Serena Williams' legacy of challenging racism and sexism

+ ending pregnancies without health care US Edition - Today's top story: Serena Williams forced sports journalists to get out of the 'toy box' – and cover tennis as more than a game [View in browser]( US Edition | 3 September 2022 [The Conversation]( Last night, tennis superstar Serena Williams lost to Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in what could be her last professional match. Over the course of her career, Williams transformed the game of tennis. She’s also been a lightning rod of controversy. The way she dressed, the way she played and her interviews with the media routinely became fodder for praise and outrage. University of Tennessee journalism professor Erin Whiteside has spent years studying the ways in which journalists cover – or fail to cover – the intersection of sports and social issues. Over the course of Williams’ career, Whiteside [witnessed an important shift take place](. The sports media started treating incidents of racism, sexism and abuse in sports less as isolated acts committed by a few bad apples, and more as systemic problems that weren’t divorced from the issues roiling the country’s politics. That was due, in no small part, to Williams herself, who, Whiteside writes, “demanded sports journalists do more than analyze her serve.” This week we also liked articles about a study that [paid college students to get more sleep](, how [high heat and air pollution]( are even deadlier together than either condition is on its own and [Artemis – the Greek goddess not the lunar mission](. Nick Lehr Arts + Culture Editor Serena Williams serves in her quarterfinal match during the 2019 Australian Open. Cameron Spencer/Getty Images [Serena Williams forced sports journalists to get out of the ‘toy box’ – and cover tennis as more than a game]( Erin Whiteside, University of Tennessee There is no understating the impact Williams has had on the game itself. But her role in helping sports journalists reimagine the scope of their work is a key part of her enduring legacy. Most college students get less than seven hours of sleep per night. skynesher via Getty Images [One way to help college students get enough sleep – pay them to go to bed]( Osea Giuntella, University of Pittsburgh College students hit the hay earlier and sleep longer when they’re offered a modest monetary incentive. But can a little extra cash really make good sleeping habits last? Diana by Augustus Saint Gaudens, 1928, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Postdlf via Wikimedia Commons [Who is Artemis? NASA’s latest mission to the Moon is named after an ancient lunar goddess turned feminist icon]( Marie-Claire Beaulieu, Tufts University A scholar of Greek mythology explains the naming of NASA’s missions after mythological figures and why the name Artemis is indicative of a more diverse era of space exploration. - [When abortion at a clinic is not available, 1 in 3 pregnant people say they will do something on their own to end the pregnancy]( Lauren Ralph, University of California, San Francisco The fall of Roe v. Wade will result in more people deciding to privately end a pregnancy, a new study finds. But how often people will turn to safe versus unsafe options remains to be seen. - [A warning as a heat wave roasts the US West: Extreme heat + air pollution can be deadly, with the health risk together worse than either alone]( Erika Garcia, University of Southern California; Md Mostafijur Rahman, University of Southern California; Rob Scot McConnell, University of Southern California The worst effects are during high nighttime temperatures, something happening more often with climate change. - [Amazon, Starbucks worker wins recall earlier period of union success – when Central American migrants also expanded US labor movement]( Elizabeth Oglesby, University of Arizona Often overlooked in the immigration debate are the contributions of migrants, such as how they helped organize workers in the 1990s. - [Unexpected Ukrainian resistance continues to thwart Russia’s initial plans for quick, decisive victories]( - [Expanding Alzheimer’s research with primates could overcome the problem with treatments that show promise in mice but don’t help humans]( - [Unknown Holocaust photos – found in attics and archives – are helping researchers recover lost stories and providing a tool against denial]( - [Birds migrate along ancient routes – here are the latest high-tech tools scientists are using to study their amazing journeys]( - - About The Conversation: We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](