If Naomi Osaka doesn’t want to talk, why should media want her to?
Four-time gland slam Tennis champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open rather than talk to the media, and two things are 100% true of that decision while being at odds with each other:
- Osaka should suck it up and spend a few minutes with the media after matches.
- Media should allow Osaka to skip mandatory media sessions because she is a very shy and disinterested participant.
Both statements are true despite existing with each other in complete disharmony.
If the worst thing that happens in Osaka’s day is that as he is quizzed by addlepated media types trying to fill their post match wraps with quotes, that is not such a bad day. Athletes who allow the media to ruin 15 minutes of their lives should be more judicious about whom they allow to tinker with the psyche.
If media are so desperate for insight they demand the opportunity to question someone who has no interest in providing any, what has journalism come to?
The dance between the media and athletes can be enlightening or a waste of time depending upon the nature of those asking and answering the questions. Athletes can provide meaningful thoughts about their lives and the games they play if the questions they answer are from curious and astute reporters. Or athletes can get tired of answering questions repeated by dopey reporters who weren’t paying attention the first time the question was asked.
No one is right and no one is wrong here. Many athletes are cooperative without being forthcoming. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck led the NFL in words spoken without any discernible meaning from 2012-2019. He was clever enough to answer completely (sometimes exhaustively) while revealing nothing. No one from the media complained – other than to each other. Luck moved on with his day, and the media had their quotes.
Conversely, former Pacer C.J. Miles was so willing to reveal his thoughts about life and basketball, he gave great answers to terrible questions. Current Pacer Justin Holiday is similar in that way. If questions are graded by the quality of the answers they elicit, no question to either Holiday or Miles has deserved less than an “A+.”
Many reporters understand who the talkers are and invest time with them. It’s easier in football when locker rooms are filled with 50+ men who vary in their eagerness to engage than in tennis where matches are one on one. If the Colts win, finding a willing player to chat is easy. When Osaka wins a match, she is the only port in the storm.
I’m not sure whether Osaka gains from a branding perspective by participating with the media, and to be honest I’m not sure who benefits from reading a post match recap featuring her quotes. I’ve never read one, and while I watch tennis, I’m not certain I’ve ever heard Osaka’s voice. Her game speaks to me, and that is all I need.
If Osaka never speaks to the media, the world will keep spinning and people will keep watching her play (as long as she wins). If she talks, will anyone other than the media hear her?