Serena Williams’ victory at the 2012 Olympics was marked by a celebratory dance, which, although extraordinary, was identified as the C-Walk or Crip Walk.

The “C” in C-Walk represents Crip, a gang based in Southern California beachfront districts. The dance has historical roots that have been overlooked over time. Serena Williams hails from Compton, a suburb in that area.

The incident occurred moments after her decisive win over Maria Sharapova, securing the gold medal at the London Olympics.

What might have seemed like a simple dance to her drew criticism from the media, notably from Fox Sports, which heavily criticized the renowned American tennis star.

“She was in the city of kings and queens. People were sipping champagne and eating strawberries and cream … and there was Serena crip-walking all over the most lily-white place in the world,” wrote Fox Sports.

During press conferences, they unequivocally asserted that the dance had gang affiliations and questioned whether she regretted performing it on such a prominent stage.

“Everyone knows that the crip walk is not just a dance,” the questioner was quoted as saying. “I was wondering, do you have any regrets doing it in front of everyone?” he concluded.

A perplexed Williams promptly asserted herself and criticized the journalist for making assumptions. She staunchly defended her celebration, reiterating that it was simply a dance!

“First of all, it was just a dance. I didn’t know that’s what it was called,” she said.

Williams then proceeded to rebuke the journalist for detracting from her accomplishment and dismissed his question with disdain.

“Second, why are you asking me that? If anything, you should be trying to ask me questions to lift me up, not bring up such things… I’m done with that question,” she concluded.

Snoop Dogg and other Californian natives, including the legendary rapper Snoop Dogg, voiced their support for Serena Williams in the aftermath of the incident. He gave the tennis star a shout-out and encouraged her. Snoop helped popularize the move in the past.

“Shout out to Serena Williams. C-walking at the Olympics Cpt style hahahahah! Go girl,” he tweeted.

Others who came to her defense included Clinton Yates of The Washington Post, who questioned the sudden taboo surrounding the C-Walk as a dance, considering its portrayal in popular culture like the movie “You Got Served.”

Chris Chase of Yahoo! Sports calmed tensions and dismissed any notion of Williams’ celebration being anything other than a dance move.

“This makes it seem like Serena crip-walked away from the Queen after stealing the crown jewels,” he wrote. “She broke out the dance for three seconds, while looking at her sister sitting in the player’s box! It’s a dance move, not a political statement.”