Osaka on French Open interviews: No comment

No, I wasn't singling out tennis. Can happen anywhere. I've seen it in baseball clubhouses and other locker rooms. That was one of the stupid things about USA Today, ordering their writers to come up with athlete comments about nonsensical topics. A pitcher blows a save or an infielder boots a ball that lets in the winning run. And here comes a writer to ask him about the increase in stolen bases this season. Or some social media topic. If I was an athlete, I'd say sorry, that's not a question I want to answer at this time. However, I don't agree with Osaka announcing ahead of time she is stonewalling the media.

 

Naomi may stonewall the media, but how many endorsement deals did Steve Carlton end up with?

 

I remember he did one for a milk producer where they made fun of him not talking to the media. The setup was that he called a press conference and all the media were abuzz. Then he shilled for the milk.

 

Under Ramsey Poston, who had a political background before getting hired by NASCAR, there was actually a contentious relationship between the media and what PR thought should be said in a positive light -- especially tromping on the line between journalistic integrity and infomercials. NASCAR bought column inches in USA Today -- and then gave Gannett exclusive content -- in an effort to push specific initiatives.

NASCAR would put a hard embargo even on its own website, which absolutely frustrated the crap out of us. Then they took the website back in 2012 in an effort to control even more of the content. That's backfired spectactularly as well.

At least when Jim Hunter was in charge, if you wrote something NASCAR didn't like, he'd pull you aside in the media center and explain actually what got under their skin and maybe give you some advice. But he wouldn't tell you how to do your job.

 

When’s the last time a pro athlete said something interesting, anyway?

This just saves the reporters from having to listen to that packaged drivel and go do something more interesting.

 

NASCAR is far too arrogant and tone-deaf to realize that it did nothing to help itself.

 

Why couldn't those questions be asked before the game? Baseball players were available before games in 2019 and earlier.

 

Because their dumbass editor gave them the assignment during the game.

 

If you're one of the premier athletes in your sport, you have an obligation to speak to the media, certainly after matches and certainly at major championships. Whatever blowback she gets for this stance is richly deserved. I've never covered tennis other than an occasional high-school match, but I would absolutely trash her. She's making herself bigger than the sport,

And as someone who has dealt with mental health issues myself, I am offended by her going down that road.

 

Last November, I was covering a college football game on the day the election was called for Biden. On the post-game Zoom, someone asked one of the players if they had heard the news before the game and "what was the reaction in the locker room? Was there any celebrating?" The player got a "WTF?" look on his face, paused for a minute and said, "We had no idea what was going on. We're really not thinking about politics before a game."