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For a sport to really catch on and become popular, kids (and adults) are going to have to get involved in competitivetennis. Not just hitting the ball around every other weekend as if they're simply playing a game of horeshoes. You are going to be at a competitive disadvantage playing with a $20 racquet from Wal-mart. If that weren't the case, then all players would just buy equipment from Wal-Mart. You don't see high school baseball players going into batting practice with Whiffle Ball bats, do you?
Tennis is expensive. And most schools are not willing to invest in it the way they invest in football. This means that tennis careers (which start around the age of 8) are financed almost exclusively by parents. And that's why tennis will never be as big as soccer, football, basketball, or baseball.
OK - it is an elite sport. Americans generally don't favor elitists - they prefer the everyman team sports to an elitist, country-club game - where only two players can be on the field at once.
That is what made John McEnroe fun to watch - be broke up the stuffy, elitist environment that is a tennis tournament. Watch the referees faces when he yells at them(his tirades are all over YouTube) - they are like "who is this buffoon - I can't believe he is behaving in such a barbaric manner" - just before they say "Unsportsmanlike penalty - Mr. McEnroe" in their proper English accents. LOL!
And your hypothetical comes closer? Not every player in a high school dugout will own a bat or buy a uniform (I played baseball for six years and never owned a bat or a helmet). The one item that a typical high school player will have to own is a glove. Your average high school tennis player, on the other hand, will have to buy at least two racquets. Since schools almost NEVER pay for the equipment, individual players must bear of all the costs, which makes tennis a much more cost prohibitive sport for the average person than baseball.
This explains why you have little league teams full of little brown boys hailing from the poorest neighborhoods in the Bronx. Tennis players, on the other hand, come from almost exclusively upper middle class backgrounds. It's not that tennis is wildly popular among the upper classes whereas baseball appeals to the masses. It's simply that the equipment is expensive and has to be replaced often, and without subsidies, it's just not feasible for regular kids. Most children cannot afford competitive tennis, particularly at its highest reaches.
What you should find is an article stating that "the cost of baseball effectively bars middle class families from competition." That would be the equivalent of the article I posted. But you're probably not going to find that because that's a ridiculous notion. Any kid who wants to be competitive in baseball can play on his high school team just as Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield, Pete Rose, Alex Rodriguez, Tony Gwynn, Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, Barry Bonds, Bo Jackson, Chase Utley, Reggie Jackson, Randy Johnson, Mike Piazza, Bobby Bonilla, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Curt Schilling, Scott Rolen, Bobby Abreu, Andre Dawson, Kirby Puckett, Eddie Murray, Mark Grace, Greg Maddox, Kerry Wood, Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens all did.
Money will never be an obstacle for any farm boy or kid from the barrio aspiring to make it to the Big Leagues.
A family, however, would spend a fortune trying to get their child to the comparable level in tennis.
You must have played in the 60's... Because EVERY kid I played with in the 80's had their own bat. And their own glove! Same for my kids...
Just because a poor kid can make it in baseball doesn't mean the sport cost any less. It speaks to the popularity as someone else would pick up the cost. because someone still picks it up... Meaning families that are able. Ie ur middle class.
Ur argument is that because the sport is more accessible there is no cost. That's not true.
And high school baseball being played by MLB players speaks to the popularity... Not the cost!!!
I already proved the price of the equipment is much higher in baseball... And more people play. you just don't want to acknowledge that. That equals more cost! Buts it's cool... Live in ur elitist world thinking tennis just cost too much for it to be popular. Please...
You must have played in the 60's... Because EVERY kid I played with in the 80's had their own bat. And their own glove! Same for my kids...
Well, that's good for you and good for your kids. When I played in the 90s in the city of Philadelphia, we had a limited number of bats and helmets. One or two people were tasked each game with the job of dragging all of the equipment along in a couple of sacks. Uniforms in Little League were cheap, and if you played for the school, then everything was paid for with the exception of gloves and cleats.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. GE
Just because a poor kid can make it in baseball doesn't mean the sport cost any less. It speaks to the popularity as someone else would pick up the cost. because someone still picks it up... Meaning families that are able. Ie ur middle class.
You're missing the point. Tennis has barriers to entry that baseball does not because the individual bears almost all of the cost. In baseball, the individual often does not bear all of the costs. Your argument is like saying, "Public schools cost more to run than private schools." While that may be true, costs are never prohibitive in public schools because a single-mother does not have to pay the $14,000 it costs to educate her special needs child. A family trying to send their kid to St. Mary's, on the other hand, will bear the complete cost of their child's education.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. GE
Ur argument is that because the sport is more accessible there is no cost. That's not true.
That's not my argument. LOL. In fact, it's closer to the reverse. Because all of the costs are not imposed on a single individual, accessibility to the sport is greater, and that's one of the reasons why it's more popular. Try to keep up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. GE
And high school baseball being played by MLB players speaks to the popularity... Not the cost!!!
I live in a neighborhood with a basketball court and tennis courts, I always take my old racquet with me when I'm shooting hoops which I can do all day, with my kids or the neighborhood kids, when it comes to tennis I usually just get the 65 or 70 year old men and women to play.
As for tennis popularity, get an American pro to suplex an umpire off his stand and you'll have Americans tuning into to watch.... For a little while anyway.
Golf is like basketball in that you can play without anyone else and have fun, well not all the time with golf but at least 8 out of 95 shots anyway.
Football, probably more than any other sport translates well to tv,while its easier to focus on a player at the stadium, it's easier to watch the game from home. Let's not forget about gambling either.
Hockey doesn't work on tv like other sports and it will remain the bottom of the big 4 sports in America, especially when you consider the NBA draft lottery had better rating than a NHL playoff game, it may have been a Stanley Cup finals game at that.
OK - it is an elite sport. Americans generally don't favor elitists - they prefer the everyman team sports to an elitist, country-club game - where only two players can be on the field at once.
That is what made John McEnroe fun to watch - be broke up the stuffy, elitist environment that is a tennis tournament. Watch the referees faces when he yells at them(his tirades are all over YouTube) - they are like "who is this buffoon - I can't believe he is behaving in such a barbaric manner" - just before they say "Unsportsmanlike penalty - Mr. McEnroe" in their proper English accents. LOL!
I'm not sure why Americans need people acting like morons in order to enjoy a sport. Apparently Americans will only watch a sport if it involves an American throwing temper tantrums, acting childish and threats of violence.
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That's not my argument. LOL. In fact, it's closer to the reverse. Because all of the costs are not imposed on a single individual, accessibility to the sport is greater, and that's one of the reasons why it's more popular. Try to keep up.
