tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291828614359932852.post6539543057303227847..comments2023-10-24T01:16:52.599-07:00Comments on Matt Zemek's Archives: Loathing the Loathing: A Call For A Tennis Fan TruceMatt Zemekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11549151766426130779noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291828614359932852.post-65584004201248826432012-08-06T02:07:55.231-07:002012-08-06T02:07:55.231-07:00This article does nothing to change the fact that ...This article does nothing to change the fact that Lord Federer is a one of the sorest losers this sport has ever seen. I know his fans do not want to come to terms with the truth, which is fine. Nothing can ever change the reality that Federer is a classless loser. He does a much better job appearing gracious when winning, but how hard is that? <br /><br />Even after the Olympics loss yesterday, he attributes his loss to the Murray home court advantage coupled with Federer being exhausted after his semi win over Del Potro (despite playing the first semi AND having an off day before the final to recover). The guy is spoiled, and classless. No grand slam trophy case will ever change the reality of that. <br /><br />As a side note: most of the tennis world besides Lord Federer understands his most recent grand slam was tainted by the fact he won the semis and finals INDOORS at Wimbledon. He is a great indoor player. It worked well for him. It is just sad that a grand slam event with Wimbledon's history is now being changed to accommodate money and television. Luckily, weather cooperated in the Olympic final. No surprise that outside, Federer didn't stand a chance and was routed. No golden slam for his career because of it. But he remains a top 10 great of all time nonetheless, just not the GOAT he and his fans always wanted him to be.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291828614359932852.post-3444232178821205012012-07-22T00:58:02.243-07:002012-07-22T00:58:02.243-07:00Matt, nice to see you still writing, still the voi...Matt, nice to see you still writing, still the voice of reason. They do all seem to be great guys, as well as great tennis players; philanthropic, respectful of others, and, of course, law abiding. I'm another Fed fan. I love his wins and am sad at his losses. But I also am sad at this loathing, and it's an even bigger issue in more important spheres of life. It is now sadly common, in politics, and on social issues, as well as tennis, to consider anyone who disagrees with us as somehow evil. We don't have to discuss things with each other; we can just be self-righteously indignant and insulting, egging those who agree with us on further. Our inability to see others with different views as equally valuable human beings is costing us greatly. We can feel a sense of community - as many of us Fed fans, Rafa fans and Nole fans do - without needing to hate anyone. Every small step towards tolerance is a great thing. So thanks for your post. Keep it up!<br /><br />Oh, and I'm a big Paul Wellstone fan too! What a terrible loss that was.Ellen Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15983015183781406632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291828614359932852.post-37004300198623873262012-07-10T18:19:25.734-07:002012-07-10T18:19:25.734-07:00I'm a Nadal fan but I find criticism of Fed...I'm a Nadal fan but I find criticism of Fed's remark ridiculous. Seriously, when you mentioned the utterly harmless remark, I thought you were going to say Nadal fans were offended because if Murray wins Slams in the future those would be Slams Nadal won't win and that therefore means that Fed is rooting for Murray so Nadal doesn't break his record.<br /><br />Anyway, I agree with the author. Let's just enjoy this great sport and all these great players.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291828614359932852.post-66761130273667021612012-07-10T09:13:45.972-07:002012-07-10T09:13:45.972-07:00There is one more angle to this episode, which is ...There is one more angle to this episode, which is not in your article (atleast not clear enough) - the "lost in translation" angle.<br /><br />Federer said "atleast one grand slam" but what did he exactly mean? In a later interview Federer (kind of) elaborated on the comment by saying "I hope he wins multiple grand slams, not just one". Would anyone think that the latter comment is classless?<br /><br />To me it looks like Federer wanted to make the latter comment during the presentation, but couldn't quite get the right words.<br /><br />This is one of the commonest forms of misunderstanding - the same sentence means one thing to me, yet something subtly or totally different to another person. And this is bound to happen because of vastly different cultural and educational backgrounds.<br /><br />A little more perspective, patience and understanding goes a long way in spotting the "lost in translation" angle. <br /><br />There are some philosophical lessons to be learnt from this, but not probably worth going into here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291828614359932852.post-7141144003264578362012-07-10T06:07:48.265-07:002012-07-10T06:07:48.265-07:00Matt, you know that I like it so much when you wri...Matt, you know that I like it so much when you write about tennis that I'd pay you out of my own pocket to let you do so regularly. But with respect, I don't think your idea is going to work. A truce is not needed.<br /><br />Out in meatspace, our opportunities for self-identification are limited: clothing, tattoos, calculated emotional displays whenever things happen. Here on the internet -- a place that is not real -- we have tools like avatars, screen names, status updates, message boards, and image macros. It's easier than ever to advertise ourselves as certain types of people, but the core human imperative for community hasn't changed: we must do whatever we can externalize our inner lives. We are searching for people like us.<br /><br />I believe that tennis, of all the sports we have, offers the best reflection of who we are and want to be. Players travel the world ten months a year, battling others and themselves; we collect our favorite(s) and follow along. As fans, we're drawn to competitors who, in all those lonely and vulnerable hours on court, exhibit similarities to us -- or at least the qualities we hope to attain someday. <br /><br />The contract between player and supporter is very clear (not clear enough to stop endlessly annoying the non-fans in our lives, however): in return for inspiration and the opportunity to transcend our humdrum routines, we offer emotional investment. Our heroes will never give us more than a general racquet-clap to the stands after a win, or maybe a giant-ball autograph or two-second handshake in person someday, but this is an even and equal transaction. What balances it out is that by supporting a favorite player, we join a group of like-minded others... and thanks to the deep psychology inherent in tennis, those others are likely to be more like-minded than would be otherwise comfortable.<br /><br />This isn't tribalism, Matt, it's community. What matters is that you stand up and say "I am a Federer fan, and I'm very proud of him and his accomplishments." Others will, and already do, gravitate towards you in a positive way. Negativity always takes care of itself (negatively), but at least here on the internet we have the block button and the delete key to speed that process along.<br /><br />I, personally, am not a Federer fan. I don't like it very much when he wins, and never have. That, and my inability to find anything in common with any of the other current Big Four (or top twenty), is why I don't watch the men that much anymore. I haven't made a single friend by being an Anti-Fed, and I never will, and I understand the dynamics behind that. But I still do hold out hope that another Pete Sampras will come along someday.Kyle W.http://twitter.com/foxbasegammanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291828614359932852.post-82983323933879268862012-07-10T01:56:11.741-07:002012-07-10T01:56:11.741-07:00I've been saying for years that deifying Roger...I've been saying for years that deifying Roger is wrong-wrong-wrong. As a religious person it's especially offensive to me: It almost reeks of paganism. 'See this handsome, athletic, successful, suave guy? Well, he must be the new incarnation of Jupiter! All hail him!' And of course, this Roger god is just as much a figment of fallible human imagination as Jupiter was.<br /> <br />HOWEVER, that has nothing to do with my love for Roger. Does he see himself as a god? Goodness, I think he would split his sides laughing at the idea. How is he to blame for the media lazy, cliché thinking any more than he is to blame for their predicting his retirement after every loss? Nor should he be blamed for his fans' deifying him, although most of them have no inclination to do that. They love him very much as human being : shortcomings, bad hair days, giggle attacks and all.<br /> <br />Actually, I can think only of ONE Federer fan I've ever come across who insisted on deifying Roger. I think you know him, Matt: he now wages a personal twitter crusade against his former god. True fandom isn't warship; it's recognizing the good in a person and supporting them because their basic nature is decent and they seem to be trying to do the right thing, on court and off court. May we all be able to say the same thing about ourselves.maayanhttp://twitter.com/maayan1986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291828614359932852.post-58071992225416005152012-07-10T00:51:25.835-07:002012-07-10T00:51:25.835-07:00Ramble mode...
"What I don't get is why ...Ramble mode...<br /><br />"What I don't get is why that remark was so strongly perceived by a decent-sized chunk of Tennis Twitterville as somehow classless."<br /><br />Not only the power of perceiving through bias, bitterness and resentment that Federer won AGAIN, which I'm sure is a large part of it, but the power of narrative, combined with the INSTA-OPINION and snowball nature of Twitter. Fed's post 2009 speech, for example, had an unfortunate feel to it, which in large part wasn't his fault AT ALL. (the jacket, clearly overwhelmed post-match, etc). But subsequent events are interpreted in light of that and other previous comments in pressers, post-match interviews etc. People were expecting a clumsy moment in this one and kind of made one out of nothing, IMO. <br /><br />As you said, one sad thing is that experiencing gloating/unfair loathing etc of one's favourites doesn't seem to make most people empathise. It makes them want to take revenge, and hit back. Which possibly makes them feel better for two minutes. Then other people get drawn into the argument, and the whole silly cycle is repeated and perpetuated.<br /><br />"Human beings lash out in bitterness and frustration when attacked or made to feel lower by another subgroup" - My feeling, talking in generalities, is that a lot of resentment from some Federer fans towards Nadal is about the way the Fedal rivalry developed (and there's a similar recent dynamic with Nadal fans' feelings towards Djokovic), whereas a lot of the resentment from Nadal fans or Djokovic fans towards Federer is about the way Federer is perceived in the media as, basically, a god - see Simon Barnes. Federer is so much seen as the Platonic form of tennis, comportment etc that everyone else somehow becomes necessarily inferior and lesser in comparison, and we're told that if you don't like Federer you can't like tennis, etc etc, with the implication that preferring a not-proper-enough player makes you not a proper enough tennis fan. I blame David Foster Wallace. :) <br /><br />It's particularly difficult for Djokovic to get the respect he deserves because he has both of Fedal, and a rivalry that became bigger than both of them, to contend with, and the tennis world, media and fans both, still sees things through Fedal-tinted spectacles. <br /><br />Obviously there's lots more to it than those things, many more layers, and there have been times in the media when Fed was the one being seen in a negative light, back in early 2009, for example. And I know that some Fed fans feel that Federer doesn't get his media due. <br /><br />I try to cut out excessive negativity, gloating & hateration from my Twitter, regardless of fandom - it's my safe place. One can't really ask people not to feel what they feel, or not to express it (although I frequently do, in less thoughtful moments - a bad habit of mine) - but it's not obligatory to read and listen on one's personal Twitter timeline. It works out as a gain, not a loss, because the more interesting, genuine and thoughtful opinions, even when they're opposite to mine, become more visible, as opposed to getting lost in the hateration stuff. Plus, I'm happier. :)Jewellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291828614359932852.post-33529386774102535332012-07-09T20:19:22.819-07:002012-07-09T20:19:22.819-07:00Great post. However when Federer plays I only focu...Great post. However when Federer plays I only focus on his results. I am a FedererFanatic and don't care much about either Rafa or Djoker when they win or lose. After over 40 years of watching tennis I have never felt as positive about a single player. Would people rather that Fed read from a script where he says only that which would generate the most positive reaction? Or say what he wants to say? People who are haters will always find something to jump on, and that is what leads to media trainers and pre-canned statements and pr firms ruling what the masses see and hear. Let's just let people say what they think and not dissect everything, esp words spoken moments after hours spent bashing the ball against your opponent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291828614359932852.post-12794213467928096192012-07-09T19:34:38.873-07:002012-07-09T19:34:38.873-07:00Standing O.Standing O.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291828614359932852.post-8747504696958696632012-07-09T19:05:30.121-07:002012-07-09T19:05:30.121-07:00Really great piece. Completely agree with everythi...Really great piece. Completely agree with everything you wrote.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02105540653400769042noreply@blogger.com