I read it here Sheet that the duel between João Fonseca and Jakub Mensik, in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, was the tennis match with the highest audience in the history of pay TV in Brazil. It surpassed the mark of his other game in the tournament, the victory over Novak Djokovic.
I was positively surprised. It shows that Brazilians have the appetite to spend a few hours in front of the TV to watch sports other than football. And it is a recognition of the high level of tennis demonstrated in Paris. Even with the defeat, anyone who saw the match knows how superior the Czech was and how João came out bigger than he entered. On the eve of the World Cup and in an extremely polarized world, this made me think about which public figures we give our attention and respect to.
For his dedication to the sport and good example on and off the court, João deserves both. Ideally, in a balanced way, without excessive pressure on a 19-year-old with a lot to improve.
In January 2025, I wrote the column “João Fonseca is not obliged to be ‘what’s good about Brazil'”. I mentioned how we cannot fall into the trap of projecting expectations onto others that, in fact, are part of our ideal of success.
Compared to Brazilians, the British are part of a society in which they are respected, have access to quality education and public transport and live with less stress. That’s why they don’t place the responsibility of being the only good thing in the country on an athlete’s shoulders. Whether a sports star loses or wins, life goes on.
But the criteria for defining who we choose as references are distorted. I mention two pre-World Cup controversies.
Those who criticize the fact that Neymar was called up (like me) do so mainly because of the sporting aspect. Regardless, I find it strange that part of the country idolizes him. How can we defend at any cost someone who has sexist speeches, questionable attitudes in their personal life, attacks a club teammate, and whose first public act upon being called up for the World Cup was to publish a bookmaker’s advertisement? I wouldn’t be able to admire him as an athlete, anyway, and I argue that he shouldn’t have idol status.
Another issue that became a national crisis was the fact that the influencer was cast as a reporter on Luciano Huck’s World Cup program.
It’s curious to see that many of those who said it was no big deal were men, white, middle or upper class — or, amazingly, women. Of course, that girl isn’t going to take their place in a penthouse like that. However, there are other trained journalists who work in the entertainment area and could have the position. But, again, let’s go to the inversion of values.
I didn’t see so much indignation with the biggest problem, in fact: legitimizing as a reference, on national television, someone who posts kissing a monkey after breaking up with one of the biggest victims of public racism in the world, and makes millions by exploiting something that destroys the lives of poor people in Brazil.
We are losing our sense of what is right or wrong, we are not putting ourselves in the other person’s shoes. Have you been paying attention to who you choose to support, call your idol, give your time, audience, money, even when this person has bad behavior that doesn’t directly affect you?
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