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monkeyman576 · 06-01-2021, 04:36 AM

Regarding her fine and eventual withdrawl from the French Open for refusing to talk to the media.

Her first comment when she announced that she was not going to speak to the media:
"I'm just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me."

WTA, after fining Osaka:
"We want to underline that rules are in place to ensure all players are treated exactly the same, no matter their stature, beliefs or achievement,"
This statement was likely made after the NBA was (in my opinion fairly) criticized for not giving LeBron James a harsher suspension after breaking COVID policy.

Osaka after the fine:
"I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world's media," she said. "I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try and engage and give [the media] the best answers I can."

To me it seems that Osaka is wanting to have her cake and eat it too which is not how real life works. I don't want to be insensitive to mental health issues but in my opinion Osaka is trying to wage a war in the public arena against the WTA for fairly applying rules that are there for a good reason. She doesn't have a problem hoisting a trophy and basking in the cheers of the fans when she wins a tournament, or cashing the checks, and there are obligations that come with that.

I mean maybe Osaka is not a "natural public speaker" but she should be talking to a sports psychologist rather than waging a war against the WTA. She has been a very positive force for change in the arenas of social justice and other issues and when she behaves like this it is an unfortunate distraction, in my opinion.

06-01-2021, 04:36 AM	#1
monkeyman576 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 3,692	Naomi Osaka Regarding her fine and eventual withdrawl from the French Open for refusing to talk to the media. Her first comment when she announced that she was not going to speak to the media: "I'm just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me." WTA, after fining Osaka: "We want to underline that rules are in place to ensure all players are treated exactly the same, no matter their stature, beliefs or achievement," This statement was likely made after the NBA was (in my opinion fairly) criticized for not giving LeBron James a harsher suspension after breaking COVID policy. Osaka after the fine: "I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world's media," she said. "I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try and engage and give [the media] the best answers I can." To me it seems that Osaka is wanting to have her cake and eat it too which is not how real life works. I don't want to be insensitive to mental health issues but in my opinion Osaka is trying to wage a war in the public arena against the WTA for fairly applying rules that are there for a good reason. She doesn't have a problem hoisting a trophy and basking in the cheers of the fans when she wins a tournament, or cashing the checks, and there are obligations that come with that. I mean maybe Osaka is not a "natural public speaker" but she should be talking to a sports psychologist rather than waging a war against the WTA. She has been a very positive force for change in the arenas of social justice and other issues and when she behaves like this it is an unfortunate distraction, in my opinion.