Off Topic Naomi Osaka situation

[Deleted member 26368]

I made a recent post about meet etiquette. Days later, I read that Naomi Osaka was heckled during a tennis match at Indian Wells, the same place where the Williams sisters were notoriously booed in the past. Tennis (or gymnastics) is not the kind of sport where that behavior is traditionally allowed. I find it appalling that someone would pay to tell Naomi Osaka that she "sucks" during a tennis match! Especially when this young woman has expressed mental health struggles and anxiety.

Anyway, I'd like to hear others' thoughts.

Naomi Osaka brought to tears after getting heckled during BNP Paribas Open match

A heckling fan shouting "Naomi, you suck!" brought four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka to tears at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[txgymfan]

Naomi is one of the highest paid female athletes in the world. I’m sorry that one fan out of 9,000 in attendance was mean. That person should have been removed and banned from the event permanently. On the other hand, Naomi either needs to find a job outside of the public eye where she can be given her criticisms in private (because we all get them from someone somewhere). Her other option is to retire with her millions. She plays a sport with an audience for a living. I’m sorry she’s upset but everyone will never be happy with you anywhere.

 

[Pirouette]

I hope she has (or gets) a good therapist. And I mean that sincerely. No one should struggle with confidence and self-worth over the opinions of others. Hecklers are always going to be out there, and these days, they are more vocal than ever. Sad but true.

 

[mommyof1]

Naomi is one of the highest paid female athletes in the world. I’m sorry that one fan out of 9,000 in attendance was mean. That person should have been removed and banned from the event permanently. On the other hand, Naomi either needs to find a job outside of the public eye where she can be given her criticisms in private (because we all get them from someone somewhere). Her other option is to retire with her millions. She plays a sport with an audience for a living. I’m sorry she’s upset but everyone will never be happy with you anywhere.

No one should ever be heckled, and the heckler should have been ejected, but on the other hand many women Osaka's age and younger have to put up with a lot worse every day waiting tables, working retail, and even teaching school.

 

[JBS]

Sports are very interesting. What's OK in one sport is absolutely not OK in another... that's part of the problem. Each time I take my son to a football game I have to sit near some moron screaming F-bombs at the players all game long. Why is this OK in football?

 

[Deleted member 26368]

Sports are very interesting. What's OK in one sport is absolutely not OK in another... that's part of the problem. Each time I take my son to a football game I have to sit near some moron screaming F-bombs at the players all game long. Why is this OK in football?

Yeah, this is one of my takes, as well. We've normalized "bad behavior" in certain sports, but it is particularly glaring in tennis (or golf, or other "quiet" sports). That's why it this example stands out, but should heckling ever be OK?

I agree with the previous posts about Osaka's mental health, ultimately, she'll need to decide if playing tennis is worth the mental strain for her. I feel for her as a fellow introvert, but yeah, it's a tough world out here. Sports fans are especially bold now. It won't get any easier for her.