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DramatistDreamer

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Posts posted by DramatistDreamer

  1. 28 minutes ago, Faulkner said:

    My theory: I think there was a bit of a drumbeat for last year’s USO women’s final due to it being two black American women (biracial in Madison’s case), and there had been four Americans in the semis (with Coco and especially Venus, a legit household name who transcends the sport). I also think Sloane squandered some of her momentum after winning the Slam with all those losses, especially in with the failure to make an impact at the next GS in Australia, so there was less interest in her here (Miami win notwithstanding).

     

    I remember after Serena won her first major, she was still winning tournaments but she wouldn't become a true Slam contender again for another two years (until 2001 when she lost to Venus at the U.S. Open).  U.S. viewers stayed loyal to the sport perhaps because Venus was winning a lot, then you also had Lindsey Davenport who was also a contender for big titles  and on the men's side you started to see the emergence of Andy Roddick but all in all, fans were still following the sport (plenty of men were following Kournikova, for reasons we all can guess).

    Back then, CBS, NBC and even ABC (sometimes) was showing tennis. For many years (especially in the 90s), it was possible to see the autumn swing (which was mainly in Europe, in those days) almost every weekend on basic cable!  No expensive digital tier!  This is what I mean by accessibility of the sport.  I hear tennis fans complaining that they subscribe to WTA TV, yet they're still missing matches!  

     

    Tennis is the only sport, I truly follow on a consistent basis yet, I sometimes find myself watching NBA finals or even an occasional holiday game between teams(on ABC and ESPN, ESPN3) because it's nice to be able to consistently catch games. Tennis used to be this way but is no longer-- in fact, tennis makes it difficult to find and keep up with the sport.  You have to be a dedicated fan to put up with half this nonsense.

  2. The article says that the viewership is up from last year, I know.  

    Compared to Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, even the Australian, Roland Garros seems less accessible to the U.S. audience.

     

    Roland Garros barely got any media coverage in mainstream media.  Only NYC sports news the women's final got less than 30 seconds, the men's got a bit more because Nadal is a known name.

    Even the fact that two U.S. players (Sloane and Madison) reached the SFs got no coverage in the mainstream media.  

    I hate to say this but since ESPN has basically abandoned the clay court season (and tennis in general, to a certain extent), there has been scant broader coverage of tennis outside of the very small, insular tennis media.

    Not everyone has TC, which tends to favor U.S. men (who, per usual, did poorly at RG).

    You can't grow a viewership this way.

     

  3. This editorial is a good reminder that Kim was not only successful at getting the U.S. to stand down on those joint military exercises with South Korea but also got Trump (and the Bolton wing) to back off of their maximum pressure strategy. 

    A plodding, incremental strategy was what both North Korea and China favored.  Even South Korea (who I read was absolutely left unaware that Trump was going to offer to stop joint military exercises) believed that the incremental strategy was the most realistic.

     

    Trump truly got nothing that hadn't been done before.  The North Koreans, on the other hand, got the ultimate legitimacy of their sovereignty.

     

    North Korea Is a Nuclear Power. Get Used to It.

  4. 1 hour ago, JaneAusten said:

    I've seen several articles written about how this may push the rise of new ISP's again, those committing to fair and affordable access to the internet. This, legalized marijuana, and college debt and secondarily the gutting of the social safety net even more are the things millennials seem to care most about.

     

    I sincerely hope this happens but right now, it sure looks as if the AT&Ts, Comcasts and Verizons of the world have a vice grip on the infrastructure (cables, wires, etc.).  These corporate behemoths are already digging into 5G so that they can claim that for their companies as well.

     

    In Europe, the big corporations that have built the networks decided to lease to a variety of smaller companies, which keeps fee rates competitive.  There has been no such luck getting the big telecommunications titans to do the same.

     

    Maybe the advance of technology will allow the most nimble start-ups to bypass the proprietary infrastructure of the big companies--allowing the smaller companies to build their own smaller networks. 

     

    A few years ago, I read about municipal governments building their own community webs-- basically intranets, that are built, installed, owned and operated by the municipal government.  My only question was about access to broader networks and quality of security.  I would love to see this be successful. I think I'd rather pay my dollars to a local utility or a locally-based company than a giant corporate behemoth located half-way across the country.

  5. In regard to the SCOTUS overturning Net Neutrality rules, one NYT Tech columnist argues that by the time the Obama had instituted the rules in 2015, the U.S. had long ago strayed from the original purpose and ideals of the the world wide web, which I can sort of agree with...to a certain extent. 

     

    By the early-mid '00s, I could see definite changes (e.g. large telecom companies were beginning to swallow up smaller independent ISPs, which led to a lack of competitive pricing).  The disappearance or diminishing of those smaller ISPs was definitely to the detriment of the consumer.

     

    Here is the article by Farhad Manjoo

     

    How Net Neutrality Actually Ended Long Before This Week

  6. 11 minutes ago, j swift said:

    Oddly I don't recall any content related to Kim and Lisa's friendship.  I remember that they were cordial at the Mona Lisa or at weddings.  However, I can't think of many scenes of Kim and Lisa being confidants.  For example, I don't recall Kim consoling Lisa when she was humiliated by John Dixon.  I don't recall them ever commiserating over the issues with Andy or Scott.  I only think of Kim being humored by Lisa but their relationship was most superficial,  In contrast, to Lisa and Barbara who had a much more complex relationship.

     

    I just realized that soap women don't discuss their friendships like Bravo Housewives.  Molly and Carly never talked about girl code.  Lily was never mad that people talked behind her back.  The only connection is that Bravo and Oakdale both have more costume parties than one would attend anywhere else.

     

    They seemed pretty close when Kim was being stalked and then went on trial for Doug Cummings' murder.  They also seemed close throughout Kim's pregnancy with Chris.  In fact, didn't Lisa know before Bob?

  7. Just like the G-7 summit, Mango Mussolini plans to leave Singapore earlier than planned.  The man definitely doesn't want to do the hard work of diplomacy or negotiating. 

     

    Donald (if he insists on calling PM Trudeau, Justin then I'm calling him Donald) wants as few people in the room as possible so that he can give his version of events and when challenged, he'll just say Kim is lying.

  8. 28 minutes ago, Faulkner said:

    Tennis players are tested a lot and are usually hyperviligant about what they consume, and if a massive star like Sharapova can get caught flat-footed and outed, I imagine anyone can. There are always TUEs (therapeutic use exemptions), of course.

     

    Sharapova couldn't be bothered with the paperwork and extensive doctor's exams to go for the TUE.  Also, she never declared that she had a physical ailment that needed treatment, let alone a disclosure of her use of meldonium, which still strikes me as weird. 

    I mean, we all know that Petra has asthma and uses an inhaler. We knew when Heather Watson and Christina McHale were suffering from glandular fever and Venus' struggles with Sjgrogren's are well documented, as well as Serena's history with bloodclots.

    Why no papertrail for Maria?  Strange.

     

    Sorry but Errani's excuse of her mom's meds falling into the pasta doesn't pass muster for me.  I had a relative who took cancer meds and kept them in her bedroom, NEVER in the kitchen. There is a strong warning against anyone except the patient even handling the medicine because it is so strong.

     

  9. 4 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

    Ah thanks.....my dad who use to watch tennis during my HS and College years playing days hasn't kept up with it but says something fishy with Nadal winning 11 times....LOLOL

     

    Well, Sharapova and Errani wave hello, LOL.  Doping doesn't always yield record-breaking success, especially in a sport like tennis that demands skills other than speed and force. 

  10. 24 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

    Nadal said he was going to but I haven't heard anything since.

     

    And back to the women's vs men's golden era....with Sloane and Madison's games heating it up along with the Williams Sisters the ratings will only improve for women's tennis. I don't see any American male player stepping up to the plate. Ratings will continue to stay low with only Rafa and Roger winning slams.

     

    She was sued.  Nadal was successful.

     

    Rafael Nadal wins defamation case over doping claims

     

     

    By the way, here is a proven doping case being played out right now.

     

     

  11. At least this match will soon end.  Yesterday's women's final was far more entertaining, IMO.

     

    EDT: Okay maybe the end may not be as swift as it looks as if one of Nadal's hands has cramped.:huh:

     

    EDT: Okay, I'm hearing it may not have been a cramp but the wrapping cutting into his circulation.

     

    Nonetheless, I truly think the match is over.

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