Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – Calm & England Football Fans

Every Monday we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.

HIT – CALM APP

We’ve have talked a lot recently about the importance of sports stars opening up about their struggles with mental health.

In May, we praised rugby union for standing in solidarity with its players highlighting the need to discuss mental health during Mental Health Awareness Week 2021.

But while sport seems to be doing more to support mental health issues, it’s safe to say Naomi Osaka’s decision to boycott press conferences at the French Open in June, citing the detrimental impact that they’ve had on her own mental health in the past, has caused substantial controversy in the media.

In a statement on Twitter, the world number two said: “I’m not going to do any press during Roland Garros. I’ve often felt that people have regard for athlete’s mental health and this rings very true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one.

“We’re often sat there and asked questions that we’ve been asked multiple times before or asked questions bring doubt into our minds and I’m just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me.”

That statement wasn’t perfectly positioned nor was it well-managed, especially as it seemed to show a lack of understanding or appreciation for the role of the press.

Dismissing the role of the media in such a clumsy manner prompted a mixed response with some journalists referring to her as being a “princess” and “immature”, which have not helped her frame of mind.

In a joint statement responding to Osaka’s comments, the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open said:

“A core element of the Grand Slam regulations is the responsibility of the players to engage with the media, whatever the result of their match, a responsibility which players take for the benefit of the sport, the fans and for themselves. These interactions allow both the players and the media to share their perspective and for the players to tell their story.

“We have advised Naomi Osaka that should she continue to ignore her media obligations during the tournament, she would be exposing herself to possible further Code of Conduct infringement consequences. As might be expected, repeat violations attract tougher sanctions including default from the tournament and the trigger of a major offence investigation that could lead to more substantial fines and future Grand Slam suspensions.”

This threat of expulsion from future events too will not have been easy for the four-time Grand Slam champion to hear either. And despite admitting her “timing was not ideal”, when announcing her withdrawal from the French Open just days later, Osaka said:

“I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly. The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.

“Though the tennis press has always been kind to me (and I wanna apologize especially to all the cool journalists who I may have hurt), I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media. I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and give you the best answers I can.”

One organisation who has used this debate to their advantage and brought a key topic to light, recognising the pressures on the wellbeing on sports stars, is the meditation app Calm.

After Osaka was fined $15,000 for refusing to honour her contractual media obligation, Calm, the number one app for meditation and sleep, stepped in and pledged its support for Osaka’s decision to prioritise her mental health.

Calm announced on social media on June 2 that they would not only be paying her fine but also matching it with a donation of $15,000 to Laureus Sport for Good, a world-leader in the sport for development sector in helping bring positive change to young people’s lives.

This was an ace of a PR masterclass from Calm, who have not only gained considerable coverage from the move but stepped up to promote an important message of protecting the mental health and wellbeing of young stars and ensuring they are resonated well within the media.

But the whole affair has highlighted that sport still needs to do a lot more to show that it can protect young stars from the mental challenges that they face, which had been Osaka’s intention from the start.

With the donation, Calm have managed to take control and achieved a moral high ground of the debate, brining the conversation back to emphasising the need to support young people with mental health issues and other disadvantages that they face on a daily basis.

Other organisations, which include some of Osaka’s sponsors like Nike, TAG Heuer and Mastercard, have also shown solidarity with her decision.

So, as much as Osaka has been criticised for failing to “do her job” as a professional athlete in the media, she has been able to bring an important topic to the forefront of people’s attention and standing up for her own wellbeing over the expectations of others.

With that, Calm seized an opportunity to bring a topic that deserves the greatest amount of attention into the spotlight, emphasising their own key messages and raising awareness for mental health support within sport.

MISS – ENGLAND FOOTBALL FANS

Since football resumed last year, most players in the Premier League have been taking the knee to highlight social inequality and racism.

Going back to the 1980s, winger John Barnes was told after scoring a superb goal against Brazil that “a ******’s goal doesn’t count” as the far right National Front were on the same flight as the England team.

Sports activism is nothing new, as we have discussed before on these pages many times, while Sky Sports has partnered with Kick It Out as well as supporting its #takeastand campaign to encourage “people across the football community to take an action or make a pledge, in the fight against discrimination.”

From the first top-flight game after the initial lockdown, Aston Villa and Sheffield United players and the match officials knelt down before kick-off.

With no fans in the stands, that tradition could take place without incident, but since fans have slowly been permitted back into stadia, murmurs of discord have occurred, with Millwall fans most vocal in their opposition to the tradition.

There was a social media blackout in May to address the trolling and abuse suffered by sports people, with Thierry Henry also deleting his profiles as a protest against the social media companies that do little to address the issues.

That discontent has turned into vociferous booing, most notably during England’s games ahead of EURO 2020, starting with the victory over Austria at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough.

England coach Gareth Southgate was unequivocal in his assessment of the fans: “We are collectively really disappointed that it happened. You have to put yourself in the shoes of a young England player about to represent his country. We are all trying to support equality and some of our team-mates and some of the experiences they have been through in their lives.

“We are totally united on it and committed to supporting each other. We feel that more than ever that we are determined to take the knee throughout this tournament.

“The players voices have been heard loud and clear and are taking their stand. Some people decide to boo and I think those people should put themselves in the shoes of those young players and how that must feel”

The booing continued as England beat Romania, also in Middlesbrough, prompting Southgate to add: “If you don't agree with the situation then you don't have to applaud or you don't have to do anything.

“But to boo your own team is a very strange response in my mind. There is an acceptance that this gesture is waning in its impact because we have been going now for a season but I think ahead of a European Championship where the games are going around the world, that moment just before the kick-off which will be shown everywhere, will have a significant impact.

“If we can affect only a handful of people then we will have made the world better for others. I think we'll affect more than a handful of people and for that reason it is worth us continuing.”

Needless to say, politicians such as Nigel Farage and Lee Anderson MP have criticised the moves, suggesting the England squad are out of touch with their own fans by supporting ‘Black Lives Matter’ which they consider to be a Marxist organisation intent on “undermining our way of life.”

Perhaps tellingly, Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to condemn those who boo the England team despite Kick It Out confirming that that the gesture is not aligned to any political organisation.

Clearly, there is significant prejudice that needs to be addressed in society – with football a microcosm of that. Look at the proportion of black players throughout the leagues and the lack of black managers, coaches and administrators throughout the game.

What irony that some England fans will chant “Two world wars and one World Cup” in relation to Germany and anti-IRA chanting, which is clearly political, but a number of them seem to object to actions taken by the players they support to address discrimination even though it is a cause, a movement, rather than a political affiliation.

Remember, many if not all of the black players in the England squad have experienced racism and the inability of fans to empathise with those whose shoes they have never walked in is quite staggering.

Some have mentioned that the England team are earning huge sums and so need to have a thick skin, but being a highly paid or high-profile footballer does not insulate you from racist abuse – just ask Raheem Sterling.

What irony that Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford, who captained England and scored the winning goal in their win over Romania, was prompted to comment to those who continued to boo: “"It's something that we can't control, and for us we believe its the right thing to do so we're going to continue to do it.”

It will be fascinating to see how the England fans conduct themselves during EURO 2020 given their somewhat chequered reputation during past tournaments – and how will other nations’ fans behave if their players do the same?