Declining Attendance Threatens Small Tournaments

[tennisplayer]

I had a somewhat similar if more sympathetic conversation with several of their staff, including Tournament Director that lost his job (now a university AD). One note: While technically San Jose went to Memphis, in reality Memphis had a tournament already (owned by the same Sharks conglomerate that ran San Jose into the ground after Barry MacKay left) so the rights to "an event" were sold to a group in Brazil in a machination only a financial manipulator could enjoy.

Ah, I see - so that's how these things work. It's a pity since there's such a huge tennis playing population in the Bay Area, and this was an event everyone looked forward to.

[jimlosaltos]

I empathize, and the Memphis-Brazil shuffle

The SAP ATP event in San Jose is a particularly poignant case. I have been attending it for the last many, many years, and the attendance has been fairly good from what I could see, in spite of the fact that it did not attract the top players the last few years. I could not believe this tournament was moved for financial reasons because it went, of all places, to Memphis, TN. After the move was announced, I got a call from the ticket manager asking me to buy my usual package for $300+, with the additional "We really need your support!". I just exploded on the poor woman - could not help it - I asked her why my support for all these years meant nothing... the poor woman was speechless, and I felt bad for her...

I had a somewhat similar if more sympathetic conversation with several of their staff, including Tournament Director that lost his job (now a university AD). One note: While technically San Jose went to Memphis, in reality Memphis had a tournament already (owned by the same Sharks conglomerate that ran San Jose into the ground after Barry MacKay left) so the rights to "an event" were sold to a group in Brazil in a machination only a financial manipulator could enjoy.

[tennisplayer]

The SAP ATP event in San Jose is a particularly poignant case. I have been attending it for the last many, many years, and the attendance has been fairly good from what I could see, in spite of the fact that it did not attract the top players the last few years. I could not believe this tournament was moved for financial reasons because it went, of all places, to Memphis, TN. After the move was announced, I got a call from the ticket manager asking me to buy my usual package for $300+, with the additional "We really need your support!". I just exploded on the poor woman - could not help it - I asked her why my support for all these years meant nothing... the poor woman was speechless, and I felt bad for her...

[GeoffWilliams]

The rich people are ruining the game for the players, the fans, the usta members. The game is dying.

[jimlosaltos]

San Jose example

Let's hear what you thought of Matt Cronin's latest, "Declining Attendance Threatens Small Tournaments"

I respect Matt's opinion (and enjoy his writing) but there are other issues than attendance. Tennis in America is poorly run. You can see the exploding attendance at BNP Indian Wells since Ellison's group took over, and made it the best run pro tournament in America. Why can a tournament thrive in a tiny, retirement community with poor travel options from much of the country, yet we have zero ATP events in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, Chicago and San Diego?

Are we claiming that NONE of these cities can compete with, can provide the attendance and sponsorship support that is found in the likes of: Umag? Estoril? Delray Beach? Zagreb? Viña del Mar? Seriously?

San Jose is an interesting example. It drew more attendance, despite having the weak draw typical of ATP 250s, than much more prestigious events -- witness the finals at Rome's and Monte Carlo's Master's 1000 events. Yet, it's gone. Where was the USTA when one of the oldest tournaments in America was auctioned off to investors in Latin America? M.I.A. again.

Imagine how many people would turn out to see Federer, Nadal and Djokovic play in the SF/ Bay Area?

We're now at the point where there are more men's events in the so-called U.S. Open Series held in Canada than in the entire Western 2/3 of the country with a regional population of, what, 200 Million.

Tennis, unlike NFL football or NBA basketball, is basically a headless-beast. Tournaments are individual businesses and their is no czar. The ATP is basically run by tennis conglomerates from Europe and Asia, while the U.S. industry representative, IMG, is like a poor landlord that runs buildings down and flips them to Asia and Latin America. The USTA is a $300 Million tax-exempt and taxpayer-subsidized organization with the goal of promoting tennis in the United States. It's failing at its charter.

The USTA's management should be replaced wholesale. Lacking that, we can only hope for tennis-enthusiasts with deep pockets to create events in the right venues inside America. Venues with large, tennis-enthusiast audiences and substantial sponsorships bases. Think near San Francisco, not Delray Beach. Think Denver, not Memphis. It's embarrassing to see where the U.S. hosts Davis Cup matches -- a recent one in Jacksonville, was it, had fewer fans than team members.

But given the way the ATP restrains trade by limiting where and what sites are granted tournaments, I don't see this getting solved without some group that has the lobbying clout to break through its restraint of trade.

[GeoffWilliams]

Point penalties for taking too long. For smashing racquets. For cursing out umpires or opp. or fans. Fines for the same. The rich people are running the game into the ground, and the fans are responding by not going anymore, or watching any more, or playing any more. It's only going to get worse. It's going to come out about the ped useage by top players. More fines. More restrictions on player personalities. Disgusting how the people control those who can play, and ruin the game for them.

[johnyandell]

Let's hear what you thought of Matt Cronin's latest, "Declining Attendance Threatens Small Tournaments"