Osaka on French Open interviews: No comment

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...bc0f6826b69469/58/70/60b9036f9d2fdae3026d1b6c

Paywalled, but the comments on this paint a picture of exactly what fans think of postgame press conferences and the incredible disdain they have for the media in general.

 

As for my own thoughts on this, I struggle ... I think there is some value in postgame access to ask specific questions about things that as a reporter, I might not understand. I find it valuable for the competitor to paint that picture when it comes to strategy and what not, and it's a service to readers. On the other hand, there are (and always have been) a lot of vapid, awful questions at press conferences. There are certain questions that probably should be asked in a one-on-one setting, but those opportunities are rapidly dwindling to nothing. I get the bristling toward personal questions, but sometimes they can be relevant. Serena coming back for her first tournament after being a mother would be an example. You can ask questions about how she has adapted to her new roles and how that has affected her tennis career without getting overly personal, etc.

I was assigned an NCAA field hockey tournament game once, and I had no clue what I was watching in terms of strategy, adjustments, etc. My ability to pick the coach's brain afterward absolutely helped my writing and made the story read better.

 

I wonder if anyone asked Osaka to weigh in on Jack’s Trump ad back in the fall?

 

When they’re on top of the standings, fans are happy to side with their favorite players/coaches in telling the media to fuck off. Hell a third of the population wants journalists lynched anyway.

But let there be a 6-game losing streak or a blown 3-1 series lead or a bowl ban with scholarship reductions and those same fans are out for blood. And no they don’t want to settle for the happy horseshit being peddled on the team Facebook page or the Player’s Tribune.

Osaka has a little better chance of getting away with it because tennis fans don’t really turn on players the same way they do in team sports. They’ll just gravitate towards the next big thing shooting up the rankings.

But let’s not pretend that all fans want all media abolished that aren’t televising the event. And let’s not pretend that sometimes doing sports journalism right means doing things that aren’t popular or well understood by people outside the business.

 

Something that crossed my mind this morning: I don't think we're paying enough attention to how the reduced access by teams/athletes has led to strained media-player relationships across sports. It seems like a massive part of it.

 

Seems like Greg Couch agrees with whichever poster said Osaka was trivializing mental health. He just wrote like 2,500 words on it at Outkick.

 

Well, the players would make a lot less money. Sports without fans is like having newspapers without readers. And we know how that's been working for us lately.

But, then again, with as much as many athletes earn, it might not matter too much. It'd probably still be a nice living.

 

Jemele Hill on the topic. It’s pretty good, and frames the issue well from the athlete’s perspective without throwing journalism under the bus.

Naomi Osaka Is Part of a Larger War Within Sports

 

Somewhat related ...

 

How’s her mental health?


Yana Sizikova is ARRESTED at the French Open over match-fixing claims


Russian tennis player Yana Sizikova is ARRESTED at the French Open over match-fixing claims | Daily Mail Online

 

Who has the energy for all of this? PLay or don't.