Water finds its level. This is the new path both athletes and media are cautiously treading.
The recent issues around the mental welfare of elite athletes have been confronting. The superstar veneer of sporting celebrity has cracked, with global top-flight athletes standing in the cold hard light of day,raising their hands and exposing a vulnerability that had previously been carefully hidden away through fear of ridicule, doubt, and rejection.
The most high-profile cases, that of Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka, have commanded attention, some of it positive but sadly a great deal of negativity too. In the tragic case of Kiwi Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore, the effect of crumbling mental health was laid out for all to see in its heartbreaking frailty.
Osaka fronted the media this week and was greeted with a question from veteran Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Paul Daugherty around how she can balance her want for publicity and commercial media exposure with her required involvement in tennis press conferences.
Naomi Osaka broke down in tears after a question from the media. Photo / Twitter
His question triggered an episode in Osaka, who eventually left in tears. This in turn led to accusations of bullying, with Daugherty's tone being called into question.
Daugherty asked a pertinent question. He stated it in a calm a clear manner. There was no shadow of malice being cast upon Osaka. Paul was quite within his rights, indeed he was doing his job by attempting to unpack the media driven troubles that have caused Osaka so much grief. It was fair and right. He asked: "You're not crazy about dealing with us, especially in this format. Yet you have a lot of outside interests that are served by having a media platform. How do you balance the two?"
Necessary. In order for the media to truly understand the complexities some athletes face and are willing to front up to, these subjects need to be raised. By framing Daugherty as a bully, striking out at him after a reasonable offering, the Osaka camp are on fragile ground. The goose and the gander will attest to that. Naomi is willing to bask in the light of sporting superstardom on one hand, but not so keen on those rays from a different angle. I'm not entirely sure any athlete is.
Her answer to Daugherty – "I'm not really sure how to balance the two. I'm figuring it out, as you are" – was perfect. It was upsetting to her, as witnessed as she left the conference, but it was an answer that needed to be heard. There are no definitives in this area. It is for all parties to work through and ensure that their needs are met in a fair and acceptable manner. That's all Daugherty was trying to do, and for that he is being villainised. The pendulum is swinging too far in the other direction.
I have no doubt that the pressures associated with sporting superstardom are pressures that anyone would struggle to completely comprehend, and to package them up with archaic and simplistic platitudes is entirely unhelpful. Statements like 'harden up' or 'take the good with the bad' lack nuance. But by attacking people who are keen to delve further into the grey around what constitutes acceptable media exposure and what doesn't, we travel no further toward a new and widely accepted paradigm.
This new desire to understand and rebuild the sports star versus media relationship will pay dividends. It will be a sometimes uncomfortable journey, where both factions will need to accept that mistakes will be made. Understanding and patience will be key, lashing out at honest attempts to bridge the gap is no better than the perceived aggression from the media in the first place. Water will find its level.
