I’m not sure why governments are the only organisations that cop flak from the public for blatantly lying, protecting their own interests and being fantastically corrupt. Sure, sporting administrations don’t start unnecessary wars, but apart from that I don’t really know what the difference is between political parties and athletic committees.
I’m surprised people are shocked that Jannik Sinner only got penalised for 3-months for his doping case. Tell you the truth, I’m surprised these governing bodies brought the drug scandal to the public’s attention in the first place, considering all the other incidents and speculations surrounding other superstars which had been swept under the carpet in previous years.
Feels weird to be congratulating ‘integrity units’ for being unethical instead of totally corrupt, seeing as Sinner did clearly break the rules twice by popping for roids in the same calendar year. But it is an improvement. Even if the improvement clearly shows the disparity in athlete treatment and lack of player welfare.
When I was at the AO 2025 this year for promotions with my book SMASHED: Tennis prodigies, parents and parasites, my publicist spoke to onsite media about a potential interview for my book. The response received from the producer was that they’d been given firm word by the sporting powers that be the previous year, that talk about player welfare would not be welcome. Not good for the game huh? Gotta keep tennis all shiny.
It’s obvious to me that players in a lot of sports are commodities in money making operations for larger corporations, and sporting industries have facilitated this in the name of entertainment for the masses. It may seem like these sporting organisations are improving their efforts towards fairness, inclusivity and player well-being, but the only thing they are really trying to improve is profit margins and their global image. Underneath the surface, the rules remain different for each athlete, as the big wigs protect the top players, and serve up the lesser ranked players like sacrificial lambs. (Parasiting done at its finest if you ask me).
Essentially, players are nothing more than contractors, employees at best. And you’re dreaming if you think the business of tennis is going to send one of its best and most high-profile workers, Jannik Sinner, on an extended sabbatical. Favouritism will always exist, no matter how many integrity units and decorative airbrushing sessions these sporting institutions undertake. For the player, it just depends which side of the velvet rope they find themselves on. Valuable, or disposable.
I’m not saying it’s fair. I’m just saying, it’s not surprising that Sinner only got a slap on the wrist.
SMASHED – ‘Tennis prodigies, parents and parasites’ now available!
