The Urgency of Reinventing the Post-Game Interview

Naomi Osaka’s attempt to protect her mental health by skipping press conferences following her matches at the French Open allows a much-needed conversation about the role of the post-game press conference across sports. Osaka is not the first athlete to skip a press conference and most likely will not be the last. But because her reason for skipping involved mental illness, the leaders of the Grand Slam tournaments made a grave error in threatening to eject her from the tournament rather than fine her. If Osaka had had a physical injury that made it impossible for her to hold press conferences, there would have been no problem. But because her illness was psychological, no accommodation was given. The message from the International Tennis Federation was either to damage her psyche or risk ejection. She chose to leave altogether as a preemptive move, something the ITF had not considered.

The Role of the Interview

Osaka had to decide whether to risk exacerbating her anxiety and depression by appearing at the press conferences that immediately followed each match. Osaka, and all other athletes in this situation, have just completed grueling matches on an international stage. They are wiped out physically and mentally. If they have lost, they are no doubt feeling bad. In what other field of work are you expected to go on camera for an interview broadcast across the globe immediately following a failure or loss? It is a cruel practice of adding insult to injury and can be damaging to mental health. Osaka had just won, but she still felt the pressure of sitting in a room with a bunch of strangers asking unvetted questions was too anxiety-provoking. For those who are playing in sports where they are the only players, the pressure is even worse than if they are on a team. Surely we can think of a better way to have the players share their thoughts.

The real question is, just how important are the press conferences as they currently exist? Do they really add anything to the game? As a tennis fan, I rarely watch them because I have never felt that they add anything to the match that I just watched. The players are tired and typically are just waiting to get through the event. They have had no time to process what went wrong mentally, review tapes, or have discussions with their coaches. If you have ever watched Osaka’s interviews, you can see how uncomfortable she is. And she is not alone. We have seen other tennis players and athletes chafe at the post-game interview process and choose to skip it altogether and pay fines as Osaka planned to do.

Inappropriate Questions Add to the Problem

Another part of the equation is the completely inappropriate and/or sexist questions that have put Osaka and other athletes in a difficult position. Earlier this year, Osaka was asked to comment on whether the Olympics should be held in Japan this year. As a player representing Japan, this question put her in a very uncomfortable position regarding a topic over which she has no control. There are requests for female players to “give a twirl” or to say which male athlete they would like to date. These questions do not add anything to our knowledge of tennis, are sexist, and are a waste of the player’s time.

Sports Press is becoming irrelevant

The sports press used to be the conduit for letting fans know more about the players. But with the rise of social media, players are deciding for themselves what they want to share. In an excellent piece in the Guardian, Jonathan Liew points out, “Hard as it is to believe, Osaka’s function as an entertainer and corporate billboard is contingent on her playing tennis at an appointed hour, rather than being forced to sit in a windowless room explaining herself to a roomful of middle-aged men…And one of the world’s best athletes would literally rather quit a grand slam tournament than have to talk to the press. Rather than scrutinising what that says about her, it might be worth asking what that says about us.” Liew is onto something here. Osaka is the number two female player in the world. For her to walk away from a Grand Slam tournament will cost her professionally for a long time. She did not make this decision lightly, and we should listen to her when she says that the press conferences cause severe anxiety.

Better Ways to Hear from the Players (and sponsors)

Of course, tennis is a business, and we cannot ignore the role that money plays in tournaments. But perhaps we can think of better ways for fans to get to know players that do not hurt the players psychologically and for sponsors to get the exposure they want.

One way to relieve anxiety is to allow people some control and to know what to expect. With this in mind, perhaps the International Tennis Federation and players can come up with a menu of ways for players to share about their game and opportunities for sponsorships to be displayed. Players could choose from the menu. It could start with simple ideas like:

• Record an interview in a smaller setting with fewer reporters (reporters could be alternated for fairness)
• Sit for (__#) of interviews per year for sports publications
• Give the tennis players the questions ahead of the interview so they can think about their answers to reduce anxiety

These are just a few ideas I could think of off the top of my head. Surely the ITF can come up with more. Ultimately, the ITF needs to work with the players to find accommodations for the press interviews. Even better, they would dispose of the post-match interviews and completely reinvent the ways the players interact with the press. The players will know best what they need to stay mentally healthy and can share this information with the ITF. Of course, this is what Osaka requested. This is a time for creative, out-of-the-box thinking that could lead to something much better for everyone involved. Let’s hope the ITF will seize the moment.

Bonus

Watch this video to see male athletes react to real questions that were asked of female athletes:

Video Link

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Previously Published on medium

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