There are few team sports competitions with such a long history and tradition as Davis Cup in men’s tennis. Similar to Ryder Cup in golf, Davis Cup takes usually the best of the best in an individual men’s sports and brings those players together in the rarest of rare, as a team, to play for their country against the greatest tennis-playing nations around the globe. In many countries the interest can rival that of World Cup or the Olympics, and for many tennis federations the ability to bring the best players in the world together in some very unique venues is a great way to showcase the game, grow interest and bring in much needed revenue to fuel junior programs and keep the sport healthy. Few who have ever attended a Davis Cup tie will ever forget the experience, one which is different from anything else seen in the sport, with the exception of World Team Tennis and Fed Cup (which is the women’s equivalent). It is a loud, raucous, fan friendly event.
That’s the good news. The bad news is the event continues to be lost in the global landscape, especially in the United States. It’s annual schedule is cumbersome and not easy to understand; countries who win the title in the late fall rarely have time to enjoy their benefits, as the new schedule starts in mid-Winter, right after the Australian Open, and an early round setback kills all the equity built from the year before. The annual must-commit schedule also makes it very difficult for the best players to consistently compete, and Davis Cup suffers from some of the same things that make the World Baseball Classic just a notch below what its goal is’ in theory it is the best of the best but without all the top players committed it can become an also-ran. Yes Davis Cup is well funded globally and the International Tennis Federation outs large resources behind it. It is usually well attended locally and the potential television audience globally is considerable. But in the landscape of sport, especially in the United States, Davis Cup is continuing to fall off the map.
Now this is not to say in any way the United States Tennis Association does not do a good job of finding creative ways to promote their home events. The staff continually finds creative and enthusiastic venues, from Idaho to Jacksonville to this year’s first round in Petco Park in San Diego, California. They engage the local community, invest hard dollars into marketing and event presentation, and always deliver a top notch show with sizable crowds. The players are treated first class, and the support they are given is reflective of their commitment to play in the event. This year’s first round matchup is even more historic than others; a meeting with Great Britain, the U.S.’ longtime rival in the Cup, and playing it outdoors, on clay, in the home of the San Diego Padres should be a treat for all involved.
So what’s the problem? Schedule. For the second year in a row the U.S. will host a first round matchup on perhaps the worst weekend of the year in the country, unless you happen to be playing American football. Super Bowl weekend. Last year a sellout crowd in Jacksonville, Florida cheered the U.S. to a stunning win over Brazil…on Super Bowl weekend. Outside of North Florida, with the exception of some tennis diehards tuning in on The Tennis Channel, who knew? Few. The crush of media attention for Super Bowl makes it a virtual impossibility to leverage the excitement of Davis Cup in the States when you go head to head with the world’s largest single day sports and entertainment spectacle. You can market locally and bring the fans in, but playing the event on the eve of Super Bowl…again…is a disservice to all involved, and certainly does not help grow the sport of tennis in its largest country or help get the committed players the exposure deserved. What should be a huge national celebration of a great sport turns into an afterthought and is something the USTA does not have control over.
So what to do? The suggestions have long been in place; move the event to a World Cup or Ryder Cup format over a period of years to build equity; take notice of other global events so as not to clash; move off of a weekend-only format to capture a prime time audience in the States have all been out forward, with the argument being that internationally the U.S. is not the only country that needs to be considered. That is fine and good, but against The Super Bowl? An event which will draw millions not just in the U.S. but around the globe? It is again a bad hand tennis has been dealt in the U.S., at a time when overall professional interest in the game is at a crossroads. It certainly is not dying, but it is plateaued as the casual fan waits for the next American male star to emerge. There are lots of compelling stories for sure, but in a society that loves winners, especially home grown ones, tennis needs a U.S. face to cross-over, and playing Davis Cup on Super Bowl weekend in the U.S. certainly doesn’t help.
It’s not a new issue but it certainly is one of frustration for those who look to market not just the sport of tennis, but all the ancillary properties around the game, as an iconic platform continues to struggle find its place in an ever changing and fast-evolving global sports community. The sport in the States is again served a bad hand, and because of the schedule, few may even notice in two weeks time.
Little School, Big Idea: Caldwell (NJ) College