I was reading into a story about tennis player John McEnroe yesterday, and how he commented that Serena Williams was the greatest women’s tennis player ever but that she would be ranked a lot lower if she played against men.

To me, I don’t think John is some sort of horrible person for saying this, though I do feel like John could’ve acknowledged how talented Serena is and commended her, without having to compare her to men.

I feel like most people including women have no problem recognizing the physical differences between men and women, including when it comes to sports. And yet for some reason, I feel like when people try to praise or support women athletes, it’s always brought up how men are stronger, faster and just better at whatever sport they play compared to women. They’ll mention something like a women’s soccer team losing to male teenagers and use that to discredit what women athletes accomplish.

To me this is silly and frankly sort of disrespectful, as it comes off as diminishing what women are capable of. You can discuss the incredible feats of women’s athletes, the records they set, the milestones they achieve, etc without having to point out what men can do instead. It’s not like men have to be the benchmark for any sport or athletic endeavor.