Naomi Osaka refusing to speak to the media - Is she right or wrong?

[1.618034]

People constantly complain about the media and yet, when someone stands up to them, they accuse that person of cowardice and weakness. Go figure.

This takes strength. The same strength that takes you to the very top of your sport. It takes strength to say, no. Especially when you're supposed to say, yes.

Fuck the media, and especially fuck, banal post- and pre-match interviews and punditry. It's not aimed at match-going fans. They're too busy getting there and back and actually enjoying the sport, live. Remember doing that..?

Who gives a flying fuck what someone does or doesn't say in an interview, especially where they've usually been trained as to what to say/not say? Meh.

The only time interviews really make the news is when someone says something controversial or breaks down. So, guess what, the media try to ask controversial questions, to get a rise out of the athletes. They should be in fucking awe of them, not there to get clicks for themselves.

The media (in general) are vermin, feeding off other people's success and preying on perceived weaknesses.

The media are the ones making the real money. Ok, the top athletes get very well rewarded, but so they fucking should. The athletes get rewarded for their hard work, skill and winning matches, not for their performance in interviews or photo-shoots. The media get their money leeching off this success.

Ability at the sport is what matters, the rest is just fluff. Banal, intrusive, voyeuristic fluff.

Ban obligatory interviews. If they don't want to do them, then fine, why should they? It's not like there aren't enough gob-shites to fill the media cycle anyway!

 

[pudge]

She's right to speak up if it's affecting her, in any way.

I suppose she now just can't expect the same money, not that she needs it, if such obligations are just that and mandatory.

However, surely you can get it pre-approved before a tournament/event/match and those in charge can adjust things accordingly, no reason that can't be done in any sport in this day and age. Why publicly fine people, just dock that amount from their potential prize fee at the end if they don't wish to partake in media stuff.

Perhaps it would set a precedent to allow everyone to do it, so who knows.

It's all well and good to joke about wanting to see Klopp, Jose etc straight after a defeat but imagine having to do an interview in a second/third language when your emotions are high. I imagine it can take it's toll.

 

[WNRH]

Having a microphone in your face secs after the game is shit , especially if you lose , the media like to see tears , it sells , fuck them, she is in the right . Living in the public eye is not easy , scummy media every where

The same “scummy media” expose the profession to millions which in turns makes the athletes millions. If it wasn’t for the “scummy media” you wouldn’t have heard her or this story. You cannot have it both ways.

 

[Bill Walker]

Having a microphone in your face secs after the game is shit , especially if you lose , the media like to see tears , it sells , fuck them, she is in the right . Living in the public eye is not easy , scummy media every where

I completely agree with you Kaz.
The media are getting scummier, I watched an after game interview with the England rugby captain recently, he just come off the pitch after a loss and the female media person stuck a microphone in his face and more or less goaded him to blame the referee for the loss.
Questions like "did you think the referee show the bias against you" etcetera.
He actually resisted very professionally and just said things like we will learn from this and improve blah blah blah.
But she seemed all out to get him to say something controversial and in rugby Union one doesn't do that or one finds oneself in trouble.

BBC as well, very unprofessional.

 

[ninjamonkey]

She has the right to tell the media to fuck off, I applaud it. Suffering depression and anxiety, the last thing she's going to want is to be hounded by the press and forced to speak knowing its going to a worldwide audience, everything she likely dreads. however, if she's signed contracts that involve media obligations, she can't expect to be paid fully if she chooses not to fulfill those obligations. If she accepts a loss of earnings then the media need to respect her decision and leave her the hell alone.

 

[SWP's back]

If this doesn't tell you she is right nothing will

He’s such a detestable ****.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

The same “scummy media” expose the profession to millions which in turns makes the athletes millions. If it wasn’t for the “scummy media” you wouldn’t have heard her or this story. You cannot have it both ways.

Aye yeah, the money is coming from the Daily Mail write up, not Sky buying the TV rights to show the actual sport. Press coverage is advertising at best. But let's not pretend that these desperate-for-content sports journalists are going to stop writing about the tournament because they're not allowed to ask loads of questions. But perhaps they'll have to write about the actual game, rather than something controversial that someone said after they poked them with a stick enough.

There is a particular issue with these sit-down press conferences too. In football, they might get two minutes with a player, so they have to be quick and ask "what went wrong today" and maybe a quick question about a refereeing decision. But in these sit-down interviews, you get these armchair critics trying to analyse the loss themselves and asking ridiculously personal questions. I mean look at the state of this ffs:



The first two questions are about the actual match, but then we get questions about her confidence, whether it was a mistake to split with her coach, how she's going to pick herself up, whether she's been good enough in practice, how she's bounced back from defeats in the past, whether it's difficult to be famous. It's bollocks, and it's entirely caused by the fact that they know they've got this long sit down with multiple media outlets, rather than just a quick standing interview with the company that actually bought the rights to the competition.

Anyway, they've now lost their top draw for one of the biggest TV markets in the world, so well played the French Open.

 

[Dubai Blue]

The same “scummy media” expose the profession to millions which in turns makes the athletes millions. If it wasn’t for the “scummy media” you wouldn’t have heard her or this story. You cannot have it both ways.

You think we'd have never heard of a four-time Grand Slam tournament winner if she chose not to do post-match sitdowns with the press?

 

[Dubai Blue]

Aye yeah, the money is coming from the Daily Mail write up, not Sky buying the TV rights to show the actual sport. Press coverage is advertising at best. But let's not pretend that these desperate-for-content sports journalists are going to stop writing about the tournament because they're not allowed to ask loads of questions. But perhaps they'll have to write about the actual game, rather than something controversial that someone said after they poked them with a stick enough.

There is a particular issue with these sit-down press conferences too. In football, they might get two minutes with a player, so they have to be quick and ask "what went wrong today" and maybe a quick question about a refereeing decision. But in these sit-down interviews, you get these armchair critics trying to analyse the loss themselves and asking ridiculously personal questions. I mean look at the state of this ffs:



The first two questions are about the actual match, but then we get questions about her confidence, whether it was a mistake to split with her coach, how she's going to pick herself up, whether she's been good enough in practice, how she's bounced back from defeats in the past, whether it's difficult to be famous. It's bollocks, and it's entirely caused by the fact that they know they've got this long sit down with multiple media outlets, rather than just a quick standing interview with the company that actually bought the rights to the competition.

Anyway, they've now lost their top draw for one of the biggest TV markets in the world, so well played the French Open.

Jesus, no wonder she doesn't want to sit through nonsense like that after every single match. You'd think the rest of the players would be in full agreement with her if this is the standard of "journalism" they're subjected to in these press conferences.

 

[jazzy]

You think we'd have never heard of a four-time Grand Slam tournament winner if she chose not to do post-match sitdowns with the press?

No as 99% of the worlds population don't watch tennis , but the media coverage in print , TV & social media gives them exposure to make their vast wealth vis sponsorship