons‘s cartoon of @serenawilliams, saying: “It had nothing to do with gender or race.” https://t.co/IvQwo8VKLV

— news.com.au (@newscomauHQ) September 11, 2018

Do you think it has racist undertones?

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19 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 05 Nov 2022
    8:34 am
I just love how these people giving out death threats feel that they are perfectly within their rights to act that way but the person they are making the threats to are the ones that are in the wrong. What a warped way of looking at the World.

- - mom101628 said
  - 28 Dec 2018
    5:08 pm
I didn’t see any racist overtones, just putting sown a spoilt brat who should know better. It’s not the first time she has outraged people on the court when she is playing badly.

- - mom7108 said
  - 17 Nov 2018
    2:27 pm
I don’t see the racist about it but maybe I am naive

- - tessie said
  - 16 Sep 2018
    11:48 am
I didn’t think it had anything about racism, it was about a professional player having a hissy fit. Bet if it was of any other player, I reckon she would have laughed about it herself.

- - mom93821 said
  - 13 Sep 2018
    2:38 pm
I am not a fan of this cartoon.

- - mom302744 said
  - 13 Sep 2018
    6:46 am
Serena through a tantrum on court she is a professional tennis player and knows better. Also it was out of character for her to behave that way. When I saw the cartoon I didn’t see a racial tone. The cartoonist drew her in what Serena usually wears, her tantrum and her color skin.

- - Amanda Holland said
  - 12 Sep 2018
    4:57 pm
All I see is a grown woman having a hissy fit

- - mom81879 said
  - 12 Sep 2018
    12:25 pm
If you saw the other player, she looks half n half, part Japanese and part white person. And she did have a blonde pony tail, maybe not this blonde, but still blonde

- - littlehandsofmine said
  - 12 Sep 2018
    10:02 am
Wasn’t the other player Japanese? Why is she blonde and Western looking?

- - rovermum said
  - 12 Sep 2018
    9:57 am
Absolutely not! Caricatures by nature highlight certain aspects of a person. Serena Williams is a strong black American woman. That should not be considered racist. How else was he supposed to depict her? The outrage has been ridiculous. Her behaviour was apalling, as is Nick Kyrigos’ and others and it is always called out, as it should be. Serena is a superhuman awesome athlete. That does not override bad behaviour. The outrage is horrendous and off-putting. It’s the PC brigade at it again. I’m so glad Mark Knight’s employers stood up for him and showed their support. Clearly the US do not understand caricatures or cartoons. Interesting when that’s where they originated from.

- - Ellen said
  - 12 Sep 2018
    7:38 am
Death treats are never ok.
Cartoonists often pull things out of proportion, joking and ridiculing a situation with a hint of truth in it, it what cartoons are about.

- - mom81879 said
  - 12 Sep 2018
    6:31 am
Sexist and could have been toned down a bit……comments from below, HOW is it either?! It’s a caricature, they are over the top. As for sexist, I can’t see that at all

- - mom265671 said
  - 12 Sep 2018
    12:08 am
I think it was poor taste, but no one should get threats over it.
- mom93821 replied
  
  15 Sep 2018 , 11:40 am
  I agree – poor taste – but extreme reaction.
- - LuckyMum said
  - 11 Sep 2018
    10:54 pm
Overreacting much ?!?

- - Blossom said
  - 11 Sep 2018
    10:38 pm
The cartoon is very good but the drawing of the tennis player regardless of who the player is could have been toned down a bit.