Why Have Americans Lost Interest in Tennis?

Pajams Media ^ | August 29, 2010 | Brendan Bernard

[38special]

Tennis was always the sport for people who couldn’t play any other sport.

[sueuprising]

Like golf and bowling, it’s more exciting watching paint dry/ I also think it is unpopular because it is not a team sport. Americans, like my sons, like team sports. They played team sports in High school, and they like to watch team sports. Tennis is so self absorbed. The players, particularly the ones that have come onto the scene in recent years, are quite frankly scary. They are so competitive, in a stringent way,that it seems unnatural. Tennis had a mild surge in the old days of John McEnroe. But he seemed like an ordinary guy who was just ahead of the game, so he was appealing. There is nothing, at least to me, appealing about those two Williams sisters or any of the players. The game,however, is fun to play and the only sport I participated in locally.

[calex59]

One of the burning question haunting Americans at the moment, I know it has kept me awake at night. The only reason I ever regretted not playing tennis in HS was because that is where all the girls played. I opted instead for football, basketball and track, stupid me.

[tiki]

When I had 2 channels, I watched tennis and I got to know the players a little bit and I started to care just a little, but then I got a million channels and almost everything is more interesting, even the infomercials.

[hinckley buzzard]

Tennis is a great sport, but it does take a lot of time to watch and the players are not so much to identify with. Fans need a basis to identify with their sports heroes. Teams are easy because they are identified with localities. Individual athletes not so much. Maybe they are too well-behaved, but I think they need to exhibit more personality-- and tennis is an unlikely venue for that.

But I remember the days of Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, and Bjorn Borg, the taciturn "Ice Man" from Sweden, so it can be done.

[wardaddy]

White kids now sit at home and play video games where mommy or the nanny can watch them

many middle and upper class kids are today very non physical

[38special]

[wardaddy]

McEnroe was very rude and ungracious and in a small way contributed to the rise in poor behavior in sports.

And he is still rude.

Borg was always so much more appealing and inspiring.

[spokeshave]

Everybody got tennis neck watching 0bambi at the dual teleprompters

[albie]

My 16 year old daughter has been playing tennis for 5 years. Was #1 on her HS team last year and her fellow tennis friends are kind, polite and mostly conservative kids.

Tennis (as does golf) teaches independance and responsibility. You go it alone. Not that other sports don’t, but losing or winning a match and knowing it was all you strengthens one’s character.

[Venturer]

Maybe because the cute women are homosexual and the Williams sisters look like men.

[knarf]

Tennis has always been ... filler on sunday afternoons when y'gutta' watch SOMEthing and that's all that's on ... short skirted, somewhat hot chicks and I suppose the queers got into the short tighties, like 1970's basketball on the guys.

[nkycincinnatikid]

Poetry in motion.

[TennTuxedo]

I lost interest when they went to the extra large racquet . The game became big serve and left the rally behind.

[CORedneck]

One of the crude girls !

[Joe 6-pack]

Wow...David Bowie has not aged well....

[Errant]

filler on sunday afternoons when y'gutta' watch SOMEthing and that's all that's on ... short skirted, somewhat hot chicks

I bet you used to watch ice skating to! ;)

[444Flyer]

“McEnroe was very rude and ungracious and in a small way contributed to the rise in poor behavior in sports.

And he is still rude.

Borg was always so much more appealing and inspiring.”

Which was part of the interest in watching. Couldn't stand McEnroe and his tantrums but he always got his comeuppance from Borg. Borg's countenance and focus on court hasn't been matched since. He was an amazing competitor and athlete.

[knarf]

Ladies singles especially ....

You know ... poetry on ice ... the occasional cro ... slip and fall.

[garyhope]

I’m a conservative (very!) (I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t) and I love tennis. I watch all the slams and other matches as well.

At the professional level, tennis is very, very hard. Those guys and women smash the ball as hard as they can over and over and over again for most of the year. Their elbows, shoulders and knees take a pounding.

I like individual sports more than team sports. Tennis, downhill skiing, some car racing, motorcycle road racing (actually more interesting than a lot of car racing).

I think soccer is the most boring sport on the planet to watch.

I think the women should have to play 5 sets like the men. They get the same money for only 3 sets, therefore, they are making more money for less work. It’s too easy to just win 2 sets.

I can’t stand the Williams sisters or their entire low class trash family. Who wants to see the Williams sisters play each other and throw the match on father Richard’s say so?