Naomi Osaka and the Rights of Professional Athletes
The Political Scene | The New Yorker
The New Yorker
4.3 • 3.9K Ratings
🗓️ 11 June 2021
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Last month, Naomi Osaka, the second-ranked women’s tennis player in the world, announced that she would not speak to the press during the French Open. The referee fined her fifteen thousand dollars, and the leaders of the four Grand Slam tournaments threatened her with harsher penalties. In response, Osaka dropped out. Her withdrawal has brought further attention to the power dynamics of professional sports, where wealthy league bosses, the media, and fans exert tremendous pressure on players. Louisa Thomas joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss how athletes are using their fame and visibility to reshape professional sports.
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| 1:11.4 | This is the political scene, a weekly conversation with New Yorker writers and guests about |
| 1:16.3 | politics. It's Friday, June 11th. I'm Dorothy Wickenden, executive editor of The New Yorker. |
| 1:23.5 | Late last month, Naomi Osaka, the second-ranked women's tennis player in the world, |
| 1:29.7 | announced that she would not speak to the press during the French Open, one of the biggest tournaments. |
| 1:35.5 | Press conferences are seen as obligatory for players at major events, |
| 1:39.7 | but Osaka said that they were affecting her mental health and her performance. |
| 1:50.0 | The French Open's referee fined her $15,000 for not participating, and the leaders of the four Grand Slam tournaments threatened her with harsher penalties. |
| 1:56.0 | In response, Osaka withdrew from the tournament issuing a statement saying that the truth is, |
| 2:02.2 | I have suffered long bouts of depression since the U.S. Open in 2018, and I have had a really |
| 2:07.7 | hard time coping with that. Osaka's withdrawal from the French Open has brought further |
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