We know about the swing. We know about the swagger. But what most Americans don't know about Venus Williams is how she changed the course of her sport. In a stunning case that captured the European public beginning in 2005, Williams challenged the long-held practice of paying women tennis players less than their male counterparts at Wimbledon. With a deep sense of obligation to the legacy of Billie Jean King, Williams lobbied British Parliament, UNESCO and Fleet Street for financial parity. And it was her poignant op-ed piece in The London Times that convinced many people that the Wimbledon tournament organizers were "on the wrong side of history." Roland Garros and Wimbledon finally relented in 2007. That year at Wimbledon, Venus became the first women's champion to earn as much as the men's singles winner (Roger Federer). VENUS VS. chronicles Williams' fight for pay equality.
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Nine for IX: Venus Vs. (2013) *** (out of 4) Documentary following the fight for women to gain the same amount of money as the men did in professional tennis. This film follows the career of Venus Williams who would wind up winning five Wimbledon titles but only two of them had her gaining the same amount of money as the men champion. This first entry in ESPN's NINE FOR IX series is obviously an attempt to capture the same magic as 30 FOR 30, although the stories here are going to center on women. I guess there's not too many people better fit for the first episode than Venus Williams and this documentary does a pretty good job at showing what happened to her throughout her career from her being raised in the ghetto to finally hitting the professional courts only to face various hardships. The documentary is meant to be about the difference in pay between the men and the women but I must admit that I was rather shocked to see that the difference was just $80,000 when Venus won her first title. I don't know why but I always expected that number to be a lot higher. The documentary is more about Venus and her race rather than her being a woman in a field where the men made more. The film wants to shine the spotlight on the money issue but it actually takes a back seat to Venus. Various tennis experts are interviewed about the subject including Williams, her sister Serena, Maria Sharapova, Billy Jean King and John McEnroe. Fans of Venus or the sport will certainly be entertained but this does fall short of even a weaker episode in the 30 FOR 30 series.