<figure id="attachment_359024" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1024px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-359024"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7ee2ec54"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/7468fb66fedd1404bb41c6abf3e618f7.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-359024" class="wp-caption-text">Akinori Sasaki (Chiba Lotte Marines) was the last of the 12 teams to renew his contract. He was inundated with criticism. &#8230;&#8230;</figcaption></figure>
The &#8220;words and deeds&#8221; of Mimasa Ito of the women&#8217;s table tennis team have become the talk of the town.
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After a grueling selection race, Ito was omitted from the Paris Olympics team, but there was still a chance that she would be selected as a reserve (alternate).
However, at the open practice for the World Championships team competition held on the 8th of this month, Ito said, &#8220;I am not suited to be a reserve.
 I don&#8217;t think I am suited to be a reserve. I don&#8217;t think I will go.
I don&#8217;t think I will go. This was interpreted as meaning that she would not go even if she was selected, and some criticized her.
 Ito also caused a stir when he said that he had not yet decided whether or not he would play in the team competition even if he was selected for the team competition when he failed to make the singles team.
 It is only natural that they are not in the right frame of mind when they are asked about the team competition right after their motivation has run out. It&#8217;s a pity that she was beaten for that,&#8221; said an association official.
Regarding the &#8220;declining to be an alternate,&#8221; Mizutani Jun, who was paired with Ito, expressed his feelings on his X (formerly Twitter) page.
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 The Olympic Games have a very strict limit on the number of players, and only one reserve player and one male/female practice partner are allowed to enter the venue. Ito, who uses a different type of rubber on the back surface, is not a suitable training partner.
 Also, in table tennis, where injuries are rare, it is almost impossible for a reserve player to play in a match. In light of the above, Ito is believed to have indicated that he may withdraw from the tournament even if he is selected as a reserve player.
I followed up with a few more comments such as the following.
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One sports program director said
 Ito is very competitive. He has just expressed his determination to become the best player in the world, using his disappointment at not making the national team as a springboard. If he were to travel to the Olympics as a reserve, he would not be able to practice on his own for more than a month. As a professional athlete, his decision to withdraw should be respected.
He said, &#8220;As a professional athlete, my decision to withdraw from the Olympics should be respected.
In a similar case, the news of the contract renewal of professional baseball pitcher Akinori Sasaki of the Chiba Lotte Marines is still fresh in our minds.
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Sasaki renewed his contract on the 27th of last month for an estimated salary of 80 million yen, which was the same as his current contract. It was reported that the reason why the negotiations with the team took so long was because Sasaki had decided to challenge the Major League Baseball at an early date.
 Lotte has been nurturing Sasaki with great care, taking into consideration his &#8220;constitution. Just as this was finally coming to fruition, the entire baseball world was in an uproar when it was reported that Lotte was demanding that Sasaki be allowed to challenge for a major league contract.
 The fact that he was the only one who had resigned from the players&#8217; association also added to the speculation. Old Lotte fans said, &#8216;What the hell is this? First of all, he should return the favor to the baseball team,'&#8221; said a reporter in charge of professional baseball for a sports newspaper.
However, the criticisms were only speculation on speculation, and the person in question did not say a word. It was only at the time of his contract renewal that Sasaki opened his mouth and said, &#8220;I don&#8217;t often make comments in public.
 It has been difficult for me to make comments in public. I apologize for the misunderstandings and concerns I have caused to fans through the media.
He apologized. Although he expressed his intention to challenge the Majors, this is something he has said since he first joined the team. Naoki Matsumoto, general manager of the Lotte baseball team, said
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 Some reports have said that he is being selfish or complaining to the team, but that is not the case at all. I would like you to understand that. We were at fault as well.
He emphasized, &#8220;We were at fault as well.
A reporter for a sports newspaper reported the following.
 There was also information circulating behind the scenes that there was an agency official behind Sasaki&#8217;s back and that he was in talks with a major league baseball team. I think it was more of a dark struggle between the &#8220;adults&#8221; around Sasaki rather than a message from Sasaki.
It was a dark struggle between the &#8220;adults&#8221; around them rather than Sasaki&#8217;s actions,&#8221; he recalls.
What Ito and Sasaki&#8217;s flame wars have in common is the negative feelings of &#8220;what a big shot&#8221; and &#8220;what a jerk! and &#8220;What a jerk!&#8221; by people who don&#8217;t know the unique circumstances of athletes.
It is a recent trend that once an athlete makes a &#8220;gaffe,&#8221; he or she is slammed twice as hard because of the good image he or she had before. This is all the more troublesome because many people are wielding unfounded righteousness and saying, &#8220;This is the way it should be.
For athletes who want to concentrate on their sport, Japan may have become an uncomfortable country.

 Kyodo News

 Mimasa Ito made a "negative" comment about being nominated as an alternate for Japan's team for the Paris Olympics. On the other hand, the Chiba Lotte's Akinori Sasaki, who was on his last contract renewal with a 12-team team, is facing the issue of transferring to Major League Baseball. The two men who came under fire can be viewed at ......

Common Arrogance of Mima Ito and Roki Sasaki’s Controversial Traits

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