At combined ATP-WTA events other than the majors? No one plays best-of-5 at those.

—Men earn more than women for tournaments not shown on TV at all, and/or tournaments that are significantly smaller than comparable women’s tournaments.

I kinda think the primary factor is profit; obviously, inarguably. And the hypocrisy is that they’ve made loud noises otherwise in the past (when it didn’t harm their profit). That’s the point. And that’s the difference: I never made loud noises about the PED issue, etc etc; nor did I ever stand to profit from…

My initial response was simply that it’s an ethical question— something you, and others in this thread, seem to have a very difficult time grasping. That was specifically in response to “it’s just business,” which is the response that’s always meant to say “therefore right or wrong are meaningless.” A response you…

I get that you don’t see it (obviously), and I don’t even necessarily disagree. I’m just pointing out that it’s not a particularly ridiculous argument, even though you may disagree with it. Saying you think Wozniacki is wrong is totally justifiable; saying she’s being ridiculous and has no argument at all, otoh, is…

It’s not contortion, it’s description. And as I said (clearly, repeatedly), her drug bust doesn’t really bother me, personally; rather, I’m describing what the ethical argument is, not taking a side of it. But I do understand that there *is* a position to be taken there— something that seems a little beyond you.

And it’s not inconsistent on Wozniacki’s part, because she also argued against the wild card in the first place.

“Those simply aren’t the rules” isn’t a particularly compelling argument; we’re talking about an area over which the USTA has discretion— if they had no discretion, it wouldn’t be an ethical quandary. Making the right choice is a non-issue when *you don’t have a choice.* Making the right choice when you *do* have…

Agreed twice-fold— Coldplay fucking sucks, and there are arguments beyond popularity.

Correct, the USTA indeed has discretion over wildcards. That’s why I said it’s an ethical issue, rather than a rules violation.

I was simply pointing out that there is an ethical argument implicated in this, and one that the USTA in other cases has weighed differently. I don’t think, to put it mildly, you’ve somehow countered that position.

See my reply above: if the punishment for doping is a suspension and consequent loss of ranking, rewarding her with a wild card that disregards that drop in ranking, and helps her regain her status without grinding her way up through lower-ranked tournaments like anyone else, is unethical. For me, doping isn’t really…

The doping controversy doesn’t particularly bother me personally, but the argument is: if you’re popped for doping, you should have to work your way back to a ranking that gets you into tournaments the normal way, rather than through wild cards; it’s part of the punishment, and the USTA undermined it. That’s the…

“It’s just business” is the business way of explaining that ethics don’t matter. We all understand that as well as Wozniacki does, BUT that doesn’t make it right.

Of course, the best of the western genre had already thoroughly reframed the supposed existential hope (read: re-oriented orientalist fantasy, pun intended) at the genre’s core in exactly the same way. That’s what makes the genre rich— it critiqued itself in its hey-day. Although I would dispute that even in the most…

my coworkers make me long for the sweet loneliness of death

Yes, Tennis Channel is equally constant in my household; just saying, it’s rare to have a 250 without somebody in the Top 10, or at least Top 20, playing. Not *every* top player, obviously, like a major, and not nearly as many as a 500 or 1000, but quite apart from the fact that everyone in the draw is inside the top…

#1 in doubles, top 10 in singles, two doubles majors, two year-end doubles championships... and she stopped playing pro tennis due to injuries *at 22 years old.* “As good as Kournikova” is very high praise indeed, by any sane standard.

Sure, the broader public recognized her in part due to appearance, but that’s true…

Somehow, someway, using all available technology, you may ultimately realize that yes, that’s exactly the point. Godspeed.

What, now you’re critiquing criticism? What have *you* criticized!?