Serena Williams knows how to serve heat, both on and off the court. In just one night—at the 2024 ESPYs, which took place on July 11—the tennis champion took down both Kansas City Chiefs player Harrison Butker and ESPN commentator Pat McAfee for their gross comments about women as skillfully as she would any opponent in a match.
Both call outs happened while she was on stage with her sister Venus Williams and Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson to celebrate the rise in popularity of female sports, especially the WNBA, this year thanks in part to number one draft pick Caitlin Clark.
During the segment, the trio shared a list of terms that are acceptable when talking about female athletes—”champion” being one of them. “Just don’t use the b-word,” they said in unison. Added Serena: “You know who you are.”
Serena Williams, Quinta Brunson, and Venus Williams onstage at the 2024 ESPY Awards.Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
That last jab is obviously a reference to ESPN commentator Pat McAfee, who in June referred to Clark as a “white bitch” during a discussion of the WNBA’s success. “I would like the media people that continue to say, ‘This rookie class, this rookie class, this rookie class.’ Nah, just call it for what it is—there’s one white bitch for the Indiana team who is a superstar,” McAfee said.
He later apologized, though added that he meant it as a compliment. (???) “I shouldn’t have used ‘white bitch’ as a descriptor of Caitlin Clark,” he wrote on X. “No matter the context.. even if we’re talking about race being a reason for some of the stuff happening.. I have way too much respect for her and women to put that into the universe. My intentions when saying it were complimentary just like the entire segment but, a lot of folks are saying that it certainly wasn’t at all. That’s 100% on me and for that I apologize.”
With Harrison Butker, however, Serena Williams got even more direct. The Kansas City Chiefs kicker has faced tremendous backlash for a May commencement speech he gave at Benedictine College in which he shared his (troubling) thoughts on abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and other “degenerate cultural values” before telling the female graduates they should be “most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.” And at the ESPYs, Serena shared exactly how she feels about him.
