Gaby Kiederling

Why doesn’t anyone watch tennis?

The ball slings off the racket, a flash of yellowish-green through the air, grazing the white line across the net and out of reach of the opponent. The winning player drops to their knees in indescribable joy. How could anyone think this is boring? Well, apparently many do. They think that sitting and watching a ball being hit back and forth again and again can be simply uninteresting.  Yet, those same people are amped to watch this happen in soccer or field hockey.  They say “other games moves quicker” but in reality tennis is not much slower than any other sport.  So, why doesn’t tennis have any fans?

One reason might be that tennis isn’t advertised enough.  I know that the captains try to get announcements out there, but it’s hard for people to remember exactly what time our matches are, especially when there are other sports advertising their games.  Maybe it’s because the tennis courts are at Waveland—not exactly walking distance from school.  This problem could easily be fixed, though, with a bus to transport fans to the match like other sports have had.

I, like many tennis team members, am confused as to why nobody comes out to show their support.  Junior Kendall Sievewright says, “What do soccer, field hockey, volleyball, and basketball have that tennis doesn’t?” Another Junior Miya Coleman thinks that “people see tennis as it was when it first started.  People think it’s dainty and easy but they don’t know how much tennis has evolved or how much talent and determination it takes to play it.” Coach Carl Abrams attributes the problem to the fact that “it’s hard to get fans because of where the courts are located”  All of these are valid reasons, but they all also have easy solutions.

If you’ve ever watched tennis on TV then you know what you’re missing out on.  I’m not saying anyone at Latin is the next Serena Williams, but who wouldn’t love seeing Miya Coleman smashing aces or Annie McDonough nailing volleys?  There is a huge misconception that tennis isn’t fun to watch, but just seeing your friends on the court is entertaining enough.  Not only does it show your support, but you can also learn about an aspect of their personality when they are on the court that you can’t see in the hallways.

So, is it really that hard to take an hour out of your day to come watch a tennis match?  Is it that hard to come show some school spirit for a team that doesn’t get as much?  Is it that hard to support your friends or even just classmates?  The tennis team plays Francis Parker Friday, September 20 and I hope to see you all there.  Grab a group of friends, some food, and come watch a bunch of kids doing what they love!