Crying baby at Australian Open tennis match causes HUGE online debate
Commentator Jim Courier criticised the parents for having their baby there at 10pm - and the players couldn't serve as the baby wailed
Pretty much every parent has had a moment when your baby cries at an inopportune time, right?
(We felt especially sorry for the mum who was shamed when her baby started crying during the 2-minute long Armistice Day silence in her local superstore ?)
But this particular crying baby story, from Oz, has really got people talking.
Superstar tennis ace Rafael Nadal refused to serve against Marin Cilic, during a game at the Australian Open, when a baby in the crowd started crying.
The noise halted the game for 'over a minute', reports said.
Later, former tennis number 1 Jim Courier, who was commentating at the match, said: "This is when a player wants a chair umpire to ask for the baby to be removed... neither of these guys want to play with that."
He added: "What's a baby doing awake at 10 o'clock at night anyway?"
The response
Courier's comments (rather than Nadal's hesitation, which we kind of get as we know tennis players like silence when they play) caused many people to take to social media.
Some were in support of the mum in question.
"Jim Courier - the @AustralianOpen is a family friendly event! A lot of babies are awake at 10pm at night ? " said one angry tweeter.
Another agreed: "Aren’t tennis players embarrassed to be extreme jerks!? What about Jim Courier? “What’s a baby doing awake at 10pm?” Just serve the ball you muppet," said another.
Others, though, thought Jim was spot on. "The best thing Jim Courier has ever said right there. Stupid parents," one viewer wrote. Another said Jim's comment was "call of the night".
MFM's view
Hmmmm. Here at MFM HQ we can kind of see both sides to this one. If babies are allowed at the event then it's inevitable they might just cry at some point.
And as for the time - often these matches start in the day and go on until late, so there is a fair chance you'll be there after 'baby's bedtime' (if there even is such a thing!).
On the other hand, even if it was the rule that you could take a baby to something like this, we're not sure we would.
One of the mums on our team is a BIG tennis fan, and used to go to Wimbledon every year - but once her baby came along, without a babysitter to help, she wasn't able to go anymore as Wimbledon has a 'no babes in arms' policy.
She says she was quite happy with that, and for a couple of years contented herself with watching it on TV instead.
What do you think?
Was Jim Courier right to criticise the parents on this one? Or is a crying baby something people just need to accept at a family friendly event?
Tell us in the comments below or over on Facebook
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Authors
Tara is mum to 1 daughter, Bodhi Rae, and has worked as Content Editor and Social Media Producer at MadeForMums since 2015
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