meganfernandez wrote: ↑Tue Aug 16, 2022 4:56 pm
AcesAnnie wrote: ↑Tue Aug 16, 2022 4:41 pm
FredX wrote: ↑Tue Aug 16, 2022 3:36 pm
This must be some rule for just Cincinnati, because I have seen large flags in all the events. I also believe if this would have been any other flag then the Ukrainian Flag or possibly a Russian Flag, this would not have been an issue at all.
This rule is definitely on the books at the U.S. Open, and I assume it's universal at least at USTA events, though I imagine enforcement varies wildly.
It must vary extremely widely, because I see these sorts of flags all the time at all the events.
Of course the flag of a player on the court wouldn't have been an issue. The issue here was that it wasn't supporting either player. I don't think it's fair to say "what the Russian players should have done" or "should have felt." We aren't in their shoes. We don't know what they're going through as individuals or players. They were just banned from that biggest tournament in the world. You don't think someone (esp someone young, not a lot of life experience) might feel a little persecuted by tennis? I could see that. For me, only individuals determine what should and should not bother them in this very personal situation that I, for one, cannot fathom.
Disagree we would have heard about every little aggression, macro or micro, that has happened to a player. Very likely people would want to downplay it. It's embarrassing, and they're not exactly sympathetic figures.
People tend to judge when they should be inferring. Here, I infer that it was upsetting to the Russian players and that's very likely a reasonable reaction since they have been going though something I cannot possibly understand.
Was it the right call? Probably not. But were the players oversensitive babies and agents of oppression? Not in my book.
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For what it's worth, here's the list of prohibited items at the U.S., which includes "flags and signs", as well as an "elastic clause" at the end that lets staff ban anything they "deem inappropriate". Not sure what the issue with flags is, whether they don't want it to turn into some sort football hooliganism or they're just large and distracting, but I did see a woman told to put her Union Jack flag away during a Tim Henman match way back when. But you do see them, and obviously plenty of signs.
Prohibited Items
The following items are prohibited and MAY NOT be brought onto the premises:
Backpacks (Exception: single compartment drawstring bags)
Hard coolers or like containers
Sealed packages of any kind
Glass bottles or cans (Exception: reusable water bottles-24 oz. or less, metal and plastic)
Aerosol cans or noise-making devices
Alcohol
Video cameras or recording devices (Exception: cell phones and SLR cameras, with lenses up to and not exceeding 300mm, with video or recording capabilities)
Computers or laptops
Weapons (regardless of permit)
Animals (Exception: service animals)
Flags, banners or signs
Any materials, items or apparel constituting unauthorized advertising or promotion
Laser pointing devices
Tennis racquets
Drones (UAS-Unmanned Aircraft Systems) or other model aircraft
Selfie-sticks or other telescopic devices
Any other items deemed dangerous or inappropriate by US Open personnel, in their sole discretion