Darren Rovell Says Racism Has Nothing to Do With Serena Williams Being No. 2 In Endorsement Money, Sets Off Twitter Firestorm

Complex

Jordan Zirm21 hrs ago

© Darren Rovell Says Racism Has Nothing to Do With Serena Williams Being No. 2 In Endorsement Money, S... Darren Rovell Says Racism Has Nothing to Do With Serena Williams Being No. 2 In Endorsement Money, Sets Off Twitter Firestorm ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell is somewhat of a polarizing figure, in that he does and says a lot of things that people disagree with. From his laughable reporting on sneaker resellers to his random tweets that seem to be hocking a company's product more than reporting on it, Rovell is more of a hate-follow on social media than anything.

Money, Sets Off Twitter Firestorm 

Rovell stuck his toes in some testy waters tonight when he tweeted the above about Serena Williams, denying that race and/or racism has anything to do with Maria Sharapova, a player Williams has completely dominated during their careers, making more money in endorsements than Williams.
In an article put out by Bloomberg today, it states that Sharapova "appeals much more to male sports fans while Serena has a much stronger appeal to female sports fans," despite 67 percent of the U.S.'s population being familiar with Williams as oppose to just 37 with Sharapova. The same article also states that Sharapova "has a much stronger appeal to sports fans with a household income of over $100,000." So, take what you will from that.
Twitter didn't take kindly to Rovell's comments, and as the social media platform is known to do, let him know about it. Rovell's colleague Bomani Jones lead the charge, telling Rovell that to ignore race when it comes to the perception of either of the Williams sisters is "illogical."

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Then everyone's favorite tow-company basher Britt McHenry got in on the conversation to point out that Sharapova's endorsements are with higher priced products, therefore making her more money, which sort of comes back to the original issue. Why isn't one of the best athletes to ever play the game of tennis getting those high shelf endorsements?
This all leads back to Rovell, who once again has to feel the wrath of Twitter. Just a typical Sunday in the Twittersphere.