The question is, what if any obligation does the USTA have to ensure there is something of a level playing field?
And if they don't, will that affect participation as some captains/players decide there is no point as they can't compete?
I think it is important to step back and look at the bigger picture before we drill down on a specific issue and USTA's role.
USTA is the official USA tennis organization. Because of that they have received billions of dollars from various royalties due to exclusive rights that has granted them. They have an overall obligation to support tennis in this country. That is their job and their purpose.
What do they do to promote tennis? If we just look at the titles and descriptions of the top executives it suggests they do quite a bit to subsidize families with promising juniors? Are these families so poor and need to be subsidized? I don't know. Is buying and maintaining a huge complex in Orlando and investing in real estate in other individual cities the way to go? Again I don't know for sure. That said USTA clearly does not care about Adult rec tennis.
USTA does not even have someone in charge of adult recreational tennis. (At least last time I checked if there is someone now then let me know.) So no one is making goals or being held accountable. They just have Adult Rec Tennis going as a sort of tack on/medal program. "Look at all we do for tennis" They basically react to minor complaints and issues raised by a few angry people from time to time with no overall vision or thought on how their Adult rec tennis programs might be expanded or improved. If anyone is aware of any such statement or strategy let me know.
Their actions indicate they do not think adult rec tennis is important for tennis in this country. They have been talking about this world tennis number for years and look at what a complete joke it is. Every chess site in the world has a rating system that instantly calculates ratings for thousands to millions of games much more accurately. And these guys take *years* to put up this grotesque and poorly thought out system? Who is responsible for that dismal failure?
Schmke I bet you have done more simulations and predictions of their rating system then USTA just for the love of tennis and to make a few bucks on the side with your reports - which are very reasonably priced by the way. So when you make a suggestion does USTA say hey this guy is someone who understands the system and should be listened to? Does USTA reach out and say hey this is a guy passionate about our adult rec tennis lets see if we can get him involved? Same with the guys at TR. From what I hear they get defensive and offer a cold shoulder. There are tons of statisticians/programmers who could design a transparent rating system that would give tennis players legitimate and objective goals for almost nothing as compared to their overall budget or even the amount they collect in adult dues per year. There is no excuse for this but no one is accountable.
Adult rec players are the people that will introduce their children grand children and nieces and nephews to the game. Adult rec players are the backbone of tennis in the United States.
As for this issue I think USTA is fine allowing teams to recruit if they want for some sections. But maybe have other types of play where that is not allowed. There are tens of millions of adult rec tennis players USTA can and should offer all sorts of programs and leagues.
I have nothing against this guy in the video even though I don't understand him. It's a free country and we all have our dreams. I hope he continues to pursue his - I doubt my own tennis dreams would withstand any sort of objective scrutiny. Especially since I want to somehow get good enough to win a super-bowl ring.
Couldn't be bothered to watch 34 mins worth. But based on the synopsis...
I don't object, but I think the money could be better spent on local players.
In the past when I captained teams, I've paid for other players' USTA and team fees, and covered their court costs. These were all local younger players that were struggling financially, and I was able to afford it. I viewed it as giving back to the sport. It was more about helping them be able to play at all, more so than winning.
Paying to fly players in from out of town seems like not the best use of the money. With the same amount, you could help out many more local players.
Then again, I'm not one to tell other people how to spend their money.
I had a player move to Atlanta (after the regular season but before regionals) and we were going to have to default a court at tri level regionals because all the other 3.0s couldn't make it. So I was going to pay for his plane ticket - I really wanted to go to San Diego! (But it was not to be) He ended up coming out and playing and worked it out with his work schedule so I didn't have to pay for the ticket.
But yes in general paying to fly players is not how I can ever imagine spending my own money. But like you I'm not one to tell other people how to spend their money. And as far as I care he should be able to pursue his dream of winning 4.5 nationals however he wants. There are far worse dreams.
