Forget the Sponsorships

[meowmix]

There are something like three threads right now, all talking about getting sponsorships. What the heck? In all seriousness, if you're good, the racket companies will come to you, not the other way around. What so great about a sponsorship? I severely doubt that most of the people here would be able to get a full sponsorship. A prefered player package still costs a crapload of money. Why don't you just buy up some older frames, and hit the courts. Forget about the sponsorships. When you get good enough, they'll come to you.

 

[TsongaBonga]

You're joking right?! I think people should just do what they think is best and leave this subject alone.

 

[Zhou]

I am all for what Tsonga said. Just use the search feature provided for us on this board. It is ok to share with us about sponsorships but I mean come on, there are tons of threads about this.

 

[NoBadMojo]

There are something like three threads right now, all talking about getting sponsorships. What the heck? In all seriousness, if you're good, the racket companies will come to you, not the other way around. What so great about a sponsorship? I severely doubt that most of the people here would be able to get a full sponsorship. A prefered player package still costs a crapload of money. Why don't you just buy up some older frames, and hit the courts. Forget about the sponsorships. When you get good enough, they'll come to you.

I agree. there is a thread pretty much every day about this. Someone <not me> should create a sticky. that wont stop people from creating new threads, but it may decrese it and be one container to put all these sponsorships threads people start into.

 

[nickb]

There are something like three threads right now, all talking about getting sponsorships. What the heck? In all seriousness, if you're good, the racket companies will come to you, not the other way around. What so great about a sponsorship? I severely doubt that most of the people here would be able to get a full sponsorship. A prefered player package still costs a crapload of money. Why don't you just buy up some older frames, and hit the courts. Forget about the sponsorships. When you get good enough, they'll come to you.

I agree...ive said it many times on here...people looking for sponsorships should just spend more time playing tennis instead of writing a letter to Wilson etc. If you are good enough for sponsorship they will contact you.

Nick

 

[goldenyama]

meowmix and nickb - Why be such haters?

I am a new member of these boards who is a good tennis player, but I am much more likely to be sponsored by Guinness or Burger King than any tennis brand company

However I would only fully support any young guys looking for an advantage in their careers - if they can find some help regarding sponsorships on these boards I say go for it.

So Bah Humbug to you two - and good luck to everybody who loves tennis and is trying for a sponsorship.

 

[nickb]

meowmix and nickb - Why be such haters?

I am a new member of these boards who is a good tennis player, but I am much more likely to be sponsored by Guinness or Burger King than any tennis brand company

However I would only fully support any young guys looking for an advantage in their careers - if they can find some help regarding sponsorships on these boards I say go for it.

So Bah Humbug to you two - and good luck to everybody who loves tennis and is trying for a sponsorship.

Haters?...not me..im a junior player myself. It just seems that most juniors on here care more about free/discount rackets than playing tennis.

Nick

 

[Venetian]

There are something like three threads right now, all talking about getting sponsorships. What the heck? In all seriousness, if you're good, the racket companies will come to you, not the other way around. What so great about a sponsorship? I severely doubt that most of the people here would be able to get a full sponsorship. A prefered player package still costs a crapload of money. Why don't you just buy up some older frames, and hit the courts. Forget about the sponsorships. When you get good enough, they'll come to you.

Well, I just created the latest thread about sponsorship regarding Vantage. My post was about issues with their website though. I also used the search to find out what people were saying about their sponsorship deal, which is actually just a good discount package. The amount of threads about it really helped me find the exact info I was searching for.

So in short...mind your own business and don't create pointless threads bashing other threads.

 

[Duzza]

Haters?...not me..im a junior player myself. It just seems that most juniors on here care more about free/discount rackets than playing tennis.

Nick

Nick, just looked at your website and I gotta say we share a FREAKY resemblance.......sorry, go on.

 

[goldenyama]

nickb - I appreciate what you mean about worrying more about equipment and bragging rights than ability, I just thought that it was harsh to condemn kids for looking for some free racquets.

I first picked up a tennis racquet at the age of 14 (pretty late, I am now 26) - I instantly loved it and found I was quite good (Previously I had played cricket, I am from New Zealand). Anyway, by the age of 17 I was playing in and doing OK in under 18 regional tournaments in New Zealand (nothing to write home about, the quality of play compared to youth tournaments in the USA is probably a joke)

The point I am making is I had ONE second hand Pro Staff 6.0 that was too heavy for me - my backup racquet looked like the one Jimmy Connors used to use. I had HammerLast strings in my Pro Staff - I thought they were the best strings ever coz they never broke, I had no money for new ones. (Strings in NZ are VERY expensive).

I biked to the courts on my bicycle, ready to play the other boys driven there in their dads BMW, decked out in full Nike or Adidas, with the inevitable massive red Wilson bags full of expensive racquets.

Anyway, thats why I would never begrudge any kid any attempt to get some free sticks, strings or gear.

meowmix - you said they should just buy up some older player sticks and hit the courts, maybe thats not an option? The cost of racquets, balls, strings, shoes and gear is a lot - not everyone that plays and loves tennis comes from a family with money to spare.

Anyway, sorry to inflict on you guys my 'When I were a lad, I had to break the ice on my cornflakes' story...just thought I might suggest that buying the neccessary equipment to compete day in and day out in tennis matches is easier for some than others.

 

[nickb]

Yeah im not talking about kids who need equipment or those who cant afford it...im talking about the kids that go around bragging about the sponsorhip both here and at the courts...I get sick of hearinring it (the type who have money to buy rackets but get the sponsorhip because they think it makes them better players). If people are sponsored thats great but its not good to go around dropping it in every sentance.

Nick

 

[goldenyama]

nikcb - I hear ya. No doubt you have more experience with sponsorship seekers than me. I just know that if there was ANY chance of me getting a free stick back when I was playing junior tournaments, I would have sold my soul for it.

I say if they brag about their sponsored sticks and you beat them - then you can give them s**t. Ask them if their sponsored stick hits more lines than yours?

I still wouldn't dis any attempt on these boards to look for free gear. Also, if you are a top junior, I would grab all the free s**t I could!!

 

[nickb]

Im not ranked high enough to get sponsored as I dont really play many tournaments...im lucky that my dunlops are $50 new!

Nick

 

[meowmix]

nickb - I appreciate what you mean about worrying more about equipment and bragging rights than ability, I just thought that it was harsh to condemn kids for looking for some free racquets.

I first picked up a tennis racquet at the age of 14 (pretty late, I am now 26) - I instantly loved it and found I was quite good (Previously I had played cricket, I am from New Zealand). Anyway, by the age of 17 I was playing in and doing OK in under 18 regional tournaments in New Zealand (nothing to write home about, the quality of play compared to youth tournaments in the USA is probably a joke)

The point I am making is I had ONE second hand Pro Staff 6.0 that was too heavy for me - my backup racquet looked like the one Jimmy Connors used to use. I had HammerLast strings in my Pro Staff - I thought they were the best strings ever coz they never broke, I had no money for new ones. (Strings in NZ are VERY expensive).

I biked to the courts on my bicycle, ready to play the other boys driven there in their dads BMW, decked out in full Nike or Adidas, with the inevitable massive red Wilson bags full of expensive racquets.

Anyway, thats why I would never begrudge any kid any attempt to get some free sticks, strings or gear.

meowmix - you said they should just buy up some older player sticks and hit the courts, maybe thats not an option? The cost of racquets, balls, strings, shoes and gear is a lot - not everyone that plays and loves tennis comes from a family with money to spare.

Anyway, sorry to inflict on you guys my 'When I were a lad, I had to break the ice on my cornflakes' story...just thought I might suggest that buying the neccessary equipment to compete day in and day out in tennis matches is easier for some than others.

Point taken. I come from a family that's rolling in dough, but I play a 50 buck Gamma Ipex 7.0 frame, my backup is a cracked Wilson n5, and a woodie. I own NO tennis shoes, and no tennis apparel. My bag is a 7 dollar TW bag that I got off of TW. The point I was trying to make was that the kids should stop worrying about getting a sponsorship; they should use that time to hit the courts instead. I can understand that frames are expensive and all, but for most of the juniors here, they're just trying to squeeze a few more frames out of the companies. In my opinion, if you've got a halfway decent frame, go out and hit the courts. Have fun, enjoy yourself. Don't worry about the sponsorships.

That's all I was trying to say.

Meowmix

 

[meowmix]

meowmix and nickb - Why be such haters?

I am a new member of these boards who is a good tennis player, but I am much more likely to be sponsored by Guinness or Burger King than any tennis brand company

However I would only fully support any young guys looking for an advantage in their careers - if they can find some help regarding sponsorships on these boards I say go for it.

So Bah Humbug to you two - and good luck to everybody who loves tennis and is trying for a sponsorship.

LOL. Nice sense of humor

All I'm saying is that these people should stop worrying so much about getting a sponsorship. I'm not against using this board to help people get them (but I do think that they should be compiled into a sticky), but I think that it's a bit too much to be wasting hours every day writing to Wilson in an attempt to get sponsered when you could be using that time to hit the courts.

 

[meowmix]

On a side note, how do you sticky a thread?

 

[PROTENNIS63]

On a side note, how do you sticky a thread?

you have to give a request to a mod or admin. But the thread has to have importantce and so far this thread hasn't shown much of it.

 

[meowmix]

you have to give a request to a mod or admin. But the thread has to have importantce and so far this thread hasn't shown much of it.

Thanks, just wondering. I was thinking of having a thread where information about sponsorships is compiled into a massive thread, instead of these little ones that just take up space.

 

[Venetian]

Point taken. I come from a family that's rolling in dough, but I play a 50 buck Gamma Ipex 7.0 frame, my backup is a cracked Wilson n5, and a woodie. I own NO tennis shoes, and no tennis apparel. My bag is a 7 dollar TW bag that I got off of TW. The point I was trying to make was that the kids should stop worrying about getting a sponsorship; they should use that time to hit the courts instead. I can understand that frames are expensive and all, but for most of the juniors here, they're just trying to squeeze a few more frames out of the companies. In my opinion, if you've got a halfway decent frame, go out and hit the courts. Have fun, enjoy yourself. Don't worry about the sponsorships.

That's all I was trying to say.

Meowmix

Don't worry about what other people worry about.

Only helpful threads get sticked by the way, and this is anything but.

 

[Deleted member 6835]

There are something like three threads right now, all talking about getting sponsorships. What the heck? In all seriousness, if you're good, the racket companies will come to you, not the other way around. What so great about a sponsorship? I severely doubt that most of the people here would be able to get a full sponsorship. A prefered player package still costs a crapload of money. Why don't you just buy up some older frames, and hit the courts. Forget about the sponsorships. When you get good enough, they'll come to you.

I agree guys. I've gone through this cycle and i myself did hunt down some sponsorships. Honestly, get 1 or 2 rackets, restring every 2-3 weeks, and play some tennis. Sponsorship will come when it is time for it...

 

[Alafter]

Getting sponsorship is a legit idea: I dont see why not. Spend a few moments that you're not playing tennis, or you have free time, etc. to do this. As a part of the professional workforce, I write my resume and seek advice how to improve my chance of getting jobs. I dont see how this is any different.

On the other hand, if you have a thing against players who brag and boast about their sponsorships, that's another issue altogether. I dont think it's right to mix it up with the legit idea of getting a sponsorship and then start making statements and claims.

In the workforce, when you are good enough, HR's and headhunters will come after you. But until then, you take every chance you get to improve your chance of getting a better position.

Ever since I started working, the stupidest idea i can think of for any worker is to stick to a mantra or idea that i will work my darn hardest and everything else will follow. No. I work hard when I need to, but I also socialize and PR myself in order to accelerate my getting ahead. And it worked.