THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 19, 1994 TAG: 9406190155
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO
DATELINE: 940619 LENGTH: Medium
It's just as well. Of late, any mention of tennis has been in the context of its bad health.
{REST} Tennis was even blamed for Jennifer Capriati's journey from penthouse to jailhouse.
That did it. Any sport that contributes to the corruption of our innocent youth is not worth saving.
Few thought to blame Capriati herself for her troubles. An early association with tennis has not stunted the emotional development of Tracy Austin or Andrea Jaeger, two celebrated burnout cases. They have grown up to be mature, contributing members of society.
Disappointment with tennis does not automatically lead to a stint in drug rehab or a desire to put a ring through your nose.
But forget the facts. The media have their story and they are sticking to it:
Tennis devours its young.
Tennis players are spoiled rotten.
Tennis is boring.
Tennis is losing popularity.
Tennis can't make it on TV.
So, is tennis dying? Sports Illustrated asked the question last month.
I can only speak for my own tennis game, which, while never in the pink of health, can still fog a mirror on occasion.
My own eccentric game, or what there is of it, interests me more than what's about to take place at Wimbledon. Any moment now, the pros will begin mulching their way over the grass courts. I'll tune in when I can, but I'd rather be playing.
Is tennis dying? Not in my house, it isn't. My forehand needs a shot of penicillin, my volley is anemic, but my interest is as robust as ever.
It seems to me that whenever people today talk about a sport's popularity, or intrinsic value to the American culture, they base their argument on attendance figures, gate receipts and TV ratings.
There is a place for this sort of debate, but what's usually forgotten is that certain games are best played, not watched.
If tennis is not your sport, what about golf? Golf is impossible to follow in person. Televised golf is a nap aid. Playing is the thing.
Unlike, say, football or pro rassling, golf is meant to be a hands-on experience.
We are, of course, a nation of watchers. It's odd, though, that when it comes to most sports, the watchers have a stronger lobby than the doers.
These thoughts were coming together in my mind when I read in Saturday's paper that an Englishman's surprising impressions of American soccer.
Typically, the United States is dismissed as a nation that doesn't care about soccer. In other words, we won't watch it.
The writer for The Economist magazine discovered, though, that American kids play soccer with a ``certain purity.''
``Americans, on the whole,'' he wrote, ``do not play soccer with television role models in mind. They play for the sheer pleasure of playing.''
Soccer is a sport best enjoyed at a gallop, not on a couch. Boys and girls understand this. The game belongs to them.
Likewise, tennis belongs to me and to any other purist who plays it, not to NBC or the pro tours.
I'll be curious to see which event draws lower TV ratings in America - the World Cup or Wimbledon. But if the Nielsens signal a code blue for tennis, I don't see why my shorts should get all bunched up.
Is tennis dying?
Not as long as I'm still out there on the court, seeking that certain purity, hitting forehands into the bottom of the net.
by CNB