Yesterday there  was a WTT match  broadcast  and it is the first one I've seen  this year. Unfortunately WTT sessions  are  unwatchable. They blast  jock rock almost nonstop so you can never  hear anything, even through a TV. Forget  about  hearing  the ball, the sneakers,  or the players talking. You may as well program an ipod for  jock  rock. When  they are not blasting jock rock  they  have a moronic public address man who is in love  with the sound of his voice. He  treats the  audience  like children. The message  of  the WTT is  that tennis can not sell  itself  so we will give you T  shirt  contests, dizzy bat  races, and a multi  colored  court. They  also use a  ridiculous  scoring  system  because  they feel that  their audience  can not watch an entire  tennis match and needs the dumbed down version.

WTT is a 1970s concept  that should  go the way  of other 1970s concepts such as leisure  suits, bell bottoms, squiggle  pendants, and polyester shirts.

It is amazing, the quality of play can be pretty poor, most of the names unrecognizeable, but whenever I turn on a match in Kansas City or Sacramento or Newport Bch, CA, the stands are packed. I wouldn't pay any money to watch it, but there are fans that do. I do like the setup, the five matches, the overtime session.

Every WTT I have ever seen on TV features a loudmouth PA announcer who screams all  night long at the crowd and  that  awful  jock  rock. The  whole  thing is embarassing. 

I am blessed by being deaf.  I had no idea all that noise is going on.  I have njoyed watching the matches.

The scoring is still a little confusing.  I  do not understand the team being behind and winning the final match has a chnce win it all in some sort of play off.  Can someone explain that to me.  Who choses who plays in the playoff?

Xiowa:

   Each game within a match counts as a point toward the final score. So they play a women's singles, men's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles sets (not necessarily in that order) and every game you win counts toward your total team score. Also sets are played to 5 games - you get to 5 you win the set and if it is tied 4-4 then they play a tiebreak and the winner of the tiebreak wins the set. So let's say your team lost the women's singles, men's singles and women's doubles 5-4 your team would be trailing 15-12 on the team score so you would still have a chance to win the men's doubles and mixed doubles and still win the overall team match.

   In person, it is a fun event when there are marquee players playing. For instance, a few years back I saw Hingis and John McEnroe playing mixed doubles together for the NY team also saw McEnroe play Philippoussis in singles that night. Have seen Venus and Lisa Raymond play doubles together, etc. So those kind of pairings that you would never see in pro tennis are possible in WTT. It's a very kid-friendly event. If you have kids it's a fun way to introduce them to th game because it's fast-paced, three's a lot of free t-shirts and givewaways and every time I've gone every single player has always signed autographs for kids which you just do not always see in pro events. I remember seing Venus play WTT in '05 in Mamaroneck, NY about a week after she won Wimbledon and she stood there and signed every autograph, posed for photos with kids, etc. and something like that just is not possible at the US Open because it's too big there are too many people. So in that sense I like it because it brings fans (especially kids) closer to the players.

   When I was a kid I remember going to Mets game and Tom Seaver actually signing baseballs for us and saying hi. Now the pro athletes seem so remote and removed anything that kind of breaks that barrier down is great. And as I said: where else could you see two of the greatest doubles players of all time - Hingis and McEnroe - play together? Saw Sampras, Rafter, etc. play. Granted, if you don't have a marquee player it can be a tough sell.

   The other cool thing is they were the first to use replay, they've always allowed on -court coaching, they allow substitutions, time outs etc so they have been willing to take chances and try innovations. It's great that tennis has a tradition, but tennis, traditionally, has also been very slow to try anything innovative. WTT has always been willing to take a chance and that's important, IMO, even though it is essentially an exhibition event. Also, what if you live in St. Louis or Newport or Delaware - where else are you going to see Hall of Fame players? Without WTT many of those communities could never see a Venus, a Roddick, a Mcenroe, Navratilova, etc.
 

My problem with WTT is that they treat the spectators like dummies. They presume the spectator can not understand traditonal scoring so they do a simplified version. They also assume that the tennis is not enough to keep fans interested so they blast that awful jock rock constantly. I doubt that there is one person on this planet who wants to hear the Hey song again but there it is, all night long. They also use a PA man who shouts at the audience like they are children at day camp who need to be called in for arts and crafts. You can't relax and enjoy the tennis. They are always blasting that jock rock at you and shooting T shirts at you. The T shirts are usually are usually filled with the name of a sponsor and who really wants to walk around with a shirt that says Bank of so and so?

The message that WTT gives out is that tennis can not keep your attention so we will give you jock rock, dizzy bat races, T shirt contests, and a loudmouth PA man who will scream all night. They should require the PA man to listen to Bob Shepherd at Yankee Stadium and learn how to treat an audience like adults.

  

 

Vinko:

  Geesh, you are a tough guy to please. I can't speak for WTT, but I would think they are trying to appeal to younger fans and the non-traditional tennis fans. As for the music between matches, you go to virtually any sporting event - NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL - they blast loud music during breaks. And quite honestly I'd rather hear loud music than hear some drunken, belligerent Yankee fan cursing out A-Rod when he pops up or chanting "Red Sox Suck!" at games (that's mild compared to the stuff I've seen and heard at NFL games where many are tanked before kickoff). I'm an adult and that gets pretty old pretty fast can't imagine what kids think.

I don't think that the message is "tennis cannot keep your attention" I think their concept is to try to showcase tennis but also present other forms of fan interaction to keep the interest of kids who may not be die-hard tennis fans. Basically, they're trying to be fun and entertaining for people who don't get to see traditional tournament tennis. I've got no problem with it either.

To most kids (and I took my friends kids to the NY Sportimes a few times) they don't care what the t-shirt says it is the fact that they are seeing the sport live and up close, that the players actually stop and talk to them and sign for them, that it's fun and they're getting something for free. They gave every single kid there a free tennis racquet and from what I am told they do that at all of their WTT events (Advanta, the sponsor pays for the racquets).

What tournament have you ever attended where every single kid walked away with a free racquet? Granted, it's not a Wilson K-Factor or Babolat or high-tech racquet, but who cares? They're actually putting free racquets it he hands of kids - does the USTA do it at the US Open or US Open Series? WTT gives kids free racquets, free t-shirts, creating an environment where a kid can walk up to a Hall of Famer like McEnroe, Sampras, Navratilova or champions like Venus, etc. and get an autograph and maybe even exchange word with the players - what's the big deal?

To me, it's like complaining about the flavor of the free breath mints at the local diner - don't eat em if you don't like em.

 Sorry - of all the things in tennis to complain - steroid use, gambling and match-fixing allegations, lack of tennis on TV, tanking and apathy, poor scheduling, etc. - I  hardly see WTT as anything to get up in arms about. So it's not Wimbledon - we all know that -it's an exhibition event designed to give families a fun time. Clearly, it's not for everyone, but if you take it out of the communities who are tennis starve and who support tennis then what have you got? Nothing. No one is claiming it's competition on the level of a Masters Series or Tier I event, but it's not supposed to be that either and they don't promote it as such.
 

RP,  I would love to be able to watch WTT live.

 Where are the Springfield team matches played?  Do you know?  I think many states have a Springfield and since the Tennis Channel is not CC, I can not hear if they tell you what state they are in.

Vinko, Is there is anything about tennis that you actually like? I suppose I would like to watch a Pancho Gonzalez vs. Rod Laver match in Longwood but it is not going to happen. Some of the WTT cities have lame brain public address guys. You can also see these guys at WNBA games. These guys are all nerds who wished they could be athletes but found out in about the 8th grade that they had no talent whatsoever. These guys are to be pitied more than berated.   I went to a WTT match two years ago and it was actually quite fun. Of course, I just happened to select a match that Anna Kournikova was playing in so maybe that made a difference. And I have to confess that Anna is a sight for sore eyes. She is just as great looking in person as in the SI swimsuit issue (not that I saw that issue!). The quality of play was actually pretty decent. Roddick was playing and blasting away on the serve. The event was fan friendly.

You can't simply say that because the match was not a five setter at Wimbledon featuring Federer and Nadal that is therefore is worthless. Norman Rockwell is not exactly Vincent Van Gogh but that does not mean you can't stop and look at one of his paintings.

It is too loud and raucous. Red and I went to see it last year in NY and it's like not even tennis. They are abandoning the beauty, the tradition, the nobility of what makes tennis so appealing to see, the grace, the dignity, the tranquility the peaceful artistry of the action. The jock rock is almost torture. all the chaos and noise totally overshadows and overwhelms what we are all there to see, the world class tennis played by the best. Pete Sampras played and they were blaring the Pearl Jam music during warmups and right after points. To be honest, the way they did that killed the whole experience. It's just way too much, way too over the top and in yo face.

 THe WTT should definitey tone it down way down. I think most tennis fans would agree. But if not, if that's what they want, just give em what they pay for.

 Giving the racquets to kids is great, getting the kids involved is great of course. But they don't have to sell out and try to turn it into pro wrestling or a frat party or a live concert. Pete did not return. I bet Serena won't be back next year.

 Simple pure tennis is all they need, under the team format. Tennis sells itself. Hearing stop and start blaring loud music all night, is almost like torture. And having to listen to the amped up howler all night with the megaphone IS torture!

THey showed old WTT from the 70s on MSG and the way they did it then was perfect.  

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Exactly right. The blaring jock rock is so overwhelming that it ruins everything. And those loudmouth PA men they employ are downright annoying. Bob Shepherd says who is at bat and then lets the baseball game speak  for itself. They run WTT like WNBA. The NBA does not believe its product can attract a crowd so they do the usual nonsense-shooting Tshirts into the crowd and watching children fight eachother for a T short that advertises a local savings and loan. They always  say that this is the only way youngsters will come to the arena. I don't buy it. Pete Sampras does need  Gary Glitter and the Hey Song to attract an audience.

For WTT, you just have to pick your spots. I went only once and that was because Anna Kournikova and Andy Roddick were both playing. I do have to confess that the chance of seeing Andy was an afterthought. But it was a pretty good opportunity to see Roddick's serve up close. It is sort of like sitting behind homeplate when Roger Clemens was pitching. And seeing Anna up close is pretty fun also. I didn't see Enrique. Maybe he was off somewhere singing Bailamos. The Lakers used to have a radio announcer named Chick Hearn. He died a few years ago. He was the best announcer in sports history although I did have the chance to listen to the legendary Johnny Most whenever I got back east.  It is a shame that the great sports guys like Hearn, Lindsey Nelson and Chris Schenkel have been replaced by these moronic sound guys with their never ending sophomoric gimmicks. The players should simply take their raquets and bop these guys on the head. But if you pick your matches carefully and bring enough beer to the match, WTT is not that bad.

I will say this for one time only WTT is for YOUNG people and families it is NOT for grumpy old people. If it is too loud then go to traditional tennis tournament and protect your sensitive ears. Instead of complain just don't go because everyone else is enjoy themselves.  does that not solve problem? You annoy with complains all the time

WTT is:

1) akin to minor league baseball. Ever been to a AAA game? In a small city market? Where the game is just a fun, family outing, with no big egos to get in the way, lots of gimmicks and hype to keep folks interested, and all at a fairly reasonable price.  There is no harm in it. 

2) not real tennis (although Billie Jean King would have you think otherwise). It's an exo event. So don't get too hung up on the scoring or format.

3) geared to the lowest common denominator of fans - people who would probably not ever watch or attend a regular tournament. So if it allows those folks to see semi pro tennis up close, and get them interested, so be it.

4) a nice easy gig for the few top players who decide to make their one appearance in the league. 

 

There is a reason the league is played in small cities, in shopping malls, at small venues - it's to maximize the attendance and create a buzz and excitement about the match. I imagine even Venus, Serena, and perhaps Johnny Mac learn to check their egos at the door, knowing that while they may be stars, it's more about giving back then getting anything out of a WTT appearance.

 

I am old enough to remember the original WTT, when it was a 3-4 month season, nearly all the top women played (ironic since WTT killed off the women's pro tour as a result), and a decent number of top men played for a time. It was still wilder than regular tour events, and had a bit of a circus atmosphere. But nothing like what it is today. 

 

I say enjoy it for what it is. Ignore it for what it isn't. And ignore it altogether if WTT ain't your cup of T.  It'll be over before you know it anyway.

They assume that youngsters want to hear  the Hey Song or Wipeout. I doubt  they ever asked the younsters if they want to hear  music that grandma and grandpa listened to when  they were teenagers. I have never heard a youngster ask for grandma and grandpa's music at a sports event. My best  guess is that  if  they trusted  the young fans  they  might find  that  they actually want to see tennis and not need to hear grandma's muisc. At  the rate WTT (and WNBA) are going, pretty soon they will be blasting Lawrence Welk over  the sound system.