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Can I also say that Morgan's history of behaviour in this regards seems to be pretty close to the definition of stalking. he gets obsessed with a young woman (often described as a "feud" in the press) has a huge platform which he then abuses to get women to concede to him, placate him, and pretend they are his friends, just to get him to stop.
Weird and ****ing creepy.
Pier's Morgan isn't happy - I support Osaka on principle
Also, these press conferences are the ones straight after a match when an exhausted player is asked meaningless questions about the match that has just happened, with a few misogynistic/racist questions chucked in for good measure. Does anyone get anything of value from them? The world has moved on and hopefully this will start the authorities to start thinking about a system that works better
Also a note to those who think she should just suck it up and do what she’s told: you’re on the same side of this debate as Piers Morgan
It's the way she's gone about it I have most issue with, you can't sign a contract and then decide later you don't like some of the terms of that contract, decide you therefore won't fulfil them and then not expect the other party to consider the contract has been broken.
I don't know if there is a player's union and what the general feeling is amongst the other player's but if there's a consensus that something needs to change about the post-match press conferences then the way to do it is via their union, not individually (and if they don't have a player's union then they should form one).
If the issue is limited to one or a handful of players then they obviously don't have much negotiating power and the affected players need to decide (if no concessions are made by the tournament organisers) whether they attend those tournaments under those conditions or not (and if they do attend whether they choose to make an issue out of it like quite a few NFL & NBA players do by giving single word answers etc. to questions to show their disdain but still meet their contractual requirements).
Until such a time as the media coverage and specifically post-match press conferences are deemed not important by the decision makers/sponsors then unfortunate as it is you do have to make a choice between playing in those tournaments (and risking your mental health by attending the press conferences) or not playing (and likely losing personal sponsors/income) it's a crap situation and anyone in it has my sympathies but it doesn't mean I wholeheartedly support them just changing contractual terms as they see fit.
It’s the way she’s gone about it I have most issue with, you can’t sign a contract and then decide later you don’t like some of the terms of that contract, decide you therefore won’t fulfil them and then not expect the other party to consider the contract has been broken.
I'd have sympathy with that if I thought players in any way could even debate what is and what is not in the contract. I would also gently suggest that her feelings around this go a little further than "don't like" - why is mental health considered any less than physical?
Wonder if the post match interviews are so 'important' to media becuase its basically all some channels (ie BBC etc.) can show of a player as they're not allowed actual footage of them playing because <insert paying customer> has got exclusive rights to the matches?
I've not seen it mentioned anywhere but would be interested to know how much media coaching pro's get. I'd almost see it as a given that any promising young athlete would be given support and guidance from a very early age on exactly how to handle media and PR either to further their brand or support their well-being.
decide you therefore won’t fulfil them and then not expect the other party to consider the contract has been broken.
AFAIK, Ms Osaka hasn't protested about the French Open decision, and chose to withdraw after they fined her.
There’s certainly a reasonable argument for getting rid of the post-game press conference, but if all her rivals are forced to sit through them she’d be getting an unfair advantage if she can skip them.
Or all her rivals could show some unity and also refuse to attend / attend and refuse to say anything. The organisers might then remember why the event exists.
It’s the way she’s gone about it I have most issue with, you can’t sign a contract and then decide later you don’t like some of the terms of that contract, decide you therefore won’t fulfil them and then not expect the other party to consider the contract has been broken.
Lots of people enter contracts and then change their mind, especially if the terms are generic rather that negotiated for them personally. I don't think she is necessarily saying the other party shouldn't regard it as breach of contract; rather she's "big enough" that she can just say "I don't need to do this, if you want the best tennis players you've got my number, in the meantime I'll be working out how to spend last year's winnings"
Wonder if the post match interviews are so ‘important’ to media becuase its basically all some channels (ie BBC etc.) can show of a player as they’re not allowed actual footage of them playing because <insert paying customer> has got exclusive rights to the matches?
You might be right - but that's not the player's fault it's the event/media's fault for not negotiating more sensible arrangments.
The organisers might then remember why the event exists.
To make lots of money through brand sponsorship, if we're being realistic.
I get that this is a contractual issue but I thought the whole point of the Grand Slam tournaments was to attract the best players. Ive never understood why the tournament are so wedded to the post match press conference, I do my best to avoid them. When I have caught them they seem utterly pointless with journalists asking dumb questions and getting answers that are as dull and predictable as the question.
The fact that Morgan thinks she is wrong just proves she is correct and having read his attempt at an article it makes her case brilliantly
MoreCashThanDash
To make lots of money through brand sponsorship, if we’re being realistic.
To be honest, for the grand slam side of house it's more the prestige, they don't have to think of sponsorship or press coverage, they are at the top of the tree, the normal tournaments have to worry about sponsors, marketing, etc, but for the French Open, Wimbeldon, US and Australian Opens they choose the sponsors. This one is all about playing for a major, at Roland Garros, people who haven't a clue about tennis tend to know it's happening and where it's happening.
It's the same in golf, which funnily enough don't tend to force the participants to do media, quite a few wander off, whilst a lot of them do the media, as it's good for the tournament, they've even brought in the new Player Impact Fund to give more money to those at the top who bring in the best coverage/media/etc, quite a bit of cash over the year as well!
Just remember that Osaka withdrew from the French Open. She could have continued and would have been fined each round. Her choice. She knew that by entering, that she was expected to attend post-match interviews. No surprise. And she did not attend the interview after winning a match.
This is top level elite professional sport. For women it is the highest paid sport in which they compete. Being visible, responding to the media is part of the job. Yes journalists ask pointless questions. But they to have a job to do (fill column inches).
Note that every other participant at the French Open manages to do this.
I get that this is a contractual issue but I thought the whole point of the Grand Slam tournaments was to attract the best players.
Exactly. If you're so wedded to the post-match interview that you're prepared to exclude your second seed, then perhaps your priorities are a bit ****ed up. And I'm sure the tournament sponsors would rather that more people were tuning in to watch Osaka vs whoever in the semis rather than the lower-ranked player who replaces her.
Besides, Rolland Garros' mocking, bullying tweet from the day before (since deleted) automatically puts them on the wrong side of the argument, much as having Piers on your side does.
Poor Piers, he really can't cope with women of colour who don't do what they're told by the establishment.
No one pays money to listen to cliched tropes, its all about the game.
I want to watch Osaka playing, not hear how she prepared for a match, how many jobbies she has pre match.
Note that every other participant at the French Open manages to do this.
Maybe she will be the start of the avalanche that brings it to an end (or major reform). Perhaps she is the only one rich enough to say - **** this $2M if I win isn't worth this in my life.
To make lots of money through brand sponsorship, if we’re being realistic.
Perhaps, but perhaps the elite players will question it and then force it to be about the sport.
Marina Hyde, as usual, nails it.
So you're the best carpenter in a bespoke furniture place, every week you go and collect some wood from a wood yard. But one day you have a small crash on the way and it affects you in a way that you don't like driving in certain places any more and tell the boss you're not comfortable with that bit of the job and don't want to do it any more.
Do you get the sack or do they just get some one else to go and fetch the wood?
So you’re the best carpenter in a bespoke furniture place, every week you go and collect some wood from a wood yard. But one day you have a small crash on the way and it affects you in a way that you don’t like driving in certain places any more and tell the boss you’re not comfortable with that bit of the job and don’t want to do it any more.
Do you get the sack or do they just get some one else to go and fetch the wood?
What you've described there is team sport though. So in that instance you don't put up the keeper that let the ball go through their legs or the striker that missed an open goal.
If you're a sole trading carpenter you have to pull on your big boy pants and get the wood yourself or decide you're going to get another job.
It's something that probably needs a more detailed discussion but it should be done en-masse rather than individually and probably with more than a day or twos notice of a major event.
If you’re a sole trading carpenter you have to pull on your big boy pants and get the wood yourself or decide you’re going to get another job.
Or get the wood delivered or pay someone else to pick it up for you...
Its not a great analogy as I doubt there's many carpenters earning $50M, who could easily pay a spokesperson to deal with this shit but they insist on seeing the main act.
It’s something that probably needs a more detailed discussion but it should be done en-masse rather than individually and probably with more than a day or twos notice of a major event.
You've no idea if she's been pushing that for months behind the scenes, perhaps even getting "we wouldn't want you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable" speeches... which way has had the biggest impact?
It's not "a job" but if it were and one of my staff said, I'm not going to that meeting with that customer anymore (that has happened) I'd be interested to know why and what we could do to make sure it didn't affect their replacement or other customers. Could they word it better - probably but most of my 23 yr old staff aren't masters of diplomacy.
Marina Hyde, as usual, nails it.
She didn't, not this time. She hasn't addressed the fact that if they let Osaka off the press conferences, all the rest of the players are going to demand the same treatment. And given Roland Garros no doubt has contractual obligations with the media, what would happen then?
I'm not sure what the answer is, but given the immense amount of cash TV pours into the sport it's unsurprising they demand access to the stars. And I suspect that if you want to earn a multi-million salary from sport you'll just have to suck it up.
Its not a great analogy
Maybe not, but the point I was trying to make was that the thing she has trouble doing isn't actually a tennis players main job. So maybe sometimes a coach could take over for a bit....
She didn’t, not this time
I disagree, their silence on that tosser Djokovic and Zverev too?. Rules for the boys.
I disagree, their silence on that tosser Djokovic and Zverev too?. Rules for the boys.
The behaviour of those two is irrelevant to this particular case: neither of them has done anything that might jeopardise TV coverage or the event itself. Have any women in recent times been banned from competing for behaviour outside of competition? Have any men refused to talk to the press after competing, and been allowed to continue? Rules for the boys may exist, but I find it far more likely the main motive is cash rather than sexism.
We'll agree to disagree.
If you’re a sole trading carpenter you have to pull on your big boy pants and get the wood yourself or decide you’re going to get another job.
A quite insensitive spin on "MTFU".
But there's a 3rd option with anxieties which is "I enjoy the majority of this so much I'll try to get through the small bit I don't like" and often that is a paradox fail. For example its well documented on here I'm quite scared of flying, but as much as I've refused flights or not travelled I have also travelled to many places around the world.
She may have done / have been doing that until perhaps something - maybe the media attention maybe something else - has triggered anxiety or specifically her fight or flight mechanism into "flight" on this occasion whereby she's been able to manage it at other times. It takes a bit more understanding and empathy than to use vocabulary alluding to "MTFU" or "you did it before you can do it again" to someone who suffers from anxiety.
If you’re a sole trading carpenter you have to pull on your big boy pants and get the wood yourself or decide you’re going to get another job
yeah, TBH I'd have expected better too 😐
Apart from a very few top exponents, in-competition real(ish) time press conferences are platitude-ridden bullshit fests at the best of times IMO and I'd merrily never listen to one again (from any sport). Journalists know it and probably they learn to twist the knife a bit, just to get something like an honest response - because nothing sells like a flash of an angry or upset superstar
Maybe, notwithstanding Naomi's personal problems with the established "format", the organizers of these events need to understand that the method based in the mid-late 70s of sycophantic/ hostile interviews actually doesn't work any more and they'd be better off with a different way of doing things. And maybe they'd get more press, positive results, real engagement, etc etc
Looks like she is getting more support (correctly) than from many of this post
Japanese athletes and sponsors voice support for Naomi Osaka
It's a tricky one - ultimately I think there's conflicting pressure due to contractual obligations as others have said.
Event sponsors (both match and separate press conference sponsors) will have contractual terms about all athletes appearing in the press conferences, the media reach of the conference, the number of social media 'cuts' of the conference produced, assets released to sponsors for their own marketing etc.
Then there will be contracts to the media companies buying rights to air the event and the press conference, as well as different layers of distribution rights of that footage.
The athlete's value to their individual sponsors is typically calculated by their agent and a combination of results, bonuses and media reach - so they too have a contractual demand.
Professional sport at the top level is a commercial enterprise largely funded by sponsorship and rights, so the media/sponsorship/branded partnership goes hand in hand with the "doing" for an athlete as its the source of their income.
So yeah, it's a tough situation. She obviously doesn't want to do it, but in not doing so, puts not only her own but a whole host of wider commercial and sponsorship obligations at risk. It's messy, and not as simple as "she should be able to just get on with playing".
Looks like she is getting more support (correctly) than from many of this post
I think you're misunderstanding the points people are making. I have sympathy for professional athletes and the pressure they are under, but they set out to be public figures and they are expected to make media appearances to foster the sport and be role models for fans. That will always be a balancing act between the media being patsies who just copy and paste media releases and over-aggressive journalists prying into things that should be personal. Here's the views of some other top athletes, who are supportive but also accepting that media appearances are part of the job.
During her post-match media conference 23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams said: "The only thing I feel is that I feel for Naomi. I feel like I wish I could give her a hug because I know what it's like. Like I said, I've been in those positions."
However, other tennis stars have said media duties are part and parcel of the job.
"Press and players and the tournaments comes hand-in-hand," two-time grand slam champion Victoria Azarenka said. "I think it's very important in developing our sport, in promoting our sport."
She added that there were moments when the media needed to be more empathetic.
World No. 5 Sofia Kenin acknowledged the pressures of being a young athlete in the spotlight, but said, "This is what you signed up for."
"This is sport. There's expectations from the outside, sponsors and everyone. You just have to somehow manage it," Kenin added.
Addressing that post ^ from hols2; she doesn’t have to accept it. She can negotiate with her sponsors around her mental issues. Perhaps her coach could perform an interview, perhaps she could take 15 mins off court to prepare post match.
Like employment these establishments have a duty of care to the athlete but read back over these pages and see how many times “money” is spoken of or implied. That’s were the real issue is and if sponsors can’t find ways to generate money other than putting pressure on an athletes mental health, don’t work with them. I applaud anyone for sticking up for their values not to have their health compromised on that basis.
I imagine (and this is a punt here), she'll have spoken to her own sponsors - however, the event and press conference sponsors contract with the event, so are less likely to be supportive, or will want a pro-rata reduction in investment for her being missing from the press conference, which the organisers wouldn't want, so tried to enforce it to protect their own revenue lines.
This is of course an educated guess, but one from experience of the sponsorship world.
Realistically, for all this to change, the organisers need to come up with a new value proposition for sponsors to deliver the same media reach, asset volume and licensing/syndication opportunity, to maintain the sponsorship revenue they need as a business (and make no mistake, professional sport is a business above all else). But given sponsorship cycles are typically 3 years, that's not going to happen quickly.
It’s the way she’s gone about it I have most issue with, you can’t sign a contract and then decide later you don’t like some of the terms of that contract, decide you therefore won’t fulfil them and then not expect the other party to consider the contract has been broken.
Have you had sight of the contract she signed? Or are you just making stuff up?
... but they set out to be public figures...
D'you know, I'm not sure if they do, I think it's a side effect of the job.
... and they are expected to make media appearances to foster the sport and be role models for fans.
I mentioned this before but, while I agree that that is currently the case, I think there's a big argument as to whether it should be.
D’you know, I’m not sure if they do, I think it’s a side effect of the job.
If you enter your name for a top-tier professional sporting tournament that is televised around the world and pays huge prize money, you are volunteering yourself as a public figure. That doesn't mean that your entire private life is fair game for the media, but it does mean that doing some media appearances is to be expected.
Have you had sight of the contract she signed? Or are you just making stuff up?
Not sure what your point is here? No, I haven't seen the actual contract but given it's widely reported she is not following her contractual obligations and she herself isn't challenging that point then I think it's safe to assume there are contractual terms involved and it's not just a tradition etc. that's being broken? Or do you have some other wonderful insight...?
Like employment these establishments have a duty of care to the athlete but read back over these pages and see how many times “money” is spoken of or implied. That’s were the real issue is and if sponsors can’t find ways to generate money other than putting pressure on an athletes mental health, don’t work with them.
I'm not quite sure why you're making such a big deal about it being her mental health here - exactly the same pressue is there for her physical health, too. As an elite tennis player she needs to be able to both play well and handle the media circus surrounding it. And yes, it's the money talking. She's earning millions and unfortunately for her part of her job is dealing with the press.
She’s earning millions and unfortunately for her part of her job is dealing with the press.
Only because she's forced to by the WTA, who also forced their players in the 70's to smoke Rothmans cigarettes (because that was part of the contract in the 1970's), and no-one thinks that's a good idea any more. A quick look about reveals that dozens of other sportsmen and women either 1. don't do press, or 2. give one word answers to questions, to meet the very basic requirements so her stance is hardly unique, which begs the question, why do they feel the need to do that, and is there something we could do about it? As Kelvin has pointed out, if Boris can evade the press whenever he feels like it or gets the questions before hand, why is it part of Osaka's (or any sports persons) job to be interviewed on live TV with no preparation?
Nearly every one on this thread has said that they regard post match interviews as dull and sterile, and frankly they are, Osaka having to speak to journalists after round 1 when she's smashed a bottom 200 ranked player into bits is hardly going to be a revelatory exposition on tennis technique.
I'm pretty certain that the organisors could work something out to both the players and sponsors satisfaction. There will be players who'd rather not have to speak for an hour after every match, and there will be some that quite enjoy it...If I was a sponsor, I'd rather not be tainted by association with an organistion so rigid the only option they've come up with is fining the no2 ranked player.
Was thinking about this again....
In the 21st century I wonder if there should be some sort of commitment for players to keep a video diary whilst involved in the tournament, posted into a tournament portal. One post before and after every match. Bonus scheme on how many hits it gets so the more interesting you are the more hits will come your way. Code of conduct about what can't say etc.
I'm more likely to watch that that another identikit clip of an athlete sat behind a desk being asked dull questions. Would also take the pressure off the athlete to perform at a specific time to suit a room of waiting journos.
I think you’re misunderstanding the points people are making.
Not misunderstanding anything thanks, I simply don't agree with them. I support what she is doing just as other athletes and her sponsors have. As support grows we may see change and the 'requirement' to partake in pointless press crap could disappear all together apart from those that seek the limelight who are free to do their own public stuff as they wish and ultimately may get more money from their sponsors for doing it, who knows.
Kerley support is certainly growing and all her main sponsors are right behind and now looks likes she is getting the support she deserves.
The tweet below by the french open now deleted was an absolute disgrace.
The tweet with photos of Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff engaging in media duties with the caption: "They understood the assignment."
Anyone with Mental Health issues should be supported no matter how successful you are.
Would also take the pressure off the athlete to perform at a specific time to suit a room of waiting journos.
The fact that they are lobbed in front of the press when they can be physically wrecked after a match is another good reason to change things. The media obviously prefer it because they haven't recovered enough to get their defences up.
The status quo suits the media and tournament organisers, and it's inconvenient to try to find ways to accommodate players who find it difficult, so it will take concerted pressure to make even the most minor adjustments.
and it’s inconvenient to try to find ways to accommodate players who find it difficult,
Heaven forbid that people should have to do things they find difficult?!
Anyone with Mental Health issues
Does she have a mental health issue?
Heaven forbid that people should have to do things they find difficult?!
She doesn't seem to find tennis difficult. In fact she's _______ talented, skilled, applied, focused... and, well, magnificent. Would be good to see her play again at the highest levels soon. This summer I hope. No one really cares about the media scrums she's avoiding to take care of herself. They really don't. Even those people blinding repeating the "it's part of her job" line and ignoring the impact on her mental health. They don't care about the media pit questioning either, probably haven't sat through one for years, they just want to have a dig from within the safe confines of their bunkers of inadequacy.
Does she have a mental health issue?
yes
Heaven forbid that people should have to do things they find difficult?!
I'd imagine the buffer of several millions in the bank is enough incentive not to bother to find time for stuff you don't want to do.
Does she have a mental health issue?
Yes.
The fact that they are lobbed in front of the press when they can be physically wrecked after a match is another good reason to change things. The media obviously prefer it because they haven’t recovered enough to get their defences up.
Not really. Fans want to hear from the players at the end of the match. Most of the time there will be a winner and a loser. Sometimes there are upsets or other surprises and the post-game analysis and discussion are a big part of the viewing experience. Having an interview a week later after everyone's had time to watch replays and prepare scripted answers isn't the same as hearing from the players as soon as they finish the game. Part of the experience of being a fan is that each player has a human character, and the interviews with them is a big part of that.
Yes
How do you know that?
Just because someone says they're anxious or depressed doesn't mean they actually have a serious mental health problem.
Does she have a mental health issue?
For someone apparently interested in maintaining a high level of access into players' thoughts, you appear to have missed the last few days of PRESS on the subject. WHere have you been - under a rock bridge ?
Fans want to hear from the players at the end of the match
I would consider myself a tennis fan, and in fact I'd consider myself a sports fan in general and I genuinely can't remember the last time anything remotely interesting happening in a post match interview, I mostly turn off. I can't say if that's normal, but going by this thread alone, I'm certainly not alone
Part of the experience of being a fan is that each player has a human character, and the interviews with them is a big part of that.
And if that changes for the good of the players is that so bad? Maybe the players could just communicate in other ways (if they wish) to show their human character.
As an autistic person I wouldn't be able to handle press interviews for various reasons, does that mean I shouldn't play top level tennis or should I be accommodated?
Sports media has been evolving for a while now. Tough questions can be asked of anyone provided theyre treated with respect. Naomi is just right to demand respect.
The idea that fans desperately want these post match interviews conducted by random journos is just complete nonsense.
Fair play to naomi.. she's pushed back and im confident this will drive change.
For someone apparently interested in maintaining a high level of access into players’ thoughts, you appear to have missed the last few days of PRESS on the subject. WHere have you been – under a rock bridge ?
I suppose I'm questioning the validity of people self-reporting depression.
I know what depression looks like and it's not the "woe is me" Meghan Markel variety.
Many people wrongly use the term to describe when they're just a bit fed up.
Just because someone says they’re anxious or depressed doesn’t mean they actually have a serious mental health problem.
In the same way that just because some-one is taking part in a discussion online about the effects of anxiety and depression doesn't always mean they do so with honest intent.
I genuinely can’t remember the last time anything remotely interesting happening in a post match interview
Think of it as garnish. The TV people have to present a package to their advertisers and viewers. The main thing is the game itself, but they need to do some pre-game stuff - player histories, recaps, predictions, etc., and some post game stuff. Part of the post-game stuff is because some sports don't run to a set time limit and the broadcasters need to fill the allotted time, but just shutting off the broadcast the second the game is over would feel really strange. Even if most people don't pay much attention to the interviews, having the coverage still running gives people time to unwind after the end of the game.
As an autistic person I wouldn’t be able to handle press interviews for various reasons
Well, when you're negotiating with potential sponsors, you should make it clear that you won't do press interviews. If you're good enough at tennis to get sponsors who will accept that demand, good for you. My hunch is that you're not good enough at any sport to attract serious levels of sponsorship, same as pretty much everyone else on here.
Sports media has been evolving for a while now. Tough questions can be asked of anyone provided theyre treated with respect. Naomi is just right to demand respect.
Yes but not special treatment. Why should she get special treatment while others are happy and wiling to do all the other duties that are part and parcel of being a sports and tennis star. The press/marketing duties are all fundamental to it. It is the core of what brings in the cash. Everyone else is doing it and nobody should get special treatment. There are thousands of other budding starts in the line who would be willing to take her place if she is not willing to fulfil her obligations.
We all like to see sports starts being interviewed...where would we be if we just watched them walk onto the field, do their bit and walk off without the interviews, alalysis etc. It is what draws in the fans, makes the fans like the players and turns players into starts. T hey like the trappings so have to be willing to do what's required of them or its simply not for them.
The global organisation of the ATP tennis tour is not her personal therapy session. It's not about her. She is but a player in the massive global circus of the ATP tour.
We all like to see sports starts being interviewed…where would we be if we just watched them walk onto the field, do their bit and walk off without the interviews, alalysis etc. It is what draws in the fans, makes the fans like the players and turns players into starts.
Not interested at all by the post-event interviews and see no reason particularly why someone who’s just lost should be subjected to a grilling. It doesn’t draw me into a sport it’s the actual performance that does.
but just shutting off the broadcast the second the game is over would feel really strange.
Yes, you make good points. It would be really weird. I guess what we perhaps need then is come up with a way of taking to competitors without making them feel anxious. A short one-one interview, or just a couple of pre-agreed questions...something like that.
"Its what turns the players into stars"
LOL
It is the core of what brings in the cash.
Surely, being really good at tennis is at the core of a tennis tournament?
They're not happy though - quite a lot are pretty annoyed with the level and tone of questioning. Making people cry isn't very interesting from a sport point of view but is ideal from a journo's who only covers tennis (dull) a few weeks a year.
I personally don't think it's ok to have bs press conferences when people are pretty beaten up mentally. I don't think a lot of people in this thread would be so happy if they were in effectively a review meeting at work and got asked why they were rubbish right now, and if that was an effect of their sex life, and could they dress a bit better , sexier etc...
Oh, and feeling depressed now, ... well just tough it out eh..
It is the core of what brings in the cash.
Is it not being a world class tennis player?
Does she have a mental health issue?
I’d wager a very high percentage of sports people at the top of their game have had/suffered mental health issues. Some clearly cope better than others.
Many pretend to cope while under media scrutiny, often using very self destructive means behind the scenes that wreck much of the rest of their lives.
The TV people have to present a package to their advertisers and viewers. The main thing is the game itself, but they need to do some pre-game stuff – player histories, recaps, predictions, etc., and some post game stu
i thought all that was too just stuff more adverts in. It’s like with f1 I don’t bother turning on until it’s race time out it’s just endless waffle and adverts
i thought all that was too just stuff more adverts in. It’s like with f1 I don’t bother turning on until it’s race time out it’s just endless waffle and adverts
But enough people do tune in, which creates the demand for it with commercial partners (both at event partner and channel/network level), which drives the revenue that makes the tournament viable.
It's a complex beast and there's very clearly opposing forces at times between athlete, audience and business need. The model probably does need reviewing but it won't happen quickly as commercial deals around big events run for multiple years,and the money involved is huge. Is it right? Not my place to say. Is it a big challenge to change the entire structure of sporting competition, media assets, sponsorship and also looking after the athletes while keeping the required money flowing? Definitely.
Well, when you’re negotiating with potential sponsors, you should make it clear that you won’t do press interviews.
So it is a sponsors thing and not a tennis association thing? I thought most of her sponsors were supportive rather than going after her for breach of contract?
I suppose I’m questioning the validity of people self-reporting depression.
Well you could accept it at face value given that reporting she has mental health issues probably comes at a fairly high personal cost in a sport and industry where personal image can often count for as much as sporting performance.
The French Open have behaved like utter shits. Does anyone not believe this whole thing would have went a bit differently if it had been this instead?
The ITF run the Grand Slams, not the ATP which runs the men's game. Thw WTA runs the women's game. Media commitments are part of the terms and conditions of participation in the tournament, if you don't want to do them, then you don't need to participate - the Grand Slams won't care they have plenty of people wanting to be there.
Separately sponsorship deals will have some media commitments and other promotional activity but these will be heavily negotiated on an individual basis
Media commitments are part of the terms and conditions of participation
I don't think for a moment Osaka didn't know that, hence she's decided to withdraw. I guess the question is should media commitments be part of the deal? When it appears that many sports people find them bad for their health, it's going to be pretty unsustainable in the long term.
I guess Osaka's mistake was to think that after telling people how they make her feel publicly, the WTA would do something to mitigate it, turns out they don't seem to care overly much about player health.
Hope she gets the help she gets. The Grand slams seem to have realised they've hit a raw nerve, much like the football super league debacle.
Will be interesting if this turns into a cycling 'Oh, I've got asthma too' scenario, small gain and all that.
I thought most of her sponsors were supportive rather than going after her for breach of contract?
I think her sponsors are behind her - however I don't know about the event sponsors and other commercial partners (TV rights etc) who will all have contractual terms around press conferences, reach, syndication, edits, sub edits for social etc, and if she has pulled from these parts it impacts those contracts with the organiser and associated commercial revenue. Which is why its the event organiser pursuing this rather than the athlete's individual sponsors.
Many pretend to cope while under media scrutiny, often using very self destructive means behind the scenes that wreck much of the rest of their lives.
Elite sport is a highly competitive and hard business. In many ways, it isn't a healthy place to be hence as you suggest.
That will never change, however, because many people want to win even at the cost of their own self-destruction.
Here's a question? Why take a load of sponsorship money if your mental health is a priority? All that comes with exposure and obligations.
Here’s a question? Why take a load of sponsorship money if your mental health is a priority? All that comes with exposure and obligations.
Because the player and their sponsors can negotiate between them what publicity outside the game is expected, and change it if required. This isn't about her sponsors, at all. Have any put pressure on her to do the bear pit media appearances? No, this is about the event organisers (and people have then assumed that is about their sponsorship.... but I don't personally see the French Open ever having problems attracting sponsors and their cash).
Here’s a question? Why take a load of sponsorship money if your mental health is a priority? All that comes with exposure and obligations.
I said it before - from my own experience because often its seen as a manageable bi product, until its not. Thats often how it works with people that carry anxiety issues - we like to try really hard for our own benefit to manage them, but sometimes fail.