Naomi Osaka

[lightand]

Not sure why I am finding this interesting, but I am.
Maybe because I am a bit on the fence about it. Or the net!

She is a world ranking tennis player who is refusing to speak to the media, because she has mental health issues, and says it causes her huge anxiety to talk to them.

I think I am coming down on the side of, if that is what she wants to do, that is up to her.

After her original statement, this is the post Roland Garros came back with. I’m with Naomi. They bullied her out of the tournament.

I don't agree that they bullied her out of the tournament. They reached out to negotiate with her and she refused to speak with them.

Funny how threads go, isnt it?
I did have a look, but didnt realise someone had also started a thread about Naomi Osaka.
Perhaps because the other thread was started in AIBU, but people are not being so understanding on the other thread!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4258632-That-Naomi-Osakas-reasons-not-to-do-press-conferences-should-be-supported?pg=6

@NutellaEllaElla

I don't agree that they bullied her out of the tournament. They reached out to negotiate with her and she refused to speak with them.

So that tweet was them reaching out?

I’m not sure if they did or didn’t, I haven’t seen that claim before now, they thought the above tweet was appropriate after someone said they had MH problems.

So that tweet was them reaching out?

No? Why would it be? I don't assume that unless something happened on social media, it didn't happen at all.

@NutellaEllaElla you missed the point I do not assume unless it happens on social media that it doesn’t happen at all. I would expect to have read somewhere that they tried to reach out, news outlets statements from the organiser? I let you know I haven’t seen that. Other than in posters saying that.

What is true is they felt the tweet that was clearly taking shots at Osaka was appropriate. If her team saw that before it was deleted, engaging with that disingenuous bunch would be the last thing I’d be doing.

Brands sponsoring her need to get behind her and support her decision to not do post match interviews pdq or their consumer base will think very poorly of them.

Naomi has said she’s struggling, that is literally all it should take. Post match interviews at the expense of a young woman’s mental health? Absolutely not.

I loathe tennis, but I’m appalled at this.

Well I love tennis, don’t think much of her play on clay, but am also appalled.

I think with actors, promoting a movie is a huge part of the job. If they don't go out and sell the movie, fewer people will watch it and it will make a lower income. It's a really important part of the job.

For tennis players, I assume a huge part of their income comes from sponsorship, so there will be requirements such as wearing certain clothes while playing, appearing in adverts and appearing at promotional events. I think these post-match press junkets are not a huge part of the job, but maybe to the tournament organisers think they are. Some of the questions they get asked are really awful. I do think they could find a compromise somehow.

I think Naomi is great for standing up for herself. I think Piers Morgan is a complete shit and needs to take a long hard look at himself.

I've been following this story, as well as RG generally

Isn't that message from RG completely & utterly passive aggressive? I'm not surprised Naomi did not want to engage with then if this is their attitude!

There was a bit of a debate about this in theatre (pre-covid) as stage dooring is a huge part of the culture, especially in the west end.

The general conclusion was that actors have the right to choose whether to stage door or not, it's not a right. Some are so exhausted from the performance that it takes too much out of them and that decision should be respected.

Without going into her specific case, as I don't know enough about it, I feel like in a more "normal" job, if you could do your core job really well, but asked for reasonable adjustments to be made to one element because of a mental health issue, you would be well within the law to do so and quite blooming right too.

So I don't think that it should be different for sportspeople.

I really felt for her in her statement. It was very genuine.
But her tweet on not doing press & the 'Change makes people uncomfortable' tweet were both flippant & inflammatory.

I was going to say people have to work with their employer to make allowances for health issues, but on reflection, if Naomi had done it reasonably & quietly behind the scenes, we wouldn't be talking about this now.

I've heard her described as an activist. Maybe she's seen an opportunity to do something controversial not only for herself, but to start this wider conversation.

I read this earlier and thought it was interesting - it's a piece by a journalist who attends these events and is supportive of Osaka's position. There's a question quoted which was asked of Maria Sharapova when she was 17(!) which kind of shines a light on how intrusive these events can be. www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2021/may/31/were-not-the-good-guys-osaka-shows-up-problems-of-press-conferences

[quote Waitwhat23]I read this earlier and thought it was interesting - it's a piece by a journalist who attends these events and is supportive of Osaka's position. There's a question quoted which was asked of Maria Sharapova when she was 17(!) which kind of shines a light on how intrusive these events can be. www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2021/may/31/were-not-the-good-guys-osaka-shows-up-problems-of-press-conferences[/quote]
Regardless of the state of someone’s mental health, no one should be harassed in press conferences. Even if they are able to withstand it, it’s wrong. That needs to change whatever happens with Naomi Osaka.

[quote Waitwhat23]I read this earlier and thought it was interesting - it's a piece by a journalist who attends these events and is supportive of Osaka's position. There's a question quoted which was asked of Maria Sharapova when she was 17(!) which kind of shines a light on how intrusive these events can be. www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2021/may/31/were-not-the-good-guys-osaka-shows-up-problems-of-press-conferences[/quote]
That was an excellent article!

Good for Naomi, I say!

Martina Navratilova tweeted in support of Naomi too

[quote lightand]Funny how threads go, isnt it?
I did have a look, but didnt realise someone had also started a thread about Naomi Osaka.
Perhaps because the other thread was started in AIBU, but people are not being so understanding on the other thread!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4258632-That-Naomi-Osakas-reasons-not-to-do-press-conferences-should-be-supported?pg=6[/quote]
The other thread has got deleted for not being sympathetic enough to those with mental health problems. Something like that.

I think the whole issue will run and run personally.
There is a thread running currently on MN about teenagers and mental health.
As one of the older tennis players commented, younger people are not so robust at handling the media nowadays.

It does look like some people in tennis are softening their thoughts on the matter. And offering up some possible solutions to at least make speaking to the media that bit easier.

I was shocked that the thread got deleted. Proper tone policing that, very OTT.

As one of the older tennis players commented, younger people are not so robust at handling the media nowadays.

Or maybe they are just better at saying that this is wrong and they aren't aren't going to put up with it anymore?

I think some of the questions these athletes are asked are just shocking, especially female athletes. In the past, they had no choice to sit there and take it. Maybe it is time someone stood up and said that this isn't ok. Hopefully, changes can be made for the better.

This isn't an example of objecting to inappropriate questions. RG have said that Naomi has not spoken to them to discuss her objections.

Elite sport is high pressure, people with MH disabilities wouldn't be able to compete. I've seen it in pro cycling, several cyclists in recent years have competed then dropped out because the whole lifestyle - intense training, dietary regimes, time away from friends and family etc is bad for their MH and they can't sustain it. That is perhaps more information that Naomi has given. From what we have been told, it just sounds like she doesn't like press conferences.

I think she has had a tough time of things and sometimes suffers from self-doubt and anxiety about her performances. Many of us feel this way at work, but we don't have to sit down at the end of every work day and justify our work performance and abilities to a critical audience. If we did, we would certainly leave our jobs. I mean can you imagine if every single work day your boss sat you down, discussed every fault, every mistake you made. Why did you do this? Why didn't you do that? It's too much! If you are self-confident, then maybe you don't mind. But, surely, she can just give a statement at the end of her matches without needing to answer questions as well.

I mean can you imagine if every single work day your boss sat you down, discussed every fault, every mistake you made. Why did you do this? Why didn't you do that? It's too much! If you are self-confident, then maybe you don't mind

Not just your work related performance though- imagine a few questions thrown in about boyfriends, what you were wearing, did you know you’re the company’s sex symbol now, how do you feel about what another colleague chose to wear, do you think it’s too sexy..

Right!? My impression of Naomi is that she is very self-critical and thinks deeply about things. In press conferences, she is often seems very negative about herself and her performances. The questions she gets asked, I think, really deepens her thoughts and that isn’t necessarily a good thing. Often it feels like they are just asking questions for the sake of asking questions rather than actually having something to ask.

She handled it really badly, it seems her manager and RG, didn't know she was putting out the original statement about a media ban.

It was viewed that she didn't want to deal with press questions about her performance on clay and it was felt disingenuous to cite mental health as the reason.

Her sister made a statement (now deleted) pretty much confirming that view. i.e. that she wanted to avoid the news conferences as she didn't want to have to deal with being asked questions about her lack of performance on clay courts as it caused her anxiety and she needed to be in the best headspace for her performance.

It is hard not to have sympathy for her, she is only 23, at the top of her game, the highest earning female sportsperson ever, a huge amount of pressure on her in just a few years. This controversy won't help her mental health in the slightest.

However, I do feel she did a disservice to the cause of poor mental health in how she went about it. Tough lesson for such a young talented person.

@NutellaEllaElla

This isn't an example of objecting to inappropriate questions. RG have said that Naomi has not spoken to them to discuss her objections.

Elite sport is high pressure, people with MH disabilities wouldn't be able to compete. I've seen it in pro cycling, several cyclists in recent years have competed then dropped out because the whole lifestyle - intense training, dietary regimes, time away from friends and family etc is bad for their MH and they can't sustain it. That is perhaps more information that Naomi has given. From what we have been told, it just sounds like she doesn't like press conferences.

Sorry but no I don’t buy this. I think it’s fair to say Andre Agassi was an elite player who had difficulty mentally but still managed to win in his day. Playing into his 30s. So I don’t buy that NO couldn’t play if she can’t handle the press. Mental health issues present themselves differently in different people and at different times. Recognising this and removing yourself from the situ is being self aware.