Sporting Gladiators

I have watched Wimbledon for decades, particularly mens singles. I love tennis, it's a combination of  physical & mental prowess. It has changed a lot over the years - Everything from the sports gear to the way the game is played. Not to mention the amount of money involved.

I am fascinated to watch the behaviour of the crowd & the response from the players. It is so gladiatorial. The racquets replace the swords, the balls are the missiles travelling at speeds over 100 mph. The players are the hero's, or villains. The entourages urge their player on to victory at any cost. The wives & partners are the damsels offering favours to their man. The arena is focussed on the battle taking place. The umpire is the emperor giving the thumbs up or down to the protagonists.

The crowd is the crowd, individuals forming a powerful vocal mass, just as in Roman times, but maybe a bit more civilised. It is like a single entity, either supporting or not. Emotions are high & people are vociferous. It must have a huge impact on the players. If they are being supported it's positive. But if not it must be very hard to deal with. To be fair to the Wimbledon crowd, they mostly know their tennis & they do support the underdog. 

What I understand less is the way the players behave. There was a time when the entourages were not allowed to communicate in any way with the player - on court coaching was not done. The player had to fight his own battles. Now there seems to be a constant dialogue between the player & the box. I find the actions of some players inexplicable. They seem to need constant verification of their own skill from their team. They look to their box all the time, they need the clapping, the standing & shouting, the punching the air when something goes well, the encouragement. It seems surprisingly co-dependent to me.

One exception is Ivan Lendl who coaches Murray. He is "old school". He has always been very unemotional, in contrast to Murray who constantly talks to himself & his team & is obviously sometimes very frustrated. 

I've been to Queens & to Wimbledon. I understand how involved one gets with the game & the favoured player. What I find unacceptable is the way crowds at sports events sometimes behave, booing & shouting abuse. The extreme is at football matches, both from the crowd & the trainers. I really don't want to see that in tennis. 

Sport is in danger of becoming too money focussed & too divisive. It is in danger of becoming so gladiatorial that it looses everything that made it "sporting". Sportsmanship is an aspiration or ethos that a sport or activity will be enjoyed for its own sake, with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors. I think that most sports people do have that & they work extremely hard to achieve excellence.

Audiences want to see the personality of the player. We admire the work, the skill & dedication. We don't empathise with automatons. We also don't empathise with players who bend the rules & use unfair mind games. Tantrums are not pleasant to see & are disruptive to other players. There have been tennis matches that are very difficult to watch because a player cannot or does not control their emotions, deliberately or otherwise. McEnroe & Kyrgios are prime examples in different generations.

What concerns me is the increasing atmosphere around some sporting events. Wimbledon, fortunately is still the exception. I hope it remains so.