Arena The Self Importance of Sports Media

^^^^^^^^^^^^

This. If Osaka is having social anxiety due to your typical press conference structure, then 1000% there can and should be accommodations made for her. She can be on Zoom by herself and simply have reporters submit questions they can answer electronically that Osaka then can answer or something of that effect. I am a huge advocate for mental health especially obviously due to my profession. But mental health does not give you an automatic pass from responsibility and being held accountable therefore press conferences are vital. Reporters not only have a right it is their duty to ask questions of public figures which a professional athlete is. And look if they were just asking her about her personal life, then 100% that should not be tolerated and frankly everyone should boycott that since quite frankly it's none of anyone's business. But asking about why she went forehead slice in a certain situation is obviously something that can and should be answered.

 

Osaka has been threatened with default from the tournament and future suspension from Grand Slams if she continues to skip press.

lol tyrants

 

I just saw this. More people are calling her out.

It's an appropriate response now. This isn't somebody you want representing your organization.

She's being flippant about it and was apparently not even willing to work out alternative options. She was given a chance to retract her comments, but then doubled down. She's literally just trying to shield herself from criticism, thinks she doesn't have to answer to anybody, and is citing her mental health knowing that's a touchy subject nowadays. She may be a fantastic tennis player, but if this level of play is not right for her, then she can continue to play where there won't be as much media attention placed on her. It's that simple.

 

It can be both things. To say that 100% she is not using it that way is being naive.

 

I don't think some people understand just how crippling social anxiety can be. It can range from being uncomfortable in a crowded room to being unable to even step outside your front door. I'm always prepared to give someone the benefit of the doubt (and it's my professional opinion FWIW) that someone be excused the media circus if they find it too difficult.

And anyway... I've seen many a comedy sketch satirising the facile, pointless drivel contained within 95% of sports interviews. I love to watch my football but I don't give a crap what they say in press conferences, I've heard it all a million times before.

If a sportsperson agrees to do an interview, that's fine; if they don't, don't make them. Change the rules to accommodate that if you have to.

 

Then if that is truly the case for an athlete, like I said, maybe this level of play is not right for them. She can still compete at a lesser level where she won't have any media obligations.

Not only that, but could you imagine the eye rolls if a male athlete came out and said all of this? And then in response, people would be saying exactly what I'm saying, so there's no reason it can't be said in this circumstance.

Btw, other tennis stars are calling her out for this. It's not just me.

 

Zach Grienke was mocked by a lot of people for him opening up about his social anxiety issues. Not what I would put down as a good benchmark. Osaka is getting a lot more sympathy over it IMHO. Again I think a middle ground can be reached which is what hopefully happens.

 

yeah, if the press conferences are causing Osaka this much social anxiety, then good for her for speaking out and sitting out from the conferences

generally I’m all for making press conferences voluntary, though I’m also someone who has never payed a lot of attention to them, they just don’t interest me, even for the sports I watch the most like basketball, soccer/football, and hockey, they just mostly don’t interest me

I don’t see any reason why making them voluntary would even lead to fewer press conferences, plenty of athletes like the attention and like talking about their sport, heck it might even make them more interesting, because it’s always more interesting to listen to someone who wants to speak, who has something interesting to say, maybe more people would actually tune into that

and the reporters and journalists would be forced to ask more interesting questions, because some of this is on them as well, they are professionals as well, at some point maybe they should ask better questions, do a better job, including respecting the athletes as people, so when an athlete like Osaka says it’s affecting her mental health, listen and be respectful, give the person an exception

 

If you were an employer, and the duties of somebody's job became too much for them so much that they just altogether stopped doing that task, you may have some patience for it for a little while, you will probably offer every bit of accommodation possible to that person to help with whatever it is that is difficult for them. But eventually, you are going to arrive at the decision that this place of work and/or that this job is not right for that person. And you will properly place them where they would be able to accomplish all tasks required of them, or let go of that employee entirely. And you will promptly place somebody else in the previous position who will abide by everything that is required of them.

I don't get how the situation with Osaka is any different.

 

Osaka is getting a lot more sympathy then Grienke over it which is a good thing. But it does not excuse one from saying they no longer ever do press conferences ever again. Doesn't work like that.

 

@heels1785: That's not what I said. If it's a disability and is impacting that employee's performance in that job, then the employer has every right to find a more suitable position for that employee. And after repeated attempts at doing that, and it still doesn't work out, then at some point that employer can let go of that employee.

 

https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_...-harsher-sanctions-skipping-media-obligations

She just withdrew. I think there is more going on then "one tournament" here. Hopefully she gets the help she needs.

 

The threatened punishment is hilariously disproportionate. You’re hurting our business by not doing press, so we’ll remove your ability to make us money entirely. There’s no doubt defaulting/suspending her costs them way more money than her not doing press. It's not about business. They’re just flexing on her.

I wish she hadn't walked away. I wish she had put the pressure on the WTA to follow up on its threats. I wish she had made herself a distraction. I hope she makes them fine, default, and suspend her from the Slams. Can she still do non-slam tournaments without doing press? I'd even distract by doing some tiny tournament while the slams are going on. She can claim that the best player cannot be decided while she is being excluded from the slams. Don't walk away. Take them on.

If she's going to walk away, at least give them an ultimatum: she'll come back only if she doesn't have to do press.

Do they want to run one of their young stars out of tennis? At least put the choice to them.

 

Imagine suspending one of the very best players over and over for...not doing press conferences. Imagine trying to explain that to casual fans asking why she's not playing. The PR would be really bad. I think if you polled everyone watching tennis, the majority would vote to let her play without doing press conferences. Establishment shills like Motivate would take the WTA's side, but obviously stupid rules like this should be challenged.

I'm sad that she backed off and was apologetic.

Maybe she doesn't want alternative options.

Good. Why retract the truth?

She doesn't have to answer to anybody, she plays tennis. Her job doesn't require answers.

Or the WTA can let her skip press and keep one of the best tennis players in the world. That's also simple.

It is the right level, because she's currently #2 in the world. She's not struggling on this level.

Marshawn Lynch already did it and nobody cared. No one cared that Kyrie wasn't talking to the press either. No one cares about athletes doing press conferences unless they want to exercise control over someone's life.

All the WTA has to do is just let Osaka accomplish the task of playing tennis, the only task required, and let her skip the non-essential task of doing press.

It's excused because it's meaningless and completely unnecessary. So it does work like that.

Oh, this meaningless, completely unnecessary task is causing you misery? Oh, you don't have to do it then, because it's meaningless and unnecessary work and the WTA can do just as well without it.

She should never, ever have to do press conferences again if she doesn't want to. She shouldn't even need an excuse. "I don't want to" is enough reason when the work is pointless.

We should all object to pointless work. Humanity would be better off.

 

Yeah well her statement today said otherwise as really the press conferences were not the issue. Her mental state is the issue and frankly even if they granted her to not do them, not only she should not being playing in the French Open, she should not being at all for a while period. Hopefully Osaka gets the help she needs as she emotionally and mentally unwell.

 

the press conferences absolutely were part of the issue as they were the thing effecting her mental health

 

This.

Been doing this mental health lark for nearly two decades and I would not dare to diagnose, or offer advice. There are very good reasons I avoid the mental health thread like the plague.

 

She said it in her statement.

 

This seems particularly relevant right now



Naomi Osaka is a 4-time Grand Slam champ. That's what makes the level of play right for her, not some old ass Ray Barone-wannabe poking her with questions.