Category: Tennis Industry

Is Tennis Participation Limited by the Way the Sport is Marketed?

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A version of this article was originally posted in Racketbusinessnews.com in September 2019.

Tennis players have historically had demographics that make them an appealing market for companies wanting to sell sports cars, brokerage services, classy watches, and exotic vacation destinations. Hats off to the USTA for exploiting these demographics to generate significant revenue from sponsorships, advertising, and television rights to the U.S. Open.

Without a doubt, the U.S. Open provides positive exposure for the sport, and the USTA has used a portion of this revenue to develop programs that have been passed down to its 17 sections. With that in mind, it is fair to ask whether the use of the industry’s demographics to portray tennis as “the sport of kings” has diminished its appeal to the masses and played a role in equipment sales and participation levels that have been stagnant since 2010.

The following analysis compares the gender, ethnicity, age, education, and household income of the tennis population, as defined by TIA, to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This data and analysis can be used to develop retention strategies in market segments where the needs of the players have been met. In addition, it points out underserved markets, where more costly and time-consuming investments are required to attract players.

Gender – Tennis is dominated by males. Data not included in the TIA 2019 study shows that 80% of USPTA professionals are male and only 8% of the top 100 women on the WTA tour have a female who coaches in some capacity.

Table I – Gender TIA 2019 vs. U.S. Population
GenderTIA 2019Census
Male55.0%50.8%
Female45.0%49.2%
Total100.0%100.0%
Source: TIA, Headwaters Economics, U.S. Census Bureau, WTA, United States Professional Tennis Association.

Over the years, research in women’s sports has been conducted by many credible individuals and organizations. More recently, the WTCA has actively taken steps to increase the number of women tennis players and coaches. What else can industry leaders to increase the number of women players and coaches?

Ethnicity – A majority of tennis players are White/Caucasians. Table II shows that Whites/Caucasians and Asians are overrepresented in the tennis population and Hispanics, Blacks, and other minorities are underrepresented.

Table II – Ethnicity TIA 2019 vs. U.S. Population
EthnicityTIA 2019Census
White/Caucasian69.5%61.5%
Hispanic10.8%17.6%
Asian9.4%5.3%
Black/African American8.9%12.3%
Other1.4%3.4%
Total100.0%100.0%
Source: TIA, Headwaters Economics, and U.S. Census Bureau

For at least 30 years, tennis organizations have established well-intended committees and programs that looked at the challenge of making tennis available to underserved communities. How can the industry provide funding or grants to build courts and hire certified professionals to increase participation in underserved communities where programs and committees have been unsuccessful? What additional actions can be taken to actively meet the needs of underserved areas?

Age of Players – The median age of tennis players is about 10 years younger than the overall population, in part because about one-in-four players are under the age of 18. In addition, about half the tennis population is between the ages of 18 and 44.

Table III – Age TIA 2019 vs. U.S. Population
Age of PlayersTIA 2019Census
6 to 1213.5%9.7%
13 to 1712.6%7.1%
18 to 2413.7%10.4%
25 to 3420.4%14.8%
35 to 4417.0%13.7%
45 to 5512.4%14.5%
55+10.6%29.8%
Total100.0%100.0%
Median Age (all values)30.040.4
Median Age (over 17)36.746.8
Source: TIA, Headwaters Economics, and U.S. Census Bureau Note: The Census data was adjusted for unique TIA categories. In addition, TIA only counted players who were older than 5 years.

The data shows the importance of retention in increasing tennis participation. Tennis is a sport that can be played for a lifetime; however, the data shows there is a sharp drop off in play when players turn 45. Will this decline in senior participation increase as senior take up pickleball and golf? What can the industry do to attract more juniors and retain existing juniors?

Education – Tennis players have high educational aspirations.

Table IV – Education TIA 2019 vs. U.S. Population
EducationTIA 2019Census
High School Graduate98.5%87.3%
Bachelor’s Degree41.2%30.9%
Graduate or Professional23.5%%11.8%
Source: TIA, Headwaters Economics, and U.S. Census Bureau Note: The TIA data was adjusted to account for only adults.

Student-athletes and their parents should be strong advocates for tennis programs in PK-20 education. How can tennis players be stronger advocates and supporters of tennis and physical education programs in elementary and secondary education? How can the industry motivate high school players to play tennis or other sports on a year-round basis? How can junior tournament players be motivated to play in high school programs? What can be done to improve the quality of coaching in high school programs? How can high school tennis players be encouraged to continue their careers in college athletic, club, or intramural programs? What type of funding or grants can the industry provide to build more courts and create more programs at high schools and colleges?

Household Income (HHI) – Tennis players have a median HHI that is significantly greater than the U.S. HHI.

Table V – HHI TIA 2019 vs. U.S. Population
HHITIA 2019Census
$100,000 +41.7%26.2%
$75,000 to $99,99917.4%12.3%
$50,000 to $74,99916.8%17.7%
$25,000 to $49,99916.1%22.5%
Less than $25,0008.0%21.4%
Total100.0%100.0%
Median HHI$88,100$57,462
Source: TIA, Headwaters Economics, and U.S. Census Bureau

It is possible for players to spend anywhere from a small amount of money to tens of thousands of dollars playing tennis each year. How can the tennis industry make the sport more accessible or affordable for players in lower income brackets? Can more unstructured or informal play, such as drop-in tennis, be incorporated in more facility programs to meet the needs of players who are not interested in formal or structured activities? How can the profession make tennis sexier and have the allure that it had when Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes?

Using Demographics to Promote Participation –Wouldn’t it be great if industry leaders took a more in-depth look at the sports demographics, and other data, to find ways to make tennis more appealing to the masses?  Wouldn’t it be great if the industry leaders developed attraction and retention programs that were designed, supported, and financed by the industry? Wouldn’t it be great if industry leaders could legitimately say there are 30 million tennis players in the U.S. and equipment sales, junior and adult participation, and the number of teaching professionals have been on the rise for the last eight years?

International Premier Tennis League – A Hit in Kickoff Season

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This past November, the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) kicked off with competition between the:
• Micromax Indian Aces
• Musafir.com UAE Royals
• Manila Mavericks
• DBS Singapore Slammers

Match play includes:
1. Five sets
a. Men’s Singles
b. Women’s Singles
c. Mixed Doubles
d. Men’s Doubles
e. Men’s Legends’ Singles
2. Each set is played first to six games with a five minute shoot-out at five-all.
3. No-ad scoring applies for each game and each game won counts as one point for the team’s total.

The order of play is to be decided by the home team, and the team lineup is given to the umpire 45 minutes before the match starts. There are other slight differences in the rules that make the matches fun for all parties.

Critics of the league claim that it is not real tennis, that it is a commercial venture to benefit the league owner, and that it will detract from the WTA and ATP circuits. The critics are entitled to their opinions; however, it should be noted that the first season of the league was well received by fans and players. That is great for the sport!

Colorado tennis fans should note that Scott Davidoff, former coach for the CU men’s tennis team, is the Executive Director for the IPTL. Hats off to Scott and his group for demonstrating to people around the world how much fun it is to play and watch tennis.

For more details on the IPTL click here or check out the embedded You Tube video below.

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/oi2Is7pMlx4″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen>

Bill Scanlon – American Tennis Doesn’t Have to Suck

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The following editorial was written by Bill Scanlon. It was posted on various websites prior to the firing of Patrick McEnroe.

Scanlon’s sentiment is that American tennis doesn’t need to suck. He stated that if you agree, please repost, send this to at least three people via email, and join AdvantageUSATennis.com (it’s free!).

Scanlon won the NCAA Singles Championships as a freshman at Trinity. Afterwards he turned professional and played on the ATP tour for 13 years. At one point he was a top ten player and reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open.

If I Wanted to Keep American Tennis Down

By Bill Scanlon

Last year, my partner and I formed Advantage USA Tennis, a non-profit to help support and promote American tennis. Just for fun, we imagined what we might do if our goal was, instead, to keep American tennis in the dumps.

Here are some of our crazy and entertaining ideas. Obviously, no one would ever actually do them, but just imagine….

First, we’d formally establish a “system” and make sure that every player has to learn the exact same way. That way, if faced with polar opposites like Sampras and Agassi, we could guarantee that one or the other will be shut down.

Next, centralize all the training into one location. Make sure that the players are only exposed to one teaching philosophy and a very few teachers.

At the junior level, we’d reduce the number of national tournaments. There are too damn many opportunities for kids to get excited about tennis. We need most of them to be discouraged and moving on to other sports.

Unfortunately, some players will still show promise. We’d identify these potential champions (threats) early – offer financial incentives to get them into our system. Get them to leave whatever environment has helped them develop thus far. They must relocate to the central training center and conform to the system.

Once we have the players in the system:

Remove the parents. Their love and passionate support could nurture and motivate, potentially causing a player to believe that he could become a champion. Strong parental (or family) influence must not be allowed, as it could result in a future Connors, Agassi, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, McEnroe, Chang, Bryan Brothers, Williams Sisters, Evert, Sharapova, Graf, Hingis, Seles, Jaeger, Pierce, etc.

Also, remove any coach (or major influence) who has had previous success with the player. Strong, loyal, one-on-one bonds could result in a future Borg, Vilas, Federer, Sampras, Lendl, Becker, Edberg, Roddick, Navratilova, Austin, Davenport, etc.

Coaches should be assigned, shared, and changed often. Allow no personal bonding, continuity, or individual loyalty because these could encourage and motivate the players. It could also build confidence and unacceptable levels of self-esteem. Ideally, a coach should be assigned to a male and female player simultaneously, on separate tours.

Coaches (especially former top-ten players) should be required to teach conformity by the system. Allowing their personal experience and individual knowledge could lead to unacceptable progress.

Finally, once the system has achieved the goal (American tennis sucks), it’s time to build an even bigger central training center and an even bigger system to perpetuate the problem.

USTA Player Development Not Producing Elite Players

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The USTA Player Development program has never been effective, but in 2014 it continues to reach new lows. Prior to the U.S. Open there are only two men ranked in the top 50  and 6 men ranked in the top 100.

Going into the 2014 U.S. Open there are 27 countries with men ranked in the top 50 according to the ATP rankings. There are three countries with more than two ranked men:

  • Spain – 10 players
  • France – 6 players
  • Czechoslovakia 3 players.

The following countries each have two players ranked in the top 50:

  • Switzerland – 3rd and 4th
  • Argentina – 13th and 26th
  • Canada – 6th and 46th
  • Croatia – 27th and 30th
  • Germany – 25th and 35th
  • USA – 15th and 47th
  • Italy – 17th and 49th

John Isner and Donald Young are the top ranked Americans.

The following countries each have one player ranked in the top 50:

  • Serbia – 1st
  • Bulgaria – 8th
  • Great Britain – 9th
  • Japan – 11th
  • Latvia – 12th
  • Rhodesia/South Africa – 20th
  • Ukraine – 22nd
  • Russia – 23rd
  • Columbia – 32nd
  • Taipei/Taiwan – 34th
  • Portugal – 38th
  • Uruguay – 40th
  • Australia – 41st
  • Poland – 43rd
  • Uzbekistan 44th
  • Austria – 45th
  • Kazakhstan – 50th

Only six American men are ranked in the top 100. In addition to Isner and Querrey, the other top 100 Americans are:

  • Steve Johnson – 51st
  • Jack Sock – 55th
  • Sam Querrey – 57th
  • Tim Smyzcek – 90th

Thanks to the USTA Player Development Program, the state of American professional tennis has never been worse.

USTA Player Development Program – Quantity not Quality

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As the U.S. Open approaches, the USTA press corps will be out in force to brag about the great crop of young American women produced by the USTA Player Development program.

Unfortunately for the Americans and the USTA, other countries are producing players who can actually win in the Grand Slams. To date, the USTA Player Development program has produced a contingency of players who will be eliminated by the third round. Quantity will be the mantra for the young American women in the 2014 U.S. Open, not quality.

The August 18th WTA rankings show the USA is at the top of the leader board for the greatest number of players in the top 50. There are 22 countries with players ranked in the top 50:

  • USA – 8
  • Czech Republic – 5
  • Italy – 4
  • Russia – 4
  • China – 3
  • Germany – 3
  • Serbia -3

The following countries each have two players ranked in the top 50:

  • Australia
  • France
  • Kazakhstan
  • Slovakia
  • Spain

The following countries each have one player ranked in the top 50:

  • Belgium
  • Canada
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Japan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom

A closer look at the rankings shows that Serena Williams is at the top of the list. Her sister Venus is ranked 20th. Sloane Stephens is ranked 22nd and Madison Keys is 28th.

The remaining four American women are far from being world-beaters. They are ranked between 39th and 48th and include Coco Vandeweghe, Christina McHale, Alison Riske, and Lauren Davis.

The Americans other than the Williams sisters are 19 to 24 years old. Contemporaries of this group include Halep, Kvitova, Bouchard, Wozniacki, Krunic, Cornet, and Bencic. Elite players who are slightly older include Radwanska, Cibulkova, and Azarenka. None of the young Americans have demonstrated the ability to compete against these players with success.

Most of the top 50 American women are young. Time will tell if they will mature and improve or if they continue to be cannon fodder for the world’s elite players.

 

TIA Positively Spins the Value of Tennis Industry

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On March 22, the Tennis Industry Association (TIA) issued a press release titled, ” 2014 State of the Industry Values Tennis Economy at $5.55 Billion.” The emphasis was placed on $5.55 million.

There is a reason the TIA press release did not mention the amount of change in the value of the industry. A year ago TIA reported the tennis industry was valued at $5.4 billion in 2011. Between 2011 and 2013, the value of the tennis industry increased by $.15 billion, or 2.8%. Between 2011 and 2013, the CPI for all items increased by 3.2%.

The value of the industry did not keep up with the increase in inflation. In other words, the net value of the industry declined slightly over the past two years.

Tennis is an important part of our society, it is a small industry that employs workers in all states; however, the tennis industry is not a significant part of the U.S. economy.

Nominal GDP increased from $15.5 trillion in 2011 to $16.7 trillion in 2013, an increase of 8.2%. (The nominal GDP is used because the TIA data is not adjusted for inflation).

The value of the industry increased at a rate less than GDP output. In other words, the value of the tennis industry expanded at a rate lower than the overall economy, i.e. tennis is losing market share.

There are three possible reasons for the “stagnation” of the value of the industry.
• Over the past year, the sport attracted more “occasional players” than “frequent” players. While the total number of players may have increased, the newcomers didn’t spend as much as the industry core, the “frequent” player. Historically, the industry has a poor track record of converting “occasional players” to “frequent players.” For example, there were only 5.9 million frequent players in 1999. Today that number is about 5.4 million.
• There is a flaw in the methodology for the collection of the TIA data.
• The industry is growing; however, there are weaknesses.

The TIA has to publicly spin the data – that is what they are getting paid to do. Hopefully they are accompanying the spin with a dose of reality in board rooms and behind closed doors.

Tennis Scorekeepers

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For many years, tennis facilities did not have portable tennis scorekeepers on each court. Since most play is recreational, club managers didn’t feel they were necessary. The reason for not including them was certainly not the cost. Depending on the model a scorekeeper is only $50 to $75 per unit.

The scorekeepers are ideal for league play and tournaments. In addition, they can be used for instructional drills. In many cases, they are even being used for recreational matches.

Their greatest value is for junior programs. For kids just learning to play the sport, the scorekeepers reduce the confusion of keeping score. As it turns out, most juniors do an excellent job posting the score correctly, particularly if they are winning.

The scorekeepers allow parents to be more engaged in the matches because they always know the score. They can easily follow multiple matches or keep track of the score when they are interrupted.

If you are a tennis player at a facility that does not have tennis scorekeepers, encourage the facility manager to make them available. Such a simple investment improves the tennis experience for the players and spectators alike.

tennis scorekeeper

 

USTA Women’s Player Development – Quantity or Quality?

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After dominating the women’s circuit in 2013, it was no surprise to see Serena Williams’ name at the top of the WTA January 6, 2014 rankings. Given the global appeal of the sport it was also no surprise that players from 10 countries filled out the top 10 slots.

  1. Serena Williams  United States
  2. Victoria Azarenka  Belarus
  3. Maria Sharapova  Russia
  4. Na Li  China
  5. Agnieszka Radwanska  Poland
  6. Petra Kvitova  Czech Republic
  7. Sara Errani  Italy
  8. Jelena Jankovic  Serbia
  9. Angelique Kerber  Germany
  10. Caroline Wozniacki  Denmark.

Only two Americans earned spots in the top 25. In addition to Serena Williams, Sloane Stephens was ranked 13th. The top 25 included players from 16 countries. The following six countries had multiple players in the top 25:

  • 5 Russia
  • 2 Germany
  • 2 Italy
  • 2 Romania
  • 2 Serbia
  • 2 United States.

Players from 37 countries were ranked in the top 100. The following 21 countries had multiple players in the top 100:

  • 11 United States
  • 7 Germany
  • 6 Italy
  • 6 Russia
  • 6 Spain
  • 5 Czech Republic
  • 5 Slovakia
  • 4 China
  • 4 France
  • 4 Japan
  • 4 Romania
  • 3 Serbia
  • 3 Ukraine
  • 2 Austria
  • 2 Belarus
  • 2 Belgium
  • 2 Croatia
  • 2 Israel
  • 2 Kazakhstan
  • 2 Poland
  • 2 Switzerland

A closer look at the rankings shows that most of the Americans women are not in the upper echelon.  The American women and their ranking in the top 100 follow:

  • 1  Serena Williams
  • 13  Sloane Stephens
  • 28  Jamie Hampton
  • 36  Madison Keys
  • 38  Venus Williams
  • 48  Bethanie Mattek-Sands
  • 52  Varvara Lepchenko
  • 55  Alison Riske
  • 65  Christina McHale
  • 67  Lauren Davis
  • 71  Vania King

On a positive note, there are more American players in the top 100 than any other country. On the downside, Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens are the only impact players.

Clearly, the focus of the USTA Player Development is quantity rather than quality. Time will tell whether Stephens and her younger counterparts will follow in the footsteps of the Williams sisters and someday become difference-makers.

 

Is Tennis Really a Lifetime Sport?

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For many years the tennis industry has marketed itself as a lifetime sport.

Data produced by the National Sporting Goods Association shows that about 28% of tennis players are juniors, 7 to 17 years in age.

Many stop playing when they graduate from high school or college and enter the workforce. Only about 9.0% of tennis players are between the ages of 18 and 24.

Once they become more settled they again pick up their racquets or start playing for the first time. Almost 57% of the players are between the ages of 25 and 54.

Only 7.0% of players are 55 years old or greater.

When a comparison is made between the age categories for tennis and all sports and leisure activities, it is apparent that tennis is not a lifetime sport. Essentially, fewer players participate when they reach their 50s.

Is tennis a lifetime sport? It is a great sport and it can be played long after a person graduates from high school or college. Given the data, it may be a stretch to call it a lifetime sport .

lifetime sport
Is tennis really a lifetime sport?

Title IX – Opportunities for Men and Women Tennis Coaches

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The adoption of Title IX in 1972 created opportunities for women athletes and coaches.

Currently, 8 of the 11 head coaches in the PAC 12 women’s’ tennis programs are female. The USC, Oregon, and Utah programs have male head coaches and Oregon State is the lone school without a tennis program.

Four of the 10 assistant coaches are female and 2 of the 6 volunteer coaches are female. Overall 14 of the 27 coaches for women’s’ teams are female.

It is a much different story with the men. There are 8 schools with programs (OSU, WSU, CU, and ASU do not have men’s programs.)  All 23 coaches (head, assistant, and volunteer) are males.  This is a bit surprising, given there are qualified women who are capable of coaching men.

Given there are differences in coaching men and women, it makes sense that a majority of the head coaches are female. The fact that a majority of the assistant and volunteer coaches are male is an indication that men have learned the subtleties of coaching women.  It is also an indication that

there is a larger labor pool of male coaches and teaching professionals than women. Finally, many head coaches, including women head coaches, prefer to have men on their staffs because they can hit the ball harder in workouts with the women players.

Overall, the PAC 12 ratio of male to female coaches is 72% men/28% women. This is not significantly different from the male/female ratio of the teaching/coaching profession. The good news is that because of Title IX, more qualified women coaches are working in coaching positions and more men have become qualified to coach women.