When information broke that Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner examined constructive for the banned substance clostebol twice, one might need anticipated a media storm.
In spite of everything, doping scandals in sports activities, particularly involving prime athletes, often result in days, if not weeks, of intensive protection, punditry, and countless headlines.
But right here we’re, two months later, and the tennis world stays largely silent. Mainstream tennis journalists have executed all the pieces in need of a disappearing act, rigorously memory-holing the affair.
One may marvel: Why the blackout? Why has this high-profile case barely been lined within the tennis media?
The reply is an apparent one: it’s a battle of curiosity, and it runs deep.
Present me the stakeholders and inform me the stakes, and I’ll paint you an image of how they may behave.
Defending the Golden Boys of Tennis
Jannik Sinner is one in every of tennis’ rising stars. His potential has been touted since he first broke into the scene by successful the NextGen Finals in 2019.
He represents the way forward for tennis in a post-Huge Three world. With Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer both retired or winding down their careers, tennis desperately wants new superstars.
The tennis institution has invested closely in Sinner, and his marketability and clean-cut picture are invaluable to sponsors, tournaments, and media platforms. A doping scandal involving him might tarnish Sinner’s status and the broader tennis model.
It’s no shock, then, that protection of his case has been conspicuously absent. Sponsors don’t need to be related to a tarnished determine, and tennis journalists—a lot of whom have shut ties to gamers and organisations—could also be unwilling to chunk the hand that feeds them.
Tennis journalism is commonly a comfy affair, with journalists granted insider entry to gamers, coaches, and occasions. However that entry comes at a price: the unstated rule is to not rock the boat.
Sadly, it’s fantasy to talk of the tennis media as those that work in investigative journalism, bravely searching for new truths, following the story wherever it leads, and fearlessly reporting the information they’ve unearthed.
You can not belief individuals whose lives and careers are on the road to police the game that pays their wages; you may as properly invite Benson and Hedges to find out the hazards of smoking. All you’ll get is ream upon ream upon ream of dissembling.
But this appears to be how they’ve dealt with the Sinner case.
The Journalists’ Dilemma: Between Reality and Entry
Entry to gamers is all the pieces for tennis journalists. With out it, they lose their lifeblood—unique interviews and the flexibility to journey the circuit with the celebs.
Sinner is a fan favorite and media darling, and criticising him too harshly or giving his case an excessive amount of consideration might burn bridges.
It’s not arduous to see why a doping case involving a prime participant may quietly be swept beneath the carpet. In spite of everything, the individuals who management entry to gamers and occasions are additionally those who stand to lose essentially the most if a scandal blows up.
The stakes are excessive. Gamers like Sinner generate thousands and thousands in sponsorship offers, promote out stadiums, and entice profitable TV rankings.
Bear in mind, Sinner has a $158M Nike deal, a Gucci sponsorship, and a Rolex sponsorship. These sponsors additionally fund the ATP and Grand Slams, which fund the ITIA and pay cheap compensation to the Chair, who upheld Sinner’s enchantment. A battle of curiosity, you may say?
Exposing a doping case dangers all of that. It dangers angering sponsors, followers, and the ATP, all of whom are vested in protecting the game’s picture squeaky clear.
The Casus Belli: Why No One Needs to Deal with WADA’s Attraction
In late September, the World Anti-Doping Company (WADA) filed an enchantment to the Courtroom of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) towards the ruling that Sinner had “no fault or negligence” for his two constructive clostebol exams.
WADA is searching for a one- to two-year ban, signalling that it believes the Worldwide Tennis Integrity Company (ITIA) mishandled the case.
But, the place are the articles about this from prime tennis shops? Why aren’t reporters digging into the implications of WADA’s enchantment? Journalists could be throughout it if this had been another sport or participant.
However right here’s the uncomfortable reality: tennis media doesn’t need to problem the established order.
The ITIA, ATP, and different governing our bodies have each motive to downplay this case, and to this point, they’ve succeeded.
By sustaining a low profile on this matter, they’ll proceed to current tennis as a clear sport whereas hoping that Sinner’s defence—that the constructive check was resulting from secondary transmission from his physiotherapist—will maintain up beneath scrutiny.
When “No Fault” Isn’t Sufficient
However let’s not child ourselves—two constructive exams for a banned substance are not any small matter. The truth that the ITIA accepted Sinner’s defence doesn’t essentially imply it’s hermetic.
WADA disagrees, as evidenced by their enchantment. The media silence round this enchantment ought to concern anybody who cares in regards to the integrity of the game.
But tennis journalists have primarily stayed mum. Is it as a result of they don’t need to query a ruling from the ITIA, an organisation funded by the ATP, whom they depend on for entry and data?
Or is it as a result of they don’t need to tarnish the status of a participant whose success performs a starring function in the way forward for tennis?
It’s doubtless each.
Comply with the Cash
In the long run, this can be a basic case of following the cash. Sinner is a useful commodity to the tennis world, and something threatening his rise to stardom is horrible for enterprise.
The mainstream tennis media, tied to the identical stakeholders who profit from his success, have little incentive to show this scandal.
Like foxes guarding the henhouse, the individuals supposed to analyze and report on these points have their very own pores and skin within the recreation. And so long as that is still the case, don’t anticipate far more protection of Jannik Sinner’s doping case.
