The Need for Improved Data in the Tennis Industry

Over the next decade, the tennis industry must improve the quantity and quality of tennis-related data in the public domain to allow stakeholders to effectively attract and retain players, teaching professionals, coaches, and tennis-related businesses to the industry.

The industry has been slow to adopt technology. Slow is not necessarily bad. It is not always necessary to be an early adapter.

Areas of adoption include tennis analytics. Most cell phones have video capabilities, and tennis charting apps are abundant. A popular form of tennis analytics combines charting with video analysis, a technology that has existed in other sports for at least a decade. Tennis professionals can increase their on-court effectiveness with the proper use of tennis analytics.

On the business operations side of the equation, contact management software and court reservation systems allow facility managers to personalize and improve the tennis experience for facility users. Some of these software applications reduce operating costs and increase efficiency.

Broadcasting systems have allowed tennis programs to stream tennis matches or other activities. They may also have security or safety capabilities. These systems allow facilities to make their programs available beyond their physical borders.

The most urgent data need is having access to credible real-time information in the public domain that can be used to make better business decisions and industry policies.

The announced reduction in employment did not surprise a group of private-sector economists who felt other data sets did not support the published level of growth.

The tennis industry can learn from the BLS process.

BLS uses surveys and models to determine the employment data for initial wage and salary (CES). The benchmark revisions use data from the mandatory Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) forms completed by all businesses. The QCEW forms are more accurate; however, there is a lag of up to seven months to allow companies to complete the forms.

There is a trade-off between producing timely and accurate data. The preliminary CES data is timely. After benchmark revisions based on the QCEW data, it becomes more accurate.

The methodologies for conducting the CES and tennis participation survey are solid. As seen in the case of the BLS, errors happen, even with a $675 million budget! Solid methodology does not guarantee accurate results. The QCEW data serves as a mechanism for revising the CES data. The tennis participation survey does not have a mechanism for benchmarking the data; however, there are ways to address this issue 

Tennis Data Needed to Tell the Story of the Industry

Just as many data sets can be used to describe the economic performance of the United States, there should be credible tennis data sets compiled by industry leaders to tell the story of the tennis economy.

The right-hand column of Table I includes data frequently used to describe the performance of the U.S. economy. A federal agency compiles most datasets, and it is available in the public domain.

The left-hand column provides data that would be appropriate to use in a discussion about the economic performance of the tennis economy. Not all of this data exists. It must be compiled and published by industry leaders.

What additional data would add value to a discussion about the U.S. tennis economy?

Examples of Data Created by Other Industries

Over the years, many organizations have published regular economic reports to supplement the traditional data sets published by state and federal agencies. The following examples illustrate the value of creating custom data to understand the performance of specific industries.

American Chemistry Council – The ACC produces regular economic forecasts and reports. They have found a close correlation between the consumption of chemical goods and the performance of the U.S. economy. It would be interesting to see how the movement of the tennis industry correlates with changes in the U.S. economy.

Census Household Pulse Surveys – The Census Bureau works with other federal agencies to address social and economic matters affecting American households. During the pandemic, an iteration of the Pulse Surveys was extremely valuable in understanding the needs of Americans. This type of survey could help the industry understand the mindset of tennis participants on a real-time basis. 

ADP Employment – ADP is a leading payroll company. It also produces the ADP Employment Report, a monthly analysis of private-sector employment. The ADP report uses company data to estimate employment levels. Other companies, with access to company data, use it to understand movement in the labor market. Variations of the ADP process could help understand trends in the industry.

ABI Index – The AIA produces the Architect Billing Index (ABI), a monthly leading economic indicator that forecasts nonresidential construction activity nine to 12 months in advance. Forward-looking indices are a valuable tool for measuring participant sentiment. It makes sense to have a leading indicator for the tennis industry.

Morning Consult – Morning Consult, a high-frequency data company, opened its doors in 2014 to collect data that addresses business issues, brand awareness, and trends in economics, business, and politics. Data collection may include surveys conducted over a very short period (hours or minutes). There are many uses for high-frequency data in the tennis industry.

USTA Social Media – Since 2016, the USTA has focused on measuring its digital footprint. These creative efforts will play a part in understanding and shaping the perception of American tennis.

Tennis Data for the Coming Decade

While tennis participation will undoubtedly increase over the next decade, demographics and population projections suggest the tennis industry will face a stiff challenge in attracting players and teaching professionals.

There are two stories in the chart from the 2023 Physical Activity Council’s Overview Report on Participation (https://www.physicalactivitycouncil.org/).

• There is a higher percentage of racquet sports participation in 2022 compared to the 2020 PAC report, reflecting the increase in tennis participation caused by COVID-related policies and the increased popularity of pickleball.

• Participation in racquet sports is slightly higher than in water sports and winter sports categories. Racquet sports participation is much less than fitness sports, other individual sports, outdoor sports, and team sports.

The takeaway is simple. Over the next decade, the tennis industry must bring its “A” game. The current data is adequate. Additional data is necessary. It must be valid, reliable, credible, relevant, timely, and available in the public domain.

Quality data can help build trust and cooperation between stakeholders as they work to attract participants, professionals, coaches, and businesses to the industry. Expanding the industry will be a real dogfight!