The Commish - US Tennis Launches New Fairness Competition

It’s about time. For as long as tennis has had a governing body, rules and regulations have been stuck with traditional formats that have little sensitivity to our new social behavior. Finally, new leadership has come around, and with that, a new vision for how to provide a level playing field- something that should have happened long ago. After all, anybody with common sense has recognized the fact that all tennis courts are designed to be level, so it only seems logical that every other aspect of the game should follow suit.

It all started with introducing new competitive play that finally allows anyone to play in any event. For the first time, that old tradition of classifying all competitive events via age, sex, or any other type of former means of discrimination has been cast aside. This was well demonstrated in the first event that was held. The hosting organization was quick to point out that the overall event was very successful, even though one team, which included a 10-year-old boy playing with a 76-year-old woman, went down in defeat, only winning three points in the entire match. Their opponents, an 18-year-old top junior player and a recently retired female tour player, had the ultimate challenge of staying motivated and focused, but in the end, they came through.

As mentioned, it was a great experience because the event also featured a new approach to competition, which includes the new rule referred to as “No Losers Allowed.” This new rule will come full circle when the other portion of that rule that is experiencing some pushback, “Winning Isn’t Everything”, is put in place.

They have also included a new category of awards for most participation in tournament play, which is judged by the amount of fees paid. This method of calculating the award through entry fees is well monitored via PayPal or Venmo (Business Accounts only) or any other payment method that can be tracked and documented by the governing body. For those participating in these multitudes of tournaments, it should also be pointed out that it could be a nice little tax deduction; check with your accountant.  

Another great breakthrough was the addition of a “Flex Schedule” for all competitive events. No more defaults or rain-outs; your entry fee will always be processed, and since the results are relatively non-impacting, “Play or Not” is another new popular tournament format, especially among the invisible behind-the-scenes administrators. This opens the door to finding many more creative and clever ways to create income under the pretense of “Growing the Game.”

In a hurry, have limited time, not a problem. Either player can alter the scoring by shortening the number of games or sets won. Again, the driving force behind all these new rules is “Fair Play,” or in this case, just “Pay and Maybe Play”; after all, that is what fair play is all about. That and the need to dramatically increase the income from competitive events to be able to meet the new payroll that the executives are awarded for being so open-minded about creating new fair play ideas. After all, sponsors can only contribute so much before they find another sport or country where consumers are more heavily influenced by a new format that is presented as more open to all participants.

And finally, organizers of any competition are also being rewarded. So, at the end of each year, those who put in those amazing number of hours, those who were a major part of the promotion, organization, and supervision, will also be recognized by receiving a certificate of appreciation which they can proudly post at either their facility or at home on their refrigerator (magnets not included).

A similar reward will also go to the tournament organizers who provided the most creative promotion for their events. This is important, as it also creates more publicity for the governing body. This year, the winning facility went all out during a 4th of July community parade by shooting tennis balls from their float using a ball machine. The successful promotion raised ample enough money for the tournament and any medical expenses incurred by parade spectators. 

“Fair Play” is only the first step in rebuilding the really important financial numbers in the sport, which should, hopefully, increase participation and the growth of the game. It's a simple equation: if the new U.S. Tennis administrators prosper, we can assume that would also include an actual increase in player participation. It’s time to step back and assess our true values and goals before we end up having only memories of filled tennis courts. Who in their right mind wants to go down the road of diminishing participation that Roller Derby experienced by only allowing one sex at a time to skate in a circle and hit others, or Croquet, which suffered from not providing enough lawn areas in backyards to set up the game? These are classic examples of lessons that should be learned when you have exclusion and a lack of available playing areas.