I don’t follow the sport of tennis (apart from occasionally watching Wimbledon). I am however aware of the recent events that led to Naomi Osaka to quit the French Open. Osaka wished to protect her mental health from difficult, awkward questions, and focus on her game. The organisers of the tournament took a different view, fining the Japanese ace when she didn’t fulfil her media obligations. They also threatened to expel her from the Open and the prospect of being banned from future tournaments was also raised.
When you think about it, demanding media time in the immediate aftermath of a physically exhausting and emotionally draining sporting contest isn’t right. You’re raw and vulnerable, whether you’ve won or lost. At that moment, the world’s press suddenly wants to expose your soul, and somehow, that’s been rendered normal.
It’s easy to forget that sportsmen and women are human beings, subject to the same frailties as the rest of us. If press conferences were meaningful, instead of predatory, and if the players had a bit of time to cool down, they might be seen as a valid exercise, but they shifted away from being meaningful a long time ago.
A lot of media activities now appear to be spiteful, angry exchanges, because to the media that’s entertaining. This is what has allowed the temper-tantrum-throwing Piers Morgan to remain in the public eye – his vitriolic attitude (not least of all towards women and women of colour no less) sells stories and gets attention – attention that Morgan himself desperately craves.
Morgan has absolutely zero idea of Osaka’s mental health situation. Nor is it without irony that the organisers of the French Open have virtually admitted that draining press conferences hamper athlete performance. Sadly aggressive misogyny knows no bounds, especially when partnered with latent racism. Maybe we should collectively place Morgan and his angry rants on block. Starve him of the attention he desires.
“Morgan has absolutely zero idea of Osaka’s mental health situation. ”
Neither do you. She could be faking it and if she is that bad maybe she should resign from the association until she gets better.
“Sadly aggressive misogyny knows no bounds, especially when partnered with latent racism.”
Your false accusations just make the issue worse. Not everything is as you want it to be and stop placing your ideas onto other people’s words. Assumption or leaps to conclusions are wrong.
“Maybe we should collectively place Morgan and his angry rants on block. Starve him of the attention he desires. ”
That should be done to you as well as Bruce. You bring no solution except censorship. he is entitled to free speech just like you.. You do not like it when youi are blocked so stop suggesting to do it to someone you do not like.
Why do you always do this David? Why is it so hard for you to stop and listen to what a woman has to say, instead of automatically doubting them? All Osaka wants to do is play tennis – and yet, bloated arrogant oafs like Piers Morgan (and he has form for this, given his tantrums over Meghan Markle) care nothing for the mental health of others. Nor for that matter do most sporting organisations.
You’re obviously not familiar with Morgan’s history. Do some research. Also, I find your comments about placing ideas into other people’s mouths to be hilarious ironic.
Even if every last person blocked Morgan on Twitter, that would have zero bearing on his freedom of speech. He could still appear on TV, on radio or write articles for websites and newspapers. He could start his own YouTube channel, his own website, his own platform. However, freedom of speech does not mean freedom from the consequences. Also, again, your complaints of censorship are hilarious and ironic. Remind me whose comments come through without moderation, and who sticks every comment in a moderation queue? Unlike you, I do not block comments unless the comment is absolutely vile (and sometimes, not even then). Considering you would block the LGBT community from existing because you believe your religion trumps the rights of non-believers, your comments are even more ironic.