Reading Between The Lines Of Tennis Media Bias

I just read the Yahoo Tennis page and there is an article that claims this week was a “big week” for Andy Roddick. I made sure I read the article twice. Last time I checked Andy Roddick did not win the 2008 Miami Masters. In fact, Roddick just proved he’s still not one of the top contenders on the ATP Tour. In my mind Roddick’s loss in the semifinals of Miami just proves he’s very inconsistent. If you read between the lines you would swear Andy Roddick just won the Miami Masters. However, Roddick couldn’t even reach the finals of Miami so how is this a good week? So why are the American sports reporters desperate to hype Roddick? The answer is clear because Roger Federer is in a slump.

The problem is the sports reporters are acting like Roddick is the only challenger to Federer and this is false. Roddick is not the only man that can win a grand slam. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are better players then Roddick they have youth, better return of serves, more powerful groundstrokes, better consistency. I question if Roddick can defeat these two young stars in a grand slam event. David Nalbandian also has the weapons to destroy Andy Roddick on the tennis court add Andy Murray to the mix and it will be tough for Roddick.

It is interesting to read the clear bias the mainstream sports media has for Andy Roddick and their venom against the Williams Sisters. The Williams Sisters are always contenders on the WTA tour because they are proven champions. Lindsay Davenport is even more of a contender then Andy Roddick or James Blake. Serena just won the women’s Miami Masters event yet prior to the Miami Masters there was once again talk about her dedication to the game. I am tired of reading these articles.

The lack of respect the USA sports media has for the Williams Sisters is disgraceful and disgusting. The mainstream media love James Blake because he avoids race issues like the plague. Race is a reality it is a part of life and racism exists in professional sports. I respect the Williams Sisters more then Blake because they don’t hide from the truth. I also respect Chanda Rubin, Zina Garrison, Lori McNeil, and Malivai Washington as well they never ignored race. James Blake seems to think he’s popular just because of his “tennis”. I guess Blake is really delusional after all.

Now Andy Roddick and James Blake have proven they are consistent losers. Last time I checked the Williams Sisters won two out of the four grand slams in 2007 they also won two out of the four grand slams in 2005. James Blake’s best result in a grand slam is the quarterfinals of a major at the Australian and US Open.

What is the difference between James Blake and Mardy Fish’s tennis careers? I think everyone knows the real reason James Blake is so “popular” in the tennis world but are afraid to admit it. Blake has profited off of the image of “blackness” with a best selling memoir that wasn’t very revealing at all. Does anyone honestly believe Blake would get a book deal if he was a white male with his mediocore results? Blake is considered a part of the “diversity” of the ATP Tour he’s the black male face in a predominantly white upper class sport.

James is viewed as a novelty act in men’s tennis he’s just someone for show during the early rounds but will be dismissed by the top players in the quarterfinals. The ATP Tour marketing teams love Blake because he’s the only man of colour in the ATP Tour top ten right now. Blake hasn’t really accomplished much on the ATP Tour other then being the resident House Negro he’s like a sideshow but not one of the real stars.

James Blake’s matches are often on the show courts but does he deserve this kind of star treatment over Nikolay Davydenko? Davydenko’s career is much more superior to James Blake but Davydenko is Russian and he’s not considered attractive. Davydenko has something Blake doesn’t have though and that’s a Masters Series title he has also reached the US Open and French Open semifinals twice in his career. Davydenko has serious potential to win a grand slam most likely the French championships later on this year.

James Blake has never won a Masters title or a grand slam. So why is James Blake so popular? Yes Blake is top ten but he isn’t a contender he is a pretender. So what is the media’s fascination with James Blake anyway? Yes James Blake is attractive but his personality reveals an ugliness in relation to race issues. The Williams Sisters never deny racism exists in tennis and some people refuse to look at the truth. James Blake is the opposite he is so desperate for white America’s approval and validation. Does anyone remember the J Block at the US Open? I think the J Block is a symbol where James Blake’s heart is anyway he is in a tug of war with himself. Blake’s career won’t improve until he deals with the internal crisis he is suffering from.

I think Malivai Washington is more attractive on the inside and out then Blake. Malivai had something Blake doesn’t and that’s heart. Malivai Washington was shorter then Blake and not as powerful but he wasn’t a quitter he was an intense fighter. There isn’t much to talk about in terms of Blake’s tennis everyone knows he will lose in the quarterfinals. He’s good enough to win a few matches but not good enough to win the big events. Donald Young will become a champion that’s for sure.

James Blake is viewed as someone that can bring “diversity” to men’s tennis but he’s also a complete flake and a joke. The Williams Sisters are not just “happy” to be playing tennis they want to win they have the fire and intensity of champions. James Blake does not have this “intensity” he’s all about “fitting in” being one of the “guys”. But does “fitting in” also mean being a chronic underachiever and consistent loser too? Blake’s serve is his downfall it simply isn’t powerful or consistent enough.

It is also a joke that the press continue to compare Blake to the late Arthur Ashe. It is a complete disrespect to Arthur’s legacy. Arhtur Ashe was a champion he wasn’t a flake and he wasn’t a loser either. The media have been picking on eighteen year old Donald Young but Donald is already in the ATP Tour top 100 that’s amazing for a teenager. Donald Young also has something James doesn’t have he has grit and he’s a fighter. Donald wants to win and he’s not satisfied with quarterfinal results. At the age of eighteen you can already see that Donald is going to go far in men’s tennis he just needs time. Donald had an impressive junior career he won the Australian Open boy junior event at the tender age of fifteen he also won junior Wimbledon last year at the age of seventeen.

Mardy Fish reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open last year. Robby Ginepri is another American male tennis player he reached the US Open semifinals three years ago. Yet the press ignore Ginepri and Fish I wonder why? Fish also scored a huge straight set upset of Roger Federer just over a week ago. Isn’t Mardy Fish’s career more impressive then James Blake’s right now? Blake has proven he is a career quarterfinalist he just can’t seem to win the big matches. Andy Roddick lost in third round of the Australian Open this year. Perhaps sports writers are grasping at straws because the American men of this generation are not as successful as previous generations? Maybe the best USA men’s player is Mardy Fish after all!

Just because Roddick earned a second fluke victory over Roger Federer doesn’t mean he’s a top contender. I think there are a few other players such as David Nalbandian, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal they have superior games compared to Andy Roddick. Even the Spaniard David Ferrer has a winning record against Roddick.

Roddick has a huge win over Roger Federer even though Roger is in a slump yet he can’t beat Nikolay Davydenko a player he’s dominated. How is this “big”? Andy Roddick wasn’t able to sequence big wins back to back it just proves his consistency has gone down. In fact, it also proves that Nikolay Davydenko may be a force to deal with because the win will only give him confidence. It is a perfect reflection of Roddick’s downward spiral in the last few years.

For instance, Roddick won Dubai beating Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic I agree that obviously the victory was huge in terms of being a confidence boost. However, Roddick lost to German Tommy Haas the next week in Indian Wells in straight sets. Roddick has a 3-7 losing record against Haas now. Roddick wasn’t able to capitalize on his success in Dubai and the exact same result occurred in Miami. I think the pattern is clear Roddick can’t win the big events. The Dubai event also wasn’t a tier I event either. If you look at the vast majority of Roddick’s ATP Tour titles most of them are in minor events when he is the top seed.

I am questioning the veracity of the USA sports media is it their jobs to be cheerleaders for Andy Roddick? Why can’t the USA sports writers just tell the truth? Roddick is definitely a top ten player but until he wins another grand slam all their words are just hot air. It is very easy to hype someone up. However, it has been almost five years since Roddick has won a grand slam.

The year 2008 is interesting because finally Roger Federer does appear fragile and vulnerable due to mononucleosis he looks extremely fragile and thin. Roger’s confidence is also down. I think Roddick’s best chance at winning another major will either be at Wimbledon and the US Open. So why don’t the sports writers wait until the summer to hype Roddick up? Why jump on the bandwagon now? And Novak Djokovic he appears to me to be a serious threat for the world number one ranking. Now Rafael Nadal might reach number one first before Djokovic but I believe he has more weapons then Nadal and he can dominate the ATP Tour.