Djokovic - champion of which court?
The Djokovic V Australia saga has captured the world’s attention. For many Australians, they would love to see Novak receive a “booting” in much the same way Bart did in the infamous Simpsons’ episode that painted Australia’s method of judgement and punishment in an extremely unflattering light.
Sadly, there are parallels between Matt Groening’s fictional cartoon and Australia’s border policies regarding the World’s Number 1 tennis player. The question is, does Novak deserve to be booted? Where does the truth lie and is the truth the most important factor to the parties involved, or is it just a means to an end?
On the surface, the whole Djokovic saga seems to be a disaster. At least that’s how it’s painted by some of the protagonists involved, mainly the media. But is it really a disaster or a boon? To answer that question, we need to take a deeper dive into the players involved and their motivation for the information they’re releasing to the world as ‘truth’. The following is a list of vested interests in the Djokovic V Australia saga:
And there are probably more depending on how deep you dive, but the above should suffice to illustrate how truth is becoming the official tennis ball of the Australian Open.
For Novak, this is not just the chance to win a record 21st Grand Slam, it is also an opportunity to transcend sport in much the same way the immortals have - Ali, Pele, Billie-Jean King to name but a few. This is his opportunity to make a stand against a perceived threat to freedom of choice, and be a lightning rod for like-minded people all around the world. This is his chance to become an icon.
Djokovic’s name is fast becoming a rallying cry not just for Serbian Nationalists but for those who oppose the use of Government mandates in imposing lock downs and vaccine requirements. The spin coming from his side of the net is heavy with this rhetoric. If he is to play, which is highly likely, his supporters will number more than the regular flag-waving, Serbian ex-pats, they will include others with their own agenda, who may choose to use the centre-court arena and the huge viewing audience as a prime opportunity for their own standard bearing.
Scott Morrison, Australia’s Prime Minister, is a marketer by trade. He, more than anyone, would understand the power of information. This is an election year in Australia and there is more than enough evidence to suggest a firm stance on borders wins elections, just ask the state Premiers.
The Liberal Government’s handling of the pandemic has been called into question on many levels and its polling numbers are in decline. Just when Scotty from Marketing was scrambling at the baseline to stay in the rally, the Djokovic situation has given the Morrison Government a free volley at the net, and a service break in the 5th set of the election match.
Even if Djokovic wins his case and is allowed to play, the Morrison machine backed by media factions keen to see him remain in office, can spin the result as a show of strength on borders, sticking to the playbook that is tried and tested in winning elections.
The Morrison spin doctors can be clear and resounding on their "egalitarian" visa stance as the most effective way to keep Australians safe from the dreaded lurgy, and deliberately vague on how fault on the Djokovic mess lies with the Premier of Victoria, Dan Andrews and the Victorian State Labor Party. The Morrison government’s media allies can do the rest, amplifying the vagueness of the accusations against the opposition with bombastic headlines of ineptitude, so they become perceived reality in the minds of the general public.
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Likewise, Anthony Albanese, on his quest to become Australia’s next Prime Minister, has much to gain from the Djokovic situation. There is a lot of pent up anger in Australia, especially in the world’s most locked down city and the home of the Australian Open, Melbourne, at the rolling lock downs and mandates. Livelihoods have been lost.
Albanese pointing the finger at the Morrison government’s penchant for abdicating responsibility on issues concerning the nation has worked for him before, namely in the area of Aged Care and Vaccine Rollout. The Djokovic case presents another opportunity. Albanese will continue to call for a full and open investigation on the matter, calls he has made on other occasions, on anti-corruption, for e.g. Even though his calls have met deaf ears, they are enough to allow his spin doctors to paint him as a seeker of truth, someone you can trust. And trust has been a major factor in electing previous Prime Ministers when there is no track record on managing the economy apart from an Economics Degree.
Tennis Australia, like many sporting organisations hosting major events, has felt the full brunt of Covid. Withdrawals of sporting icons have reduced the appeal of the 2022 edition of the Australian Open at a time when it can ill-afford to lose ‘eyeballs’.
Many have questioned the tournament’s status as a Grand Slam and Covid is proving the wrecking ball, smashing away at attempts to maintain the event's place in the pantheon of the world’s most iconic sporting events. Enter Novak and his bungled paperwork and suddenly the Australian Open is global front page news, top story on news editions worldwide. Barnum was right, there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Rather than harm the event, the Djokovic case will breathe new life into it, especially if, as expected, he is green-lighted to play. In fact, the longer the rally goes in terms of court case to and fro, the better for Craig Tiley and his Tennis Australia team.
The media are possibly the biggest winner is the whole Djokovic affair. At the slightest whiff of a story provoking engagement, the media machine kicks into gear, putting the story on a spin cycle so you almost feel you can’t escape it. Djokovic is everywhere, in the papers, radio and visual news bulletins. It’s all about the eyeballs and algorithms. Read a facebook post on Djokovic and you’re served another one. More people watching, listening and reading means more advertising revenue. It means profit, returns to shareholders. But it also means the media try to outdo each other with explosive headlines like ‘Bombshell’ and ‘Disaster’ to keep people in thrall and keep the gravy train rolling.
Lastly and sadly, the most ill-equipped to join the battle for the truth are the advocates for refugees. They simply don’t have the marketing budget of the aforementioned organisations, entering the fray barefoot with an old-school wooden racquet. Though they desperately try to draw the world’s attention to the plight of refugees staying in the same hotel as the World Number 1, the truth is too inconvenient for many Australians to swallow, and hence is largely ignored by the media. But, at least they get some air time, which is better than none, but a lot less than what they deserve.
In the end, it doesn’t really matter whether Djokovic plays or not; all parties involved will have used the information surrounding his fight to play in the 2022 Open, to further their own ends. I suspect Djokovic will play as he will be able to prove having been infected with Covid in December 2021 and therefore be in the same boat as many others granted permission to play. Whether he was out and about in the community while infected is not a question of law, but more of character and should not disqualify him, but will not win him many admirers.
In the end, there are only two losers in the Djokovic case. One is the Australian taxpayer who will be asked to foot the bill when the World Number 1 is cleared to play, appeals, or settles out of court.
And the second is the truth, so weaponized by those seeking outcomes in life or business that most of us no longer know where it lies.
#Novak Djokovic #Information #Marketing #Australian Open #Visa #Tennis