Carlos Ramos Named One of 2018 Men of the Year by Washington Free Beacon
Tennis – The chair umpire of the controversial US Open womens singles final between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, has been named one of the 2018 Men of the Year by the Washington Free Beacon.
The US Open final became a controversial match after Williams was given three code violations during the final by Ramos in what became one of the most talked about matches of the season. Williams went on to lose the final to Osaka in straight sets.
In their citation for Ramos, the Washington Free Beacon wrote, Sportsmanship is a dying virtue in the age of anthem-kneeling and bat-flipping, but it has an unwavering guardian in tennis umpire Carlos Ramos. Certified as a gold badge chair umpire by the International Tennis Federation, Ramos is a man of the utmost professionalism, which he showed by having the balls to penalize the games biggest female star when she threw a tantrum at the U.S.
Open final. In an act of unbridled aggression on the court, 23-time grand-slam winner Serena Williams demanded Ramos apologize for his obviously correct decision to issue her a warning for receiving signals from her coach, before losing her temper and verbally abusing Ramos.
He had tolerated her caterwauling with patienceonly ruling on the technical violations of her receiving coaching and destroying her racketbefore justly imposing a game penalty when she crossed the line and called him a liar and a thief, an indisputable case of verbal abuse as defined in tennis rules.
At that point, her vituperations had exceeded not only the bounds of decorum but also appeared to be desperate attempts to disrupt the focus of her 20-year-old opponent, Naomi Osaka. But Osaka closed out the championship, and Ramos held firm amidst a chorus of lusty jeering.
An extended round of media bellyaching ensued, driven by Williams and her lackeys, but Ramos refused to make it about himself. He told the Portuguese Tribuna Expresso, Do not worry about me, and instead turned the matter to the principle on which his job as chair umpire rests: Its a delicate situation, but la carte arbitration does not exist. His magnanimity is even more laudable given the nasty, baseless accusations of sexism he received from the Williams camp and her media flunkeys.
For epitomizing class, judgment, and restraint in a moment of trial on the biggest stage in his profession, Carlos Ramos earned the title of Washington Free Beacon Man of the Year. Other men who have been named Man of the Year by the Free Beacon this year include Richard Overton, Tom Cotton and the Somerville High Gym Teacher
