Naomi Osaka, is the highest paid sports woman in the world at 23 years of age. Obviously some in the media have said she is being arrogant, because she has made all this money and she is losing her sense of self and becoming a prima donna. This has been said in certain quarters because she claimed mental health issues as her reason for refusing to answer questions from the media at the French Open.
IS THAT TRUE?
Her trajectory to being the highest paid global sports woman and a dominant voice in the world of tennis is present. She most certainly has the capacity to rock the boat big time and upset World Tennis Association organizers. Last year she refused to play her semi-final forcing the postponement of the Cincinnati tournament after the shooting of Jacob Blake by a policeman. Obviously this created losses for some big enterprises with her action. This was all in support of the Black Lives Matter action in response to the shooting of black people by police in America.
For her to come now with the statement about not speaking to the press because of Mental Health issues would tend to be seen by the global organizers as pushing her needs or request way too far. Plus, she is starting to impact how businesses and media outlets have sold their time to different organizers and channels. She has thrown that out of the window by doing this. For sure she is going to be in for a rough ride with the media as she is the one who is seeking to “leverage” the situation by who she is in the conversation.
WHO IS NAOMI OSAKA?
When we look at her through the lens of the Alchemy of TIME.
She was born October 16th 1997 in Osaka Japan. This gives her the personality of a 3 Wood Adult with the 6 Metal Child Star.
When one speaks about mental health challenges one needs to look at the Child Star as the needs of this is what supports our emotional and mental wellbeing. (For those of you who are wondering what your Child Star is, you can get your 3 free chapters of my new book Your Emotions & The Alchemy of TIME, which will give you those details of your birth.) https://rexlassalle.com/publications/
Who are some famous 6 Metal Child star personalities?
There is Janis Joplin; she was a 4 Wood Adult with a 6 Metal Child Star.
Billie Holiday had the same Elemental Adult and Child Star pattern as Janis.
Some other celebrities and icons that have the same pattern are the actress Jayne Mansfield and singer Barbra Streisand.
Then we have Dusty Springfield she has the 6 Metal Child Star pattern as does Vivien Leigh, Julia Roberts & Natalie Wood
One can observe that if the emotional experiences are not that smooth for such individuals some spin out can easily occur. This has been the case in the life of Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday, Dusty Springfield & Vivien Leigh.
At one level the organizers and head honchos of these organizations are in a bit of a fix. Getting her “to shut up and be put in her place” one suspects is the very dominant theme at that table. The other side of the coin on that table; is that she is creating a lot of interest in women’s tennis and more than likely bringing more people to watch her play. This is what I call the “Tiger Woods syndrome”. He created the largest TV audiences for golf tournaments whenever he played in his heyday.
Naomi is not at that level as yet but is starting to create that stir. To crunch her totally may not serve their interest, as there is no other female tennis player that is creating the stir as when she is playing. Hence the media networks can charge more around her games. The Ad agencies can market her in a way with this position that can ramp up their sales for her. Though it may not be said publicly, one can suspect that there would be a lot of leveraging from some of her sponsors as regards “let her be and give her space.” Many other sports people want to do the same but have not been bold enough to tell it as it is. She is most certainly seeking to create changes as regards players having more say, about their lives and well being.
Those nuances went out the window with the Roland Garros organizers along with the other three key global organizers as they threatened her with total suspension if she did not do press interviews at the French Open. Naomi was presented with this guillotine choice and she walked away from that choice and withdrew from the French Open.
I am not surprise by her withdrawing from the French Open.
“Why do you say that Rex?
What do you know from these star number patterns that we are not seeing?”
I think people are already seeing it with her, as she does have a willingness to take a stand about social issues. She did it in the US Open wearing a mask with the names of 7 black people who were shot dead by US police when she played on court.
As regards her Elemental Star number pattern; she has the same star number pattern as Margaret Thatcher and Joni Mitchell. They both have 3 Wood Adult Star along with the 6 Metal Child Star. Have you seen anyone push Margaret Thatcher and Joni Mitchell around when they have said their bit? Have You?
Welcome to the world of Naomi Osaka, I think the world is now waking up to who she is. For her to acknowledge her vulnerability and fragility by sharing about safeguarding her mental wellbeing is one that resonates with her age group.
Social media and the 24/7 Internet world are having a dramatic impact on young peoples’ sleep patterns. This causes havoc with their emotional and mental wellbeing. Her statement will resonate with this age group globally; for sure they will not see her as being some prima donna by her acknowledging her mental health challenges.
She is also well aware and conscious of her marginalized position in society; be it in Japan, USA and in the world of lawn tennis. She has a Japanese mother and a Haitian father and has had to assert herself and keep pushing the boundaries to where she is today. Plus she owns her social position with a skill and leverage that is extraordinary for a young person in their early twenties.
That she is going to have a rough ride with the media, most certainly that will be there for her. Has she thought about that, I would say she most certainly has. She is also bringing an elegant touch of her Japanese culture with her apology to the organizers and the tennis world by her choice of words, all with humility and apologetic yet with a light touch.
She has acknowledged that she is an avid reader of history. Her Haitian and Japanese roots and what all that means in the world is something that her father has encouraged her to explore.
She has enrolled a large following in black America by her actions last year at the US Open tournament. She has networked with many of the top black sports personalities in the US; she carries big support in the Caribbean and much of Asia. They are looking at her as their new Princess and for sure she intends to hold and cultivate that by her presence and actions. She will be in the limelight in the media. Expect to see and hear more of her in July this year. The ripples from her action at the French Open will have ramifications in many other sports globally that are televised. She is embracing the mantle as a force for change in the world at many levels. She is expressing a fearlessness that we have not seen that much of at her age. She is most certainly a mover and a shaker. So what is her next move?