Naomi Osaka writing in Time Magazine about her decision to withdraw from the 2021 French Open:
“In my opinion, the press conference format itself is out of date and in great need of a refresh. I believe that we can make it better, more interesting, and more enjoyable for each side. Less ‘subject vs. object’, more ‘peer-to-peer’… Perhaps we should give athletes the right to take a mental break from media scrutiny on a rare occasion without being subject to strict sanctions… I have numerous suggestions to offer the tennis hierarchy, but my No. 1 suggestion would be to allow a small number of 'sick days' per year where you are excused from your press commitments without having to disclose your personal reasons. I believe this would bring sport in line with the rest of society.”
Ben Maller: “I am rolling my eyes into the back of my head on this one… This has got to be the dumbest idea I’ve heard of in some time, and you wonder did she come up with this on her own?? This sounds like the work of a focus group. You’re going to give ‘sick days’ to do half your job? Adults look at this and think it’s ridiculous. Not surprisingly, the ‘wokesters’ out there are like ‘this is a good idea!’ A lot of people in the media are sympathetic to the absurd… This topic has been politicized and weaponized and any pushback you’re called nasty names, you’re ‘evil’, and whatever ‘ism’ it is. The simple answer is this is just dumb. So because Naomi Osaka is ‘uncomfortable with the press’ you have to change the entire system?... Naomi Osaka has embellished her animosity with the media because she's been milking it for all it's worth. On one hand, she wants to stay away from the media because she’s an introvert and not comfortable talking to others, but on the other hand we know that being a ‘victim’ in 2021 is all the rage and you are loved by the corporate class in America and by all the media elites, even when you are exaggerating your claims. I believe what’s going on here is exaggeration and what’s my evidence? The New York Post exposed Osaka as being a fake, a phony, and a fraud. After winning what turned out to be her final match when she quit the French Open she did something that raised my eyebrows that this was not an authentic ‘I hate the media situation.’ Osaka allowed herself to be interviewed by a Japanese broadcaster, and they paid her for her time, paid her for access, and paid her for what she said. She had no issue blabbing away because she was getting paid for it. Some other evidence of how 'bad' this media is with Osaka: she is the star of a Netflix documentary and they had to have a film crew with those big boom mics, producers, directors, cameras, and lighting travel around with her 24/7 for an intimate film. It is more probable than not that she’s getting a check for that. You also have Naomi Osaka on the cover for Time Magazine in addition to the cover of the Japanese version of Vogue. Do you see a pattern here? Nothing about that screams ‘I NEED PRIVACY!’ (Full Video Above)
Listen to Ben Maller discuss former no. 1 women’s tennis player Naomi Osaka’s recent column in Time Magazine titled ‘It’s OK to Not Be OK’, detailing her reasons for dropping out of last month’s French Open because of ‘mental health’ concerns that centered around her refusal to do post-match interviews.
Check out the video above as Maller details why he isn’t buying Osaka’s reasons for not wanting to deal with the media and infringe on her privacy, citing her recent barrage of lucrative marketing campaigns that would say quite the opposite.
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