Thursday, June 30, 2011

Something worth screaming about

British journalists, who behave even worse toward women than do journalists in my country (and that's saying something)--with the Wimbledon powers' blessing--have made "grunting" an issue during the 2011 Wimbledon tournament. Some of them, at least, have been accurate enough to write about "screaming" or "shrieking," which is really what the complaint is about. Grunting is something that Francesca Schiavone does. Screaming is something that Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka do. It all has to do with releasing energy, of course, but still, screaming is not grunting.

On the subject of actual grunting--I have heard people (so far, no journalists) complain about Schiavone. I've also heard people give Yanina Wickmayer a hard time for her signature "Whoopee!" yell that comes out when she strikes the ball. Oddly--and maybe I've just missed it--I haven't heard anyone complain about Caroline Wozniacki's "Oompah.."

Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer always grunt, but I've yet to hear any complaints about them.

I missed it, but apparently, during today's semifinals--which featured both Sharapova and Azarenka--a couple of patrons wore Please Ladies, No Grunting T-shirts. Are they going to wear Please Gentlemen, No Grunting shirts when they watch Nadal in his semifinal? If not, why?

It comes down to this: If opponents aren't bothered by screaming/shrieking/grunting, why should anyone else be bothered by it? I've heard several players say it doesn't bother them at all; I recall that one player complained about Michelle Larcher De Brito's screaming. And--assuming that noise-making is a problem, which I do not--where do you draw the line?

If actual grunting isn't permitted, then the ATP would have to address the issue--many male players grunt when they are playing, not just Nadal and Ferrer, who are well-known and who do it consistently. What about Jelena Jankovic's very quiet "Ai" when she's working hard with her racquet? If only "shrieking" is prohibited, who decides whether "Whoopee!" is a shriek, a grunt, or something else?

Where were all these complaining journalists when an about-to-be-inducted International Tennis Hall of Fame member yelled a sexual insult at a lineswoman and insulted the entire LGBT community? Where were they when numerous ATP players heaped continuous abuse on umpires? Oh, sure--they reported (some of) these things when they happened, but they didn't conduct an ongoing campaign, complete with dire predictions for the state of tennis, like the one we're seeing now about the oh, so unladylike (because that's what it boils down to, isn't it?) behavior of WTA players who add vocals to their groundstrokes.

I understand that some people don't like to hear screams and grunts (though I've yet to hear even one of those people complain about the grunting of male players). Fine. I don't like the mannerisms of some players, but I don't think that the WTA  needs to "do something" about the particular "issue." If opponents were to consistently complain that the noises affected them, I'd pay attention. But I'm just not hearing that. Rather, I hear them say that they are too focused on their own tennis to bother about what someone else is doing.

I'm more offended by commentators and writers talking all the time about the screaming than I am about the screaming itself. It doesn't matter to me. (I prefer the tennis of 25 years ago, anyway.) When I was in Charleston in April, one of the best matches of the tournament was the quarterfinal contest between Wickmayer and Wozniacki. The consistent repetition of "Whoopee!", "Oompah" was actually part of the entertainment for me, and also part of the consistent rhythm that makes tennis so wonderful to watch--and hear.

9 comments:

Sunny nine said...

Thanks for this thoughtful piece. Nadal's grunt sounds like a loud wounded animal, so I don't know why there is no complaint about him. I was amused by the AELTC asking the women to turn down the volume. The noise is part of their game, part of the racquet they are swinging. They might as well tell them to change their swing.

Todd Spiker said...

Exactly, why can't the TV commentators, at least, make light of the sounds? All it would take would be for ESPN2 to have a multiple choice "blind test" where they play a certain player's sound and then have everyone try to match it to the correct player. Maybe that sort of thing would help everyone try to listen to things with a "different" ear. :)

I like Dokic's unique sound, as well. Let's see, to imitate it, just clench your teeth, then open your lips. Take a deep breath, then release it forcefully through your teeth as if you're trying to tell a noisy person to "Shhhhh." I like it, but maybe it's just me. :)

Diane said...

Oh, no--I like to listen to Dokic, too. There really isn't any player I don't like hearing, though I suppose I'm most amused by Wickmayer.

Thanks, Sunny. The game has changed, and the noise is indeed part of the way the game is played now.

Karen said...

Thank you Diane. Maybe your take on this issue will receive widespread acclamation. I have felt for the past few weeks that there is a move afoot to condemn the women's game in so many ways and each time they use the grunting/screaming issue as the centre piece of the objections. Women's tennis is outweighing men's tennis in leaps and bounds. The matchups are fascinating to watch and the story lines are even better. If it were not for Djokovic men's tennis would be the same old story. Grunting/screaming becomes an issue because the media is making it to be an issue.

Karen said...

There are some grunts that I don't like. I dont like Wickmayer's, Schiavone and Venus. I also don't like Sharapova's and I don't like when the women seem to be forcing themselves to vocalise while hitting. One of the reasons why there are so many critics is that on occassion those who scream can go silent as well. The women if they are going to scream need to be consistent with it.

Anonymous said...

Late comment...
I understand why people do not complain abt men grunting at all, not loudness, but it's women's much higher pitch that 'annoys' ppl.
Concerning Woz, her grunt is never loud or high-pitch.
but personally I love grunting VERY MUCH as it simply makes me feel the match more exciting. in paricular the match between V and Masha at Wimby 2005 was just intense

Jon said...

Very well said. Thanks for the read.

Anonymous said...

I don't mind grunting terribly and do believe that would be hard to ban. It's a more-or-less involuntary expulsion of air. The whooping, though, is patently voluntary: the vocal cords and mouth are necessary to produce the same word repeatedly.

Why should anyone else mind, if it's okay with the opponent? If it's enough of an annoyance that viewers tune out, advertisers will mind, and if enough of them mind enough, there will be less tennis on TV, which isn't good for fans or the sport. At any rate, it's going to get worse, not better, as youngsters grow up thinking it's cool, just as young baseball players once grew up thinking that chewing tobacco was cool because their favorite players did it. Not that the 2 habits are comparable except in their influence on the younger generation.

And, no, tennis isn't losing a regular viewer in me, but the Olympics will be losing one while these nuisances are on court. I'll keep an eye on the outcomes of the worst offenders' matches and determine when it's safe to go back to my DVR.

~ Susan

Anonymous said...

I don't mind grunting terribly and do believe that would be hard to ban. It's a more-or-less involuntary expulsion of air. The whooping, though, is patently voluntary: the vocal cords and mouth are necessary to produce the same word repeatedly.

Why should anyone else mind, if it's okay with the opponent? If it's enough of an annoyance that viewers tune out, advertisers will mind, and if enough of them mind enough, there will be less tennis on TV, which isn't good for fans or the sport. At any rate, it's going to get worse, not better, as youngsters grow up thinking it's cool, just as young baseball players once grew up thinking that chewing tobacco was cool because their favorite players did it. Not that the 2 habits are comparable except in their influence on the younger generation.

And, no, tennis isn't losing a regular viewer in me, but the Olympics will be losing one while these nuisances are on court. I'll keep an eye on the outcomes of the worst offenders' matches and determine when it's safe to go back to my DVR.