OFF: Does Tennis Need an Official Commissioner?
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Aug 10, 2007 | Print |
For years, many fans have suggested that tennis needs an official commissioner for the sport, similar to MLB’s Bud Selig or the NBA’s David Stern.
Job descriptions have varied, but most think that he or she should be responsible for keeping the sport clean, make sure the rules are enforced, and mediate between the fans, the tournaments, the players, and the powerful title sponsors.
With that being said, today’s Open Forum Friday question is two-fold:
Everyone, thanks for participating in this week’s discussion. Any lurkers out there, feel free to join in and share your opinion. Have a great weekend!
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Will.I.Am | Aug 11, 2007 | Reply
Hey Aaress! I’ve been on vacation, but it’s great being back on the site! On to the topic at hand:
I don’t think the WTA needs a commissioner. First of all, the different tournaments on the WTA schedule are responsible for creating and enforcing their own rules.
In addition, the WTA tour announced last year that the International Tennis Federation will over see the anti-doping program at all WTA Tour events. And it seems successful so far.
Furthermore, Larry Scott is as close to a commisioner as we can get. Under his reign the WTA tour has seen record growth in media, marketing, and sponsorhsip. Larry is also in tune with issues that affect the players. He was extremely vocal about the equal prize money issue at Wimbledon. He even tried to mediate the problems between Venus, Serena, and Indian Wells.
The WTA doesn’t need an official commissoner because there is no room for one. I think our current Tour Chairman and CEO does everything a commissioner does.
Suggestions I would make to the CEO:
*To make the time span between the French OPen and Wimbledon at least a month.
*Revise tour policies regarding withdrawls (it’s getting ridiculous)
*Promote women’s doubles more
*Give me a lifetime pass to all four grandslams!
Aaress | Aug 11, 2007 | Reply
Good thoughts Will - although you may not get too far with the last one!
Scott has done a wonderful job promoting tennis, but I only wonder how close the Tour is toeing the line when it comes to promotion or exploitation.
The issue of withdrawals will only become a bigger issue in the future, especially after the new rules from the Roadmap are enacted, and it will be very interesting to see how far the Tour will go to keep its players in line.