Topic: why isnt tennis so mainstream?

[kungpaobenji27]

All you really need to know about golf scoring is "how many times did you have to hit the ball before you got it into the little hole in the ground?"  2?  3?  5?  7?  10?  17???  Tennis is 15... 30... 45?... NO!  40... than deuce... what the hell is deuce???... ad in... ad out... deuce... break point... 3 to 2... 5 to 5... tiebreaker... and then the tie breaker is a whole 'nother counter intuitive scoring system.

And in golf if you have a good stroke, you can do a lot.  You have to learn basically one good stroke.  In tennis you have to learn several.  

And in golf you have these normal, even fat dudes playing, and I think the average middle class american viewer is more willing to relate to John Daly than Mardy Fish.  While the sports watching Joe Schmoe probably grew up playing or idolizing high school, college, and pro football and baseball players, they probably grew up thinking, in high school, that tennis players were pansies.  

Also, not enough of the big tournaments are played in the US.  Only the US Open is known to everybody and that's only once a year.  Competition on foreign soil doesn't seem to capture our imaginations as much as ones on our USA, with the exception of the Olympics, some heavyweight boxing matches, and the Tour de France, which people care about because Armstrong had cancer.  

It's okay, though, tennis is the second most popular sport in the world after soccer.

That's true.  Most of the pga tournaments are held in the US compared to tennis.  Never thought about that one.  

I second that tennis is the 2nd popular sport in the world.  Wherever I go outside of the US/Canada, they have stuff like the "Marat Safin Collection" under Adidas tennis and much more tennis gear at these footlocker type stores.

[philip]

Here in my area in the UK, Hardly anbody likes tennis   . They all prefer football/soccer.

[Tennis4you]

Interesting article, I had to post it in this thread...

http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/010705/c0107diversityforwe.html

[steviestyles]

thats funny that if more black people play the sport it becomes cooler   it is definetly true though

[BitterBlueBong]

Good article -- it mainly underscores what we already know: tennis can be expensive. People like Venus and Serena have really made tennis more accessible to the masses (especially minorities) and even now there are promising players from a variety of different backgrounds.

BTW, she must have been awfully careful with that racquet to have used it for 10 years. I replaced my racquet (yeah, singular, as in ONE racquet) after about 2 1/2 years. Or maybe it's just me who throws them in frustration.  

[Tennis4you]

I was lucky that back in high school my parents were paying for my racquets.  I broke a few from frustration.  Now a days I do nto break them from frustration, more so from wear and tear.  I slice a lot off the backhand side and it chips the ground and eventually wears through the racquet and makes a weak point.

I have 4 racquets...  I could never use just one, mainly from string though.  They break about 4-6 hours, depending if it is singles, dubs or practice.

[MC ill Logic]

thats funny that if more black people play the sport it becomes cooler   it is definetly true though

In terms of fashion, language, and music, black culture has been the most influential force in US society for the past 25 years.  And since the USA influences the whole entire world, the hip hop aesthetic has been a powerful influence worldwide.  

More successful black players on the ATP tour would greatly increase the sport's popularity.  Especially if they're American.  Sooner the better.

[tenista]

Actually, tennis is played competitively in more countries around the world than any other sport. Unfortunately, the US is slow to catch on. We can only hope that things change -- and the Tennis Channel is doing a lousy job of marketing, which doesn't help.

[MC ill Logic]

We need more exciting camera angles.

And.

We need bigger personalities.  The more I think about it the stronger I feel that personalities drive sports.  Armstrong's cancer... Bird versus Larry... Kobe hates Shaq... Tonya takes a hit out on Nancy... etc.  

I guess the problem is that if a tennis player makes it to the upper ranks, it's likely they've led a relatively comfortable, insulated life.  Not the kind of life that makes for a very introspective, sound bite cranking person.  The Russians seem comparatively interesting, many of them had sketchy lives if only until they secured a deal with a tennis academy, but they don't speak English well enough to capture the imaginations of the US sports watching public.  

Okay, I take it back.  I hope Venus and Serena keep talking sheet.  It's better than nothing.  Roddick is trying his best to be funny but we need another Mac, or an American Safin, or a female American Hingis.  Where the sound bites at!!!???

[Tennis4you]

lol, I just replied to another thread you wrote with a similar statement.