Tennis and Social Media

Tennis has been enjoying significant growth in the last 8 years and is the only traditional Sport to do so in that time period. We know there have been many efforts within the Tennis Community to grow the game and we have tried to do our part to support these efforts. Lots of innovative new programs have evolved like Cardio Tennis, Tennis Welcome Centers, Quick Start Tennis and of course the continued emphasis on league play with teams forming up through local clubs and community tennis associations. This is the largest growth in the game since the tennis boom of the late sixties and early seventies when tennis grew to 34 million players. Tennis was something that most young people did which was part fad and part “just the thing to do”. Courts sprang up all over the place and most places know for recreation were into tennis and had facilities available. Being in the court building business, this time was great for business but hectic as well, as the pressure to get facilities on the ground was intense. A lot of this was driven by the convergence of Tennis on TV and the personalities of those who played the game back then and the success of Americans in the Tennis World. The bottom line is that the baby boomers through the attraction of the game itself and the social media of the time, TV, made Tennis the sport it is and drove the infrastructure of Tennis Facilities that created the play opportunities that many of us enjoyed for many years.

More as an assumption for comment that a conclusion I think it interesting that Tennis which is a social sport to start with, is making its comeback during the rise of the Y generation and the media of the day which is electronic social media. Many of the initiatives of the Tennis world, although driven by people in the end, have been introduced and spread electronically which happens to be the media of the day for the Y generation. As you look at websites, facebook and twitter you also find a crossover to baby boomers as well, who happen to be the fastest growing segment in facebook right now. The irony of all this is that it comes back to Tennis’s social aspects and its adaptation to the modern form of communication that may have converged to help Tennis regain its momentum and once again become “just the thing to do”. I don’t want to sell the game short here as in the end it is always about the game itself and the fact that it is a great way to combine athletics, fitness, competition and socialization. I do think it ironic that because those in the game have had the foresight to adapt to modern media and have taken advantage of the new forms of social communication that Tennis has grown through the process.

I think we can draw two conclusion at least partially from all this conversation: Tennis is a great game and given the right exposure it will always have its place in the recreational activity world. The second conclusion is that if you’re not keeping up with the way folks are communicating your falling behind and to keep our sport viable we have to stay on the cutting edge. That is true with any industry or organization and I hope we will continue to be diligent in the area. Your thoughts are appreciated.