2021 Tennis Thread

[GirlySports]

This is like an injury. A mental injury instead of a physical one. Marketing is a huge part of sports and Osaka has to decide if she can do it. She may have to spend half a year taking public speaking lesson like we have.

The insanity of the Japanese is a thing too. I wouldn't consider Nishikori an extrovert, but he's representing tennis and Japan so that is his responsibly.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Do fans actually give a #### about athlete interviews/pressers? A lot of athletes are wooden and have no personality at all, which is usually coupled with a cringe question or two, most of the them just recite boilerplate athlete quotes, and any time they do say something controversial or interesting they seem to get fined or reprimanded. Kinda wish they would go away.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Do fans actually give a #### about athlete interviews/pressers? A lot of athletes are wooden and have no personality at all, which is usually coupled with a cringe question or two, most of the them just recite boilerplate athlete quotes, and any time they do say something controversial or interesting they seem to get fined or reprimanded. Kinda wish they would go away.

Yes. Sports fanatics watch these. Did we not watch Connor McDavid give losing press conferences after each of the four losses?

You see that advertising plastered on the wall. The athletes wear their sponsors and do not only press conferences but then sit at each studio, espn, eurosport etc for more exposure.

Osaka made 50 million dollars last year in endorsements!

[troutman]

Maybe athletes should have hype men to do their media appearances?

Flava Flav, for example.

[GirlySports]

Everyone has to do press. Movie actors have to do press after press to promote a movie. Tech has to promote products. Everything is marketing.

[Senator Clay Davis]

But a post-match presser isn't marketing at all. Pre-match, sure, I guess, but this is where my point about how most athletes just do athlete-speak interviews that are non-offensive, carefully crafted, and generally boring, comes into play. I think when you're talking about press as marketing for sports you are talking specifically about sports that rely on PPV buys. That's where you need to create hype and press. Generally speaking, most athletes are playing on over the air TV that everyone has access to. I seriously doubt that if there wasn't a single interview for either the mens or womens draw that it would have any meaningful effect on ratings, one way or another. And likewise, if the final is something like Medvedev against Zverev the rating is going to be horrific, even if they are calling each other losers at every presser and threatening to fight mid-match. Especially with tennis which is an upper-class sport to begin with, people want respect and not Conor McGregor hype antics.

[GirlySports]

It's part of everything SCD. Some media from some countries only go to the press conferences at grand slams. They need quotes for their papers. I do agree with you that maybe some of the formatting in 2021 could change

That said the worse place to boycott was in Paris. The French don't put up with any crap. She might have had more sympathy if she did this in New York last year after her one day boycott for BLM.

But I think she is just mentally broken. Needs at least 6 months off.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Fundamentally I agree she should do if it she's going to make herself a marketing star. And if she doesn't want to then she has to bear the brunt of the likely financial losses. And I get that having quotes to report on is, I guess, news. I just wonder if it still really matters. The average person now doesn't have the attention span to watch a TikTok for more than 30 seconds, these 10-15 minute post match interviews are generally a chore for all but the diehards to get through. Besides what matters in marketing now, speaking of TikTok, is social media. Maybe have an AMA after the match or something.

[Weitz]

It’s pretty clear she just wanted to control her media message which in this day and age is what a lot of people want to do. But she Got called on it and was likely urged to withdraw.

[GirlySports]

When Billie Jean King isn't on your side I think you've lost.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.huffp...658f9666ac/amp

It's the "if a tree falls in the forest but nobody hears it" argument.

[GirlySports]

McEnroe and Carillo too

https://twitter.com/user/status/1399074843853787139

And I heard Carillo on Ben Rothenbergs podcast and she was really upset with Osaka. I think people who spent their whole careers working and promoting tennis, they're really upset today.

[Inglewood Jack]

Originally Posted by Weitz

It’s pretty clear she just wanted to control her media message which in this day and age is what a lot of people want to do. But she Got called on it and was likely urged to withdraw.

Osaka is willing to give up a chance at 1.4 million euros prize money, adding to her already hall of fame legacy, and subsequent boost to her status as the #1 female athelete on the planet, because she's pouting over media image? and the French Open encouraged the WTA's biggest young star to quit, because they'd rather kill ticket sales than wait a couple days to see if she changes her mind? I'm going to be a bit skeptical about that.

also, any quotes from yesterday are completely outdated. I can see how just after her original declaration of not speaking to media, personalities around the sport would be critical of that. but based on what we know now, I'd be very surprised if anyone out there besides the Piers Morgan types are still telling her to suck it up.

[Regorium]

There it is. Debate is over. If you disagree with Inglewood Jack, you're a Trumptard racist bigot that cannot possibly have nuanced discussion.

At least we can all get back to the actual tennis!

[Inglewood Jack]

[Regorium]

You said the only people that would be on the side of the tournament are Piers Morgan types. You've labeled anyone that disagrees with you as someone that is as idiotic and extreme as that.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Piers Morgan is incredibly harmless, he's just a gargantuan attention whore. The only thing that is extreme about him is his obsession with being part of a story (and hacking people's phones, but I digress).

[Barnet Flame]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Everyone has to do press. Movie actors have to do press after press to promote a movie. Tech has to promote products. Everything is marketing.

And that is why everything is going to ####.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Inglewood Jack

also, any quotes from yesterday are completely outdated. I can see how just after her original declaration of not speaking to media, personalities around the sport would be critical of that. but based on what we know now, I'd be very surprised if anyone out there besides the Piers Morgan types are still telling her to suck it up.

I don't know about that. The tennis world from players to media are really upset. They are being PC and tip toeing around the excuse of mental health but I don't think they buy it. The comments from Nadal and Barty are pretty strong.

Remember the big three don't do press because it promotes them, they make enough on endorsements etc.. its to grow the sport, it's so the guys ranked 100 get to do a press conferences too. The exposure is so great that a first round loser makes $100,000. These are promotional obligations.

And remember, tennis is the only women's sports that anyone watches. I believe the top 10 women's athlete earners are all tennis players.

[dash_pinched]

Felix is down a set to Seppi and has saved a couple of set points in set 2.

[dash_pinched]

This 11th game of set 2 has been a battle.

Edit: Seppi holds, then Felix holds easily and we need a tie-break to decide set 2.