Paris… BNP Paribas Open… But Where Are The Fans ?

Written by: Staff on 8th November 2011

Paris... BNP Paribas Open... But Where Are The Fans ?

epa02995278 Mexican bullfighter Arturo Saldivar Romo shows an ear and the tail from his third bull 'Buen Mozo', weighing 490 Kg, during the first Corrida of the Temporada Grande at the Mexico bull ring, in Mexico City, Mexico, 06 November 2011. EPA/MARIO GUZMAN |

For real. How sad. It’s the same most weeks. Most places. I’m watching the tennis . Empty seats empty stadiums .. The level of tennis is awesome! The players are awesome. The matches are great. The quality of marquee players we have in this golden age of tennis is fantastic. We have great talent, great personalities , so what’s going on ?

As a person who has been buying tennis tickets since 1965 I can tell you one thing for certain. Stadiums are too big to view tennis well and the prices are sky high. Yup. Tennis tickets are overpriced. The tourney directors , their committees ( the suits ) are unreasonable in their thoughts….. our sport is barely fan friendly.
The players are always kept in seclusion. Not enough autograph booths with players signing. They sign 6-12 kids stuff as they exit the court, maybe.
A tournament director and a tennis promoter are two different guys.( look at Jerry Solomon he can sell out Madison square garden annually ) To promote you must know how to market. If you can market you can sell.
Most events are lazy with lazy helpers. If ticket sales people in tennis worked on a commission. And had quotas they would fill the seats… If we would support military worldwide. Seats would be filled. If we reached out to tennis centers, clubs or park facilities we would fill stadiums. Heck. Most people can barely afford the gas and parking.
Forget about a seat and a snack. Tennis is a great sport. But no one promotes it. Not the WTA. The ATP. ITF … No one. We don’t see enough presale. Or two for ones. Or kids almost free. I love tennis with all my heart and it saddens me to see empty seats everyday …everywhere. Bang the drum. Get the word out. Lower ticket prices. Be a fan friendly sport. Be a sport that recognizes the super fans it has.
Tennis players are hot , sexy and talented. The sport is on a high. The powers that be are not looking at tennis events right. ready …
In the right sense …It’s a service industry. They are in the hospitality business.( even if it’s only one week per year ) We need to see tickets at ten bucks. Twenty bucks. Thirty bucks … A family of four for forty bucks. Include drinks. Chips. Snacks. Hot dogs. A program.

Yes I’m the one they left home. Why. If I was the reporter at the tourney and I just wrote what I wrote the press officer and tourney director would be giving me ugly face and maybe take away my credential. Everybody stays quiet. It’s true. 10sballs.com has BALLS.
We say lower ticket prices globally and get the word out well in advance that the circus is coming to town. Advance teams ? Motivated pied pipers. Rumor is one such guy bought 500 tickets himself for the recent legends event in Vegas. He and his team made phone calls and sold every one …. That’s one guy named Ryan ….. my suggestion. Set up phone sales callers that are warm fuzzy kind people . Send out postcards. Reminder cards. Thank you cards. Thank you tourney gifts. Especially after being season ticket holders for twenty five years. ? They need to send reps to clubs with brochures. Postcards. Dates. Posters. They need to go to the public parks. The league tennis. The high school teams. The college teams. The sports people of the area. The tennis stores / shops. Give free seats to the stringers. Give free seats to the coaches they know who will be in those seats in a blink… Whether an event takes place in a community or a major city….
Who wouldn’t want to be in Paris right now…. Sell package deals. Include a player cocktail party or something for us pathetic fans. Ps. They. Those powers that be that run Tennis events raise our prices every few years….Give us less service….Rarely are even polite to their largest supporters and move our seats without any real discussion ….or my favorite being crowded into VIP umbrella Tables. … Basic problem in our sport every tourney director is on his/her own.( all independent contractors) The sharks swim together circling ,copying , stealing and smiling. It’s every man for himself. It’s the guys who have each others backs for life. Don’t even get me started in the tennis agent / manager.
Yes. I know. You all would have left me home too….