A Roof Is Not Needed On Arthur Ashe

Written by: Staff on 11th September 2009

Womens Final Ceremony in Arthur Ashe Stadium

A Roof Is Not Needed On Arthur Ashe

A roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium just wouldn't look right, especially with fireworks. (Photo by Dave Saffran.) |

FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – Here we are just sitting and waiting for the rain to stop at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Today, three matches need to take place and will concurrently when the weather gets better.

And with these delays come questions. Now that Wimbledon has a roof and Roland Garros has one coming in five years, should the US Open follow suit and cover Arthur Ashe with some sort of retractable covering?

Every time it rains this question will come up. But with the cost being about $100 million, the location of the stadium, the amount of time its in use, the answer should be no.

Back when the city built Shea Stadium in 1964, the original plans called for a roof to go over the big bowl and the outfield area to be enclosed. Unfortunately, when the Mets, Jets, and the city did a feasibility study it was found out that it would be impossible to cover Shea. The weight would force the stadium to collapse.

But Arthur Ashe was built in 1997, and is more is more of a stable structure. Yet, you have to wonder if the land it’s built upon that was part of the same garbage dump back in the day could handle the weight of a roof.

Even if it can, though, it’s still not worth it. The US Open occurs two weeks out of the year. For the other 50, the place is pretty much dormant, with the exception of the occasional event or two. To spend money on rain insurance for something that may happen once every five or so years is just foolish.

The funds would be better off spent to keep expanding the Tennis Center or use for other purposes that may have a year round purpose. For example, could the USTA build a tennis hall of fame somewhere on the grounds? How about putting the money into the eyesore that was on the New York Pavilion from the World’s Fair? This would be something that can be used year round, promoting the sport of tennis and can be enjoyed by fans from around the world.

If you want insurance, then play some of the matches at the indoor facility. Make sure they are up to the championship code. That way you can continue the Rafael Nadal match inside rather than hoping the Mother Nature is kind to the sport.

And if you want a location where a large crowd can watch an important match, one of the soon to be five arenas in the area should be available. Imaging playing at Madison Square Garden, Nassau Coliseum or even the new Brooklyn arena, if its built. Now, remember this is a last resort situation, but still better than shelling out millions for a roof that may not be able to be built.

Rain is unfortunate, but only occurs every few years. If the USTA wastes money on a roof for Arthur Ashe it’s their business, but it’s something that they don’t need, and should be pressured into it.

Topics: 100 Million, Amount Of Time, Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King, Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Collapse, Feasibility Study, Hall Of Fame, Jets, National Tennis Center, Occasional Event, Outfield, Rain Insurance, Roland Garros, Shea Stadium, Stable Structure, Tennis Hall Of Fame, Waiting For The Rain, Weather, Wimbledon

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Derek Felix says:

September 12, 2009 at 2:04 am

Good suggestions for where the money should go instead. I like the idea of expanding the center and Hall of Fame tho it probably wouldn’t happen.

Rain is something that can’t be controlled and for almost the entire tournament, they lucked out. You make good fiscal sense. I doubt they’d ever move a match indoors due to TV and crowd.

It is what it is. May as well stick it out.