{"id":70986,"date":"2025-01-20T09:38:32","date_gmt":"2025-01-19T23:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/?p=70986"},"modified":"2025-01-22T11:29:26","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T01:29:26","slug":"game-set-chompers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/2025\/01\/game-set-chompers\/","title":{"rendered":"Game. Set. Chompers."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>One of the most read, liked, shared, and complained-about articles ever to appear on the Neds blog was \u201c<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/2022\/01\/8-reasons-why-novak-djokovic-is-a-flog\/\">Eight Reasons Why Novak Djokovic is a Flog<\/a><\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After last night\u2019s events at the Australian Open, we could have easily republished it and added a ninth reason.<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=1880934021859037327&#038;dnt=true&#038;lang=en_AU&#038;width=500&#038;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.neds.com.au%2Fblog%2F2025%2F01%2Fgame-set-chompers%2F\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" loading=\"lazy\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" style=\"border:0;\" title=\"X Post\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Novak Djokovic\u2019s refusal to do a post-match interview with Jim Courier following his straight-sets win over Ji\u0159\u00ed Lehe\u010dka\u2014because he\u2019s \u201cprotesting against Channel Nine\u201d over Tony Jones\u2019 so-called \u201cmockery of Serbian fans\u201d\u2014is, for lack of a better word, pathetic.<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=1880961271459352755&#038;dnt=true&#038;lang=en_AU&#038;width=500&#038;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.neds.com.au%2Fblog%2F2025%2F01%2Fgame-set-chompers%2F\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" loading=\"lazy\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" style=\"border:0;\" title=\"X Post\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Djokovic stated:<br \/>\n\u201cA couple of days ago, a famous sports journalist who works for the official broadcaster, Channel Nine, here in Australia, made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The only thing Tony Jones should apologize for is the fact that his joke was a bit daggy and cringe-worthy, that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n<p>For those unfamiliar, during a live cross, the ever-enthusiastic \u201cChompers\u201d tried to be humorous while Serbian fans loudly chanted and celebrated in the background.<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=1880230998128095466&#038;dnt=true&#038;lang=en_AU&#038;width=500&#038;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.neds.com.au%2Fblog%2F2025%2F01%2Fgame-set-chompers%2F\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" loading=\"lazy\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" style=\"border:0;\" title=\"X Post\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>His gag wasn\u2019t exactly top-tier comedy, but it was nothing more than a harmless attempt at banter as Jones himself explained it on The Today Show during his forced apology:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe comments were made on the news on Friday night, which I considered to be banter. I considered it to be humour, which is consistent with most things I do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"TV reporter Tony Jones apologises to Novak Djokovic and Serbian fans | 9 News Australia\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9EMw2ImCqw8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In an era of outrage culture and context-free viral clips, it was only a matter of time before social media jumped on the moment, escalating it into a full-blown controversy.<\/p>\n<p>As Melbourne radio host Mark Allen astutely pointed out on 3AW, had it been someone like Mick Molloy or Sam Pang (or even yours truly in a Neds Street Talk segment) delivering the same joke, there wouldn\u2019t have been nearly as much uproar. (Well, except perhaps from my bosses, who\u2019d likely worry about my safety!)<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=1881090783434133778&#038;dnt=true&#038;lang=en_AU&#038;width=500&#038;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.neds.com.au%2Fblog%2F2025%2F01%2Fgame-set-chompers%2F\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" loading=\"lazy\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" style=\"border:0;\" title=\"X Post\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>If anything, I feel qualified to comment on lame sports jokes and banter, given the feedback I receive.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s not forget, if Jones had aimed his daggy antics at someone like Nick Kyrgios or Danielle Collins, they\u2019d have shot back with some sass or witty comebacks, and we\u2019d all move on with a laugh.<\/p>\n<p>The pearl-clutching from sections of the tennis fraternity, media and hardcore fans is baffling but hardly surprising.<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=1880948514349588562&#038;dnt=true&#038;lang=en_AU&#038;width=500&#038;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.neds.com.au%2Fblog%2F2025%2F01%2Fgame-set-chompers%2F\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" loading=\"lazy\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" style=\"border:0;\" title=\"X Post\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The same crowd who pay top dollar for a night session at Rod Laver Arena are usually the first to burst into fits of laughter at even the slightest attempt at humor from a ball kid or Jim Courier\u2019s post-match quips.<\/p>\n<p>But here\u2019s the real kicker: the biggest winners in all of this are the crew from The Sunday Footy Show.<\/p>\n<p>For years, they\u2019ve thrived on content featuring TJ\u2019s finest moments\u2014whether it\u2019s him chowing down on KFC, players calling him \u201cChompers,\u201d or that unforgettable moment with Bec Judd.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Awkward! Tony Jones once again, rejected by Bec Judd.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bqWbO2ntKo0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Djokovic\u2019s \u201cprotest\u201d has handed them a goldmine of new material that could keep them going for another 30 years.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"TJ&#039;s iconic food court moment gets forever immortalised \u2013 at KFC \ud83d\ude02 | WCME - Sunday Footy Show\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TChoZbA65WM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The boys completely lose their minds over extraordinary vision of TJ | WCME - Sunday Footy Show\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Wxq_YP2MVcw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>So while Djokovic might go on to claim yet another Grand Slam, the real victory here belongs to The Sunday Footy Show.<\/p>\n<p>Their first episode of the year just became must-see television.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, had someone in Djokovic\u2019s camp simply called Jones \u201cChompers\u201d on live TV, the whole thing could have been diffused with a laugh.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The best of players calling TJ &#039;Chompers&#039; \ud83e\uddb7\ud83d\ude01 #Shorts  #AFL #Footy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Sc-XCVu_QLY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Novak would have had the last word, we\u2019d all enjoy the moment, and life would go on.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, here we are in the middle of a storm in a teacup, and when the dust settles, there\u2019s only one clear winner: advantage, The Sunday Footy Show.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Dylan Leach is one of the chief Nuffies in the Neds content team. The views, thoughts, and ramblings are his and not that of the company.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":70987,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9897,344,11],"tags":[278,9898,4694,9884,282,3094,9899,49,4674],"hub_post_cat":[],"class_list":["post-70986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","category-sports","category-tennis","tag-australian-open","tag-blog","tag-channel-9","tag-grand-slam","tag-novak-djokovic","tag-opinion","tag-sunday-footy-show","tag-tennis","tag-tony-jones"],"acf":{"md_tip_date":null,"md_tip_date_end":null,"md_market_url":"","tip_date":"20\/01\/2025","event_country":"Australia"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70986"},{"taxonomy":"hub_post_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hub_post_cat?post=70986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}