Mental Health or an excuse

Kewreeuss

Naomi Osaka, a top class tennis player, says she will not talk to the press due to mental health issues.
It seems that it is too stressful for her to deal with the press immediately after her matches. Maybe she has a point. It can be difficult to think of something intelligent to say when your mind is taken up with the match you have just won or lost. She can be pissed off that she has to answer the same questions over and over. So do authors, pop stars, tv presenters, sportsmen, everyone in the public eye.
But to call it a mental health issue, is that not a bit much?

Hoof Hearted2

Kewreeuss wrote: »

Naomi Osaka, a top class tennis player, says she will not talk to the press due to mental health issues.
It seems that it is too stressful for her to deal with the press immediately after her matches. Maybe she has a point. It can be difficult to think of something intelligent to say when your mind is taken up with the match you have just won or lost. She can be pissed off that she has to answer the same questions over and over. So do authors, pop stars, tv presenters, sportsmen, everyone in the public eye.
But to call it a mental health issue, is that not a bit much?

I'd say she can call it whatever she wants, it's her prerogative.

Hoof Hearted2

Hoof Hearted2 wrote: »

I'd say she can call it whatever she wants, it's her prerogative.

In that case she should just say she doesn’t want to.

Kewreeuss

Apparently by contract she and all her colleagues are obliged to do these press interviews. If they refuse they are fined $3,000., which she says she will give to a mental health charity.
I guess if there is bad feeling among the superstars about the interviews, someone has to bring it to the ruling body’s attention. However none of the tennis stars are shrinking violets and they are all tough individuals, so I am surprised it hasn’t been dealt with before.
I think she’s just being precious

kaymin

As Nadal said, it's the press that makes them the superstars that they are and it plays a large part in bringing them the wealth they have accumulated. If players don't engage with the media / public, there's less interest from the public, it's less attractive to sponsors and ultimately there's less money to go around. Strikes me as naievity as to how the world works. She must be very sheltered / fragile if she can't answer a few questions about her games without having mental issues.

Kewreeuss

Now it has blown up.
Wildly mismanaged from both sides.
Surely she has a PR person to advise her on how to manage this.
Tennis bosses must not believe her hence the massive fine.

Hoof Hearted2

o be fair, I don't think this discussion has much to do with mental well being atall atall.

It seems to be to have more to do with the machinery of sporting organisations and the corporations that fund them through advertising and the subsequent roles and responsibilities of all involved.

In relation to any particular player partaking in the apparent "charade", on the face of it, it does seem peculiar that they would not have weighed up all the possible implications of getting involved prior to doing so, but in fairness it is also not unusual for a human being to underestimate what the future may entail and how they may or may not cope with that.

I'd say the governing body could be better served (pun intended) by demonstrating empathy towards one of their members and cut them a bit of slack and provide assistance rather than strong arming them with a hefty fine.

Strumms

You’d hope it IS mental health.

Unfortunately the large swathes of people across all cross sections of society who over the last number of years are using mental health as an excuse to justify poor behavior.

If I was an administrator of said sport I’d be asking for verifiable evidence, ie. an independent psychologist to confirm.

MrMusician18

Kewreeuss wrote: »

Apparently by contract she and all her colleagues are obliged to do these press interviews. If they refuse they are fined $3,000., which she says she will give to a mental health charity.
I guess if there is bad feeling among the superstars about the interviews, someone has to bring it to the ruling body’s attention. However none of the tennis stars are shrinking violets and they are all tough individuals, so I am surprised it hasn’t been dealt with before.
I think she’s just being precious

I'm fairly sure that when you're fined you don't get to choose where the money goes.

Mental health is being bandied about as an excuse for avoiding all sorts of life's niggles.