In 2012, the grass at Wimbledon was supposed to be silent. It’s a place of hushed tones, white linens, and extremely polite clapping. Then Serena Williams won gold at the London Olympics. She didn't just win; she absolutely dismantled Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1. It was a beatdown for the history books.
And then, she danced.
For about five seconds, the greatest tennis player in history let loose with a specific, rhythmic footwork known as the Crip Walk. It was a tiny moment in a massive career, but it sparked a firestorm that refused to go out. Honestly, looking back, the reaction was wild. Some people acted like she’d committed a crime right there on the baseline.
The Dance That Shook Wimbledon
You have to understand the setting. Wimbledon is the "Cathedral of Tennis." It’s steeped in tradition, often to a fault. When Serena broke out those moves—heels digging in, toes pivoting, that unmistakable West Coast swagger—it collided head-on with the stuffy expectations of the sport.
The "Crip Walk" (or C-Walk) started in the 1970s in Compton, California. It’s a dance rooted in gang culture, specifically the Crips. But by 2012, it had been a staple of hip-hop videos and pop culture for decades. Snoop Dogg, WC, and Ice Cube had been doing it on global stages for years. For Serena, a girl who grew up on the courts of Compton, it was a piece of home. It was unbridled joy.
But the media didn't see joy. They saw a "controversy."
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The Backlash Was Intense
Critics didn't hold back. Jason Whitlock, writing for Fox Sports at the time, called it "crass" and compared it to cracking an X-rated joke in a church. Others suggested she was "glamorizing gang violence." It felt personal. It felt like people were waiting for a reason to poke at her success.
Serena’s sister, Yetunde Price, had been tragically killed in a drive-by shooting in Compton in 2003. The shooter was a gang member. To suggest Serena was "pro-gang" because of a victory dance was, to put it mildly, a massive stretch. It ignored her history and her pain.
During the press conferences that followed, she was grilled. She tried to play it down. "It was just a dance," she told reporters. She even claimed she didn't know the official name for it at the time, just that it was something people did back home. She was clearly over the conversation before it even started.
Fast Forward to the 2025 Super Bowl
If you thought she regretted it, think again. History has a funny way of looping back around. In February 2025, during Kendrick Lamar’s legendary Super Bowl LIX halftime show, Serena Williams didn't just make a cameo—she reclaimed the moment.
As Kendrick performed "Not Like Us," the camera cut to Serena on the edge of the stage. She did the Crip Walk. Again. Only this time, she wasn't a 30-year-old athlete being lectured by tennis pundits. She was a 43-year-old icon, an executive, and a legend.
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The internet basically exploded.
- Coco Gauff posted "Serena ate that."
- Venus Williams cheered her on.
- The official U.S. Olympic Team accounts gave her props.
The irony wasn't lost on anyone. Kendrick’s set was a masterclass in West Coast culture. By including Serena and her "controversial" dance, he was essentially saying that the culture she comes from belongs on the world's biggest stages, whether the critics like it or not.
Why It Still Matters
The "Serena Williams crip walk" saga isn't just about a dance. It’s about who gets to define "appropriate" behavior in professional spaces. For a long time, tennis tried to mold Serena into something she wasn't. They wanted the excellence without the Compton.
The 2025 Super Bowl performance was the ultimate "I told you so." Serena later joked on social media, "Man, I did not crip walk like that at Wimbledon. Ooh, I would’ve been fined!" It was a wink to the fans who remember the 2012 drama. It was a way of saying she’s done apologizing for where she comes from.
The Cultural Shift
We've moved from a world where a five-second dance leads to national headlines about "gang glamorization" to a world where that same dance is celebrated as a moment of "radical joy" at the Super Bowl. That’s a massive shift in the cultural needle.
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Harvard lecturer and dance researcher Bell has noted that the dance is a form of liberation. It’s an embodiment of South Central Los Angeles. When Serena does it, she’s not just celebrating a point or a song; she’s honoring her roots.
What most people get wrong is thinking it was a mistake or a lapse in judgment. It wasn't. It was an authentic reaction to the highest level of achievement.
If you want to understand the impact of this moment today, you should look at how it paved the way for athletes to be their full selves. We don't ask athletes to leave their culture at the locker room door anymore—at least not as much as we used to.
To really get the full picture, go back and watch the 2012 Olympic final. Watch the sheer dominance she displayed against Sharapova. Then watch the dance. It looks less like a "scandal" and more like a person who just realized they’ve conquered the world.
Next Steps for You:
Check out the footage of Kendrick Lamar's 2025 halftime show to see the contrast in how the dance was framed versus the 2012 Olympic coverage. It’s a perfect case study in how media narratives change over a decade. Additionally, look into the work of community organizations in Compton that use dance as a form of youth outreach to see the real-world evolution of these street styles.