A bit of a rant
This does not go out to anyone specific, mind. It's just an observation I've had for a while now and with some developments both in football and tennis I just needed to vent a bit here in my own space.
I know that for a majority of these fandoms, it's better for their favorite players or teams to just skip the more distant places and the lower-ranked tournaments because they just seem a "waste of time" for the players to travel so far for so little, and risk being injured in the process. But for us who live in these distant places, those tournaments are the only opportunities for us to see them play. Some of us have to leave our own countries just to watch high quality tennis or legit football for a couple of days, and that's only if our favorite athletes actually bother to show up.
We don't have the Slam events wherein all the players are required to attend, we don't have the favorite tournaments that some players attend annually because they're from that country or it's near their country of residence. If not for the minimum ATP requirements, we wouldn't see them at all! As for football, it took United for example, about 4 years until they came back around here in Asia, and who knows when they'll return?
I guess I take it personally because it's offensive for me as a fan to read comments that make me feel like I don't have the same right to appreciate these players/teams just because I live so far away. It's not just the fandom either, it's the athletes themselves that sometimes take us for granted.
I hate having to live in hope that so-and-so is coming to this-or-that tournament, to save up and figure out how I'm going to get that country or that country, and in the end not be able to see the people I came to watch. I was so so lucky last year to see Roger and Guillermo Vilas in Shanghai, but to be honest I went to the Masters for Rafa, who withdrew 'coz of his knee.
The tennis schedule basically sucks, I agree to that extent. I hate how the last quarter of the season suffers because of it, and this is the quarter with the more far-reaching tournaments in Asia. I'm not saying that the players should sacrifice their health for us, I don't think anyone would want that. What gets me riled up is that when a player/team *does* decide to come over, some people go apeshit because omg how dare these athletes risk themselves for *gasp* their international fanbase?
It's not as easy for us to plan trips out to watch these tournaments, some people just have to take a bus or the train or a one hour plane ride to watch. It took me about three months to plan out Shanghai, and I used up most of my savings just to watch United for 90 minutes in Guangzhou. I'm not writing this to receive pity for the ~marginalized~ fans, I can only speak for myself when I say that this shit is just ridiculous and it gets old pretty quick.
I think if they (the athletes and/or the fans) are not going to take these tournaments seriously they might as well get rid of them. Go from the US Open, to the DC ties, then straight to Paris then the Masters in London. Just skip the "pointless" tournaments in between, some of the players only go to those for the swag and potential ranking points. No point being diplomatic about it, right?
I might be hypersensitive about this issue but I can't help it. It's making it increasingly difficult for me to read some of my favorite blogs 'coz some of the comments are just... Incensing.
I know that for a majority of these fandoms, it's better for their favorite players or teams to just skip the more distant places and the lower-ranked tournaments because they just seem a "waste of time" for the players to travel so far for so little, and risk being injured in the process. But for us who live in these distant places, those tournaments are the only opportunities for us to see them play. Some of us have to leave our own countries just to watch high quality tennis or legit football for a couple of days, and that's only if our favorite athletes actually bother to show up.
We don't have the Slam events wherein all the players are required to attend, we don't have the favorite tournaments that some players attend annually because they're from that country or it's near their country of residence. If not for the minimum ATP requirements, we wouldn't see them at all! As for football, it took United for example, about 4 years until they came back around here in Asia, and who knows when they'll return?
I guess I take it personally because it's offensive for me as a fan to read comments that make me feel like I don't have the same right to appreciate these players/teams just because I live so far away. It's not just the fandom either, it's the athletes themselves that sometimes take us for granted.
I hate having to live in hope that so-and-so is coming to this-or-that tournament, to save up and figure out how I'm going to get that country or that country, and in the end not be able to see the people I came to watch. I was so so lucky last year to see Roger and Guillermo Vilas in Shanghai, but to be honest I went to the Masters for Rafa, who withdrew 'coz of his knee.
The tennis schedule basically sucks, I agree to that extent. I hate how the last quarter of the season suffers because of it, and this is the quarter with the more far-reaching tournaments in Asia. I'm not saying that the players should sacrifice their health for us, I don't think anyone would want that. What gets me riled up is that when a player/team *does* decide to come over, some people go apeshit because omg how dare these athletes risk themselves for *gasp* their international fanbase?
It's not as easy for us to plan trips out to watch these tournaments, some people just have to take a bus or the train or a one hour plane ride to watch. It took me about three months to plan out Shanghai, and I used up most of my savings just to watch United for 90 minutes in Guangzhou. I'm not writing this to receive pity for the ~marginalized~ fans, I can only speak for myself when I say that this shit is just ridiculous and it gets old pretty quick.
I think if they (the athletes and/or the fans) are not going to take these tournaments seriously they might as well get rid of them. Go from the US Open, to the DC ties, then straight to Paris then the Masters in London. Just skip the "pointless" tournaments in between, some of the players only go to those for the swag and potential ranking points. No point being diplomatic about it, right?
I might be hypersensitive about this issue but I can't help it. It's making it increasingly difficult for me to read some of my favorite blogs 'coz some of the comments are just... Incensing.