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 high athletes, normally 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 completed all the pieces in need of a disappearing act, rigorously memory-holing the affair.
One would possibly marvel: Why the blackout? Why has this high-profile case barely been coated 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 are going to 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 profitable the NextGen Finals in 2019.
He represents the way forward for tennis in a post-Massive 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 may tarnish Sinner’s repute and the broader tennis model.
It’s no shock, then, that protection of his case has been conspicuously absent. Sponsors don’t wish to be related to a tarnished determine, and tennis journalists—lots of whom have shut ties to gamers and organisations—could also be unwilling to chew the hand that feeds them.
Tennis journalism is usually a comfortable 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 data they’ve unearthed.
You can’t belief individuals whose lives and careers are on the road to police the game that pays their wages; you would possibly as effectively invite Benson and Hedges to find out the risks 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 Fact 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 celebrities.
Sinner is a fan favorite and media darling, and criticising him too harshly or giving his case an excessive amount of consideration may burn bridges.
It’s not exhausting to see why a doping case involving a high participant would possibly quietly be swept underneath 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 tens of millions in sponsorship offers, promote out stadiums, and entice profitable TV rankings.
Keep 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 affordable compensation to the Chair, who upheld Sinner’s attraction. A battle of curiosity, you would possibly say?
Exposing a doping case dangers all of that. It dangers angering sponsors, followers, and the ATP, all of whom are vested in preserving the game’s picture squeaky clear.
The Casus Belli: Why No One Needs to Handle WADA’s Attraction
In late September, the World Anti-Doping Company (WADA) filed an attraction to the Court docket of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in opposition to the ruling that Sinner had “no fault or negligence” for his two constructive clostebol checks.
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 high tennis retailers? Why aren’t reporters digging into the implications of WADA’s attraction? Journalists can be throughout it if this have been every other sport or participant.
However right here’s the uncomfortable fact: tennis media doesn’t wish 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 as a consequence of secondary transmission from his physiotherapist—will maintain up underneath scrutiny.
When “No Fault” Isn’t Sufficient
However let’s not child ourselves—two constructive checks 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 attraction. The media silence round this attraction ought to concern anybody who cares concerning the integrity of the game.
But tennis journalists have primarily stayed mum. Is it as a result of they don’t wish to query a ruling from the ITIA, an organisation funded by the ATP, whom they depend on for entry and knowledge?
Or is it as a result of they don’t wish to tarnish the repute of a participant whose success performs a starring function in the way forward for tennis?
It’s probably each.
Observe the Cash
Ultimately, it is a traditional case of following the cash. Sinner is a worthwhile 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 research and report on these points have their very own pores and skin within the recreation. And so long as that continues to be the case, don’t anticipate way more protection of Jannik Sinner’s doping case.
