Beyond the Baseline Tennis Blog ----------------JV ( pghtennis) wrote,
@ 2003-07-29 12:17:00 |
USTA Tennis Participation Survey: Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics?
The August issue of Tennis Magazine has a report on "the largest study ever completed on recreational tennis". The study shows that there were 23.5 million Americans playing tennis at least once during a year. We have all heard the old adage of "Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics", but this is ridiculous. Someone in the tennis establishment must be very desperate, calling someone who has played tennis once in a year 'a tennis player'.
Let me try an analogy. Around here, at the North Carolina coast, there are zillions of recreational fishermen. I am not one of them. Suppose I borrow a rod from a neighbor and mosey down to the pier, about ten minutes from our home, once a year, am I then a recreational fisherman?? But wait, it gets worse. The study also deals with 'frequent players'. What is a frequent player? Someone who plays 21 or more times in a year - less than two times per month! Give me a break! In my more active days, I considered four - five times per week - and mostly singles - was optimal for me, and that was true for most of the hundreds of recreational tennis players I knew. So, now we have five million 'active tennis players' who hit the courts less than twice in a month?? The report also states that the average age of 'frequent players' is rising. My guess is that if they looked at players who play at least two - three times per week, there would be a very dramatic increase in the average age. I still believe, as I said last time, that there are 'pockets' were tennis is played the way it used to be played, but this report really gives the picture of a sport in deep trouble. It is very sad.
Kjell Petterson
kjell@ec.rr.com
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