2018 Miami SF: [5] Juan Martin Del Potro vs. [14] John Isner

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  • Total voters
    44

Red Rick

Bionic Poster
Who cares what country you happen to be born in? Why should that determine what athletes you support?
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zagor

Bionic Poster
Lol, he has a point actually. Unless we're talking about team events or events like the Olympics or Davis Cup, which are supposed to bring nations together.

Sure, everyone can support whom they want at the end of the day but it still feels off to me to see the local player being applauded when he makes a doublefault.
 

Krish872007

Talk Tennis Guru
Sure, everyone can support whom they want at the end of the day but it still feels off to me to see the local player being applauded when he makes a doublefault.

Well that's the difference between supporting your player and cheering against another player.
 

mightyrick

Legend
I personally didn't find anything bad about the Miami crowd at all. To me, that is sports in the USA. Is it really a shock to people that a crowd will boo a local athlete or team? No way. I think they wanted a third set. USA tennis venues have always loved Del Potro because of the large hispanic populations we have that attend Indian Wells, Miami, as well as the US Open. So what?

This isn't Wimbledon and the USA isn't Britain. As an American, I can say that we have a long, proud tradition of verbally assaulting our local athletes. Get over it. :)
 

mightyrick

Legend
Also, Isner got a really warm cheer at the end after match point. That is American sports. Isner is an ex-college player... he is more than accustomed to it. You boo the hell out of all participants and cheer at mistakes as well successes at the most annoying moments. And at the end, you cheer a good, respectable performance.

(Unless the winning team/individual is evil... in which case you boo them even after they win). :D
 

Legend of Borg

G.O.A.T.
I personally didn't find anything bad about the Miami crowd at all. To me, that is sports in the USA. Is it really a shock to people that a crowd will boo a local athlete or team? No way. I think they wanted a third set. USA tennis venues have always loved Del Potro because of the large hispanic populations we have that attend Indian Wells, Miami, as well as the US Open. So what?

This isn't Wimbledon and the USA isn't Britain. As an American, I can say that we have a long, proud tradition of verbally assaulting our local athletes. Get over it. :)

so basically like the french but worse
 

sredna42

Hall of Fame
If Isner can get it together and play like he did in the 1st set more often, then god help everyone else on the tour
 

Legend of Borg

G.O.A.T.
If Isner can get it together and play like he did in the 1st set more often, then god help everyone else on the tour

true, but there's a reason he's done only so much in his career

if tsonga could always play like he did against rafa at the 2008 AO he'd be a multiple slam winner
 

Steve0904

Talk Tennis Guru
Raucous crowds don't bother me at all, but I still hate the "ole" chant. But that's probably because Montreal Canadiens fans are famous for it and I hate them so... ;)
 

existential dread

Professional
Perhaps the crowds just like Delpo more.
And John's style of tennis is not exactly the most appealing.

That said, he better get more support than the German, Miami isn't Green Bay.
 

Beacon Hill

Hall of Fame
Very impressive argument. Were you a member of the Harvard debating club?

Player A: Racist drug cheat who taunts children for asking for autographs and won't shake hands with opponents.
Fan A: Required to support Player A because both happened to be born in the same country.
Player B: Hard-working, modest all-court player with beautiful game who spends spare time volunteering in local community events and risking life saving orphans from burning buildings.
Fan B: Not allowed to support Player B because Player B was born 10 miles away across recently-changed border in neighbouring country.

Plus, look at all the other positive things blind nationalism has given us throughout human history. Can't think of one negative.
 

Red Rick

Bionic Poster
Very impressive argument. Were you a member of the Harvard debating club?

Player A: Racist drug cheat who taunts children for asking for autographs and won't shake hands with opponents.
Fan A: Required to support Player A because both happened to be born in the same country.
Player B: Hard-working, modest all-court player with beautiful game who spends spare time volunteering in local community events and risking life saving orphans from burning buildings.
Fan B: Not allowed to support Player B because Player B was born 10 miles away across recently-changed border in neighbouring country.

Plus, look at all the other positive things blind nationalism has given us throughout human history. Can't think of one negative.
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Dolgopolov85

G.O.A.T.
This likely happens to you a great deal. It must be a lonely place sometimes being where you are, at the pinnacle of brilliance and no one understanding you. Especially now with Stephen Hawking gone. Just no one to talk to.
You still don't get it. Those folks were cheering for Delpo out of Latin affiliation. Exactly how is parochialism any better than nationalism?
 

Beacon Hill

Hall of Fame
You still don't get it. Those folks were cheering for Delpo out of Latin affiliation. Exactly how is parochialism any better than nationalism?
It's not. My comment was specifically a response to those who believe that people in Miami are obligated to support the American player, and generally that sports fans are obligated to support athletes that happen to be born in the same country.
 

Dolgopolov85

G.O.A.T.
It's not. My comment was specifically a response to those who believe that people in Miami are obligated to support the American player, and generally that sports fans are obligated to support athletes that happen to be born in the same country.

Oh, of course, they are not obligated to support their native player but I think the whole point of the discussion was really that they are cheering Delpo mainly because he is a Latin American (and not necessarily because they like his tennis). Purely for tennis, though, I wouldn't find cheering Delpo over Isner, heck most players, particularly controversial.
 

Dolgopolov85

G.O.A.T.
It's not. My comment was specifically a response to those who believe that people in Miami are obligated to support the American player, and generally that sports fans are obligated to support athletes that happen to be born in the same country.

Oh, of course, they are not obligated to support their native player but I think the whole point of the discussion was really that they are cheering Delpo mainly because he is a Latin American (and not necessarily because they like his tennis). Purely for tennis, though, I wouldn't find cheering Delpo over Isner, heck most players, particularly controversial.
 
He’s right, actually. What’s next, you support the players with the same skin color as yours?

I've seen it discussed somewhere that if there's a professional boxing title match where the other fighter is a white Englishman and his opponent is a black American, who will black Englishmen root for more? Some say they would root for the black American, and I wouldn't see anything wrong with that, it would be natural. Muhammad Ali thought favoring your own race was natural, too, and he was strongly against race mixing. There's an interview on Youtube where he told that to a liberal white English talkshow host.
 

Zhilady

Professional
I've seen it discussed somewhere that if there's a professional boxing title match where the other fighter is a white Englishman and his opponent is a black American, who will black Englishmen root for more? Some say they would root for the black American, and I wouldn't see anything wrong with that, it would be natural. Muhammad Ali thought favoring your own race was natural, too, and he was strongly against race mixing. There's an interview on Youtube where he told that to a liberal white English talkshow host.
I don’t think there is anything necessarily wrong with supporting someone from the same race. But it isn’t wrong to support a player from a different country or a player from a different race, either.
 
I don’t think there is anything necessarily wrong with supporting someone from the same race. But it isn’t wrong to support a player from a different country or a player from a different race, either.

Sure, in individual sports people often support a foreign player over their compatriot. I think you see that especially in tennis. In most cases people support their countrymen, though, and for example, it would be very odd if the Wimbledon center court crowd rooted for Federer against Murray even though he's super popular everywhere.
 

existential dread

Professional
Are we at the point where people will cheer against someone because they're from the same country as them? I know its seems cool and enlightened and whatnot to be border-blind or some such but this is getting rather silly. Familiarity breeds contempt I guess.
 

Beacon Hill

Hall of Fame
Oh, of course, they are not obligated to support their native player but I think the whole point of the discussion was really that they are cheering Delpo mainly because he is a Latin American (and not necessarily because they like his tennis). Purely for tennis, though, I wouldn't find cheering Delpo over Isner, heck most players, particularly controversial.
Got it. My comment had nothing to do with the support for Delpo. just the strong belief by some here that it is wrong to cheer against someone from one's own country. I also agree that just from a tennis standpoint, Delpo might be supported by more fans than Isner. Personally I'm glad Isner won the whole thing, as he seems like a decent guy, and he's stuck around a long time in a very tough era. And I'd feel that way about the situation no matter where he was born.
 

Beacon Hill

Hall of Fame
Are we at the point where people will cheer against someone because they're from the same country as them? I know its seems cool and enlightened and whatnot to be border-blind or some such but this is getting rather silly. Familiarity breeds contempt I guess.
I think we are a long long way from that point. Nationalism and sports go hand in hand with most people.
 
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