Why DC Is No Longer U.S. Open Series?

[marc45]

great reporting here by Ben Rothenberg on the summer hardcourts and television coverage

http://www.si.com/tennis/2015/08/13...arate-us-open-series-tennis-channel-espn-usta

 

[skip1969]

honestly, i've never understood why the us open series was even created, other than a marketing gimmick and a rebranding money grab. i've never cared two cents for it. the summer hardcourt season has always been the summer hardcourt season. and it has always mattered a lot in this country, particularly to players who want to succeed at the us open.

 

[ford oliver]

Yes, the US Open Series was putting a fresh coat of paint on the US summer hardcout season you have enjoyed for the past 25 years. It made the television presentation a bit more cohesive by rebranding it and making it more marketable (the words "gimmick" and "money grab" are a bit pejorative...commercialization is essential to sporting events' survival these days). We know the Race or points standings did nothing to encourage play...nobody played an extra event to cement their standing in the top three. The events were the same for the players and hopefully the fans enjoyed them as much as always.

 

[tacou]

I started same thread last week

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/washington-no-longer-uso-series.540503/

To me it's a shame, I like the idea of the series and the loss of Washington does in fact make the whole thing seem kind of pointless.

honestly, i've never understood why the us open series was even created, other than a marketing gimmick and a rebranding money grab. i've never cared two cents for it. the summer hardcourt season has always been the summer hardcourt season. and it has always mattered a lot in this country, particularly to players who want to succeed at the us open.

I disagree and don't get the vitriol. The USO Series is a perfect buildup to the US Open. It also appeals to American sports sensibilities.
I don't get what you mean by "gimmick." The summer HC already WAS a build up to the USO, they're just throwing more money at the players and trying to pull in more viewers. How is that bad?

Also, why would YOU care all that much. I'm sure the players who can earn $1M or more in bonus money care about it a great deal.

 

[tacou]

great reporting here by Ben Rothenberg on the summer hardcourts and television coverage

http://www.si.com/tennis/2015/08/13...arate-us-open-series-tennis-channel-espn-usta

This is a very interesting read and reaffirms my hate for the US Open. ESPN gives a 500 event barely any coverage and little money, so the tournament goes to THE TENNIS CHANNEL and really expands its brand.

The USTA reaction is not only to punish the tournament, but America's television channel dedicated to the sport?
Just a real shame.

 

[marc45]

This is a very interesting read and reaffirms my hate for the US Open. ESPN gives a 500 event barely any coverage and little money, so the tournament goes to THE TENNIS CHANNEL and really expands its brand.

The USTA reaction is not only to punish the tournament, but America's television channel dedicated to the sport?
Just a real shame.

noticed while TC and ESPN, and even NBC, and CBS for years, used to occasionally cross-promote if they were covering the same event, not this week for the two events in Canada between ESPN and TC...a little bad blood I'm guessing

laughed at Isner's shot at ESPN3...

"We would have been on ESPN3, which nobody knows or watches. I don't know how many people watch ESPN3; I mean, I know I don't." (guessing he won't be getting one of those ESPN goofy athlete promos anytime lately)

my cable company/internet provider won't give it to us....lost my TC for years, but got it back

 

[tacou]

Haha yeah I mean, I personally love ESPN3 and use it all the time. I fell in love with cricket via ESPN3, after all.
But I've noticed a lot of people on this forum don't even understand how useful it is during grand slams, tons of non-commentator match coverage.
And yeah, in terms of showcasing the sport and making money for the event, an only-ESPN3 broadcast is not very good.

Sad world. Everyone prioritizes the dollar. In this case USTA is literally throwing its own sport and tournament under a bus.

 

[skip1969]

. . . I disagree and don't get the vitriol. The USO Series is a perfect buildup to the US Open. It also appeals to American sports sensibilities.
I don't get what you mean by "gimmick." The summer HC already WAS a build up to the USO, they're just throwing more money at the players and trying to pull in more viewers. How is that bad?

Also, why would YOU care all that much. I'm sure the players who can earn $1M or more in bonus money care about it a great deal.

i think "vitriol" is a bit over the top. alls i said was i never saw the need for it. my humble opinion.

if the point was to create a sort of 'mini tour' leading up to the us open and give all the stops some sort of imaginary boost in credibility and more tv coverage, then how successful has it been? the top-top guys always played canada and cincinnati and pretty much ignored the rest. how has any of that changed?

washington was always pretty decent, and it got dropped because their coverage was gonna be down to next to nothing. los angeles is gone, indy had to move to try to become more relevant, and new haven, too. so, it all seems silly to me. the tourneys have their own histories and identities (and levels of importance), just as those leading up to the other three slams. it is the grass and the clay and the hardcourt surfaces which makes them a part of an understood 'mini season' of the tour. branding it and making it an official "series" seemed unnecessary to me.

great for the players who make more money from it. kudos to them.

 

[Moose Malloy]

So TC isn't allowed to show any WTA from Cincinnati? That's unfortunate, I'm sure there will be some posts tomorrow complaining, by fans that are unaware of the story.

 

[NaBUru38]

ESPN's proposal to the ATP 500 Washington was terrible, and it's great to see them refuse it.

But I'm not sure if they can survive on Tennis Channel only.

 

[NaBUru38]

http://www.emiratesusopenseries.com/TVSchedule/?intloc=headernav

The ATP 250 Winston-Salem has four hours on ESPN2, and the rest of ESPN3.

The WTA New Haven has six hours on ESPN2 and the rest on ESPN3.

 

[tacou]

ESPN's proposal to the ATP 500 Washington was terrible, and it's great to see them refuse it.

But I'm not sure if they can survive on Tennis Channel only.

TTC invested tons of their own money into the event and gay it wall to wall coverage. It seems like a much more beneficial partnership than what ESPN was pitching.
If only they (ESPN, USTA) could see that the more popular each individual tourney is, the more popular the sport is.
But I guess they'd be happier if Washington crumbles and disappears? Smartttt