Vantage Point: A tennis-only show By: Eugene Scott

Written by: Resendiz on 3rd April 2014

Vantage Point: A tennis-only show By: Eugene Scott |

The following was written by former Tennis Week publisher Gene Scott and re-printed from the Feb. 26, 1998, issue of Tennis Week.

Is the Super Show still super? Not for tennis. The four-day pageant is a first rate production for sporting goods manufacturers to display their wares to retailers across the country. One-hundred thousand visitors gather at the World Congress Center in Atlanta every February for what is more a “show off” than a show of industry products, from cross-country to cross-training from roller blades to switch blades. Which is part of the problem. The Super Show makes a brave effort to be all things to all manufacturers without doing anything unusual for tennis.

From the moment one walked into the Congress Center, tennis took a back seat to other sports. The five giant icons at the entrance, for example, showcased a football, baseball, soccer ball, skis and golf clubs. This was particularly galling for our game because golf recently had the second of two golf-only shows, and by being featured again in the world’s biggest recreation extravaganza, tennis’s nose was unintentionally rubbed in its own flatulence. Not pertinent to hard sales but psychologically irksome nonetheless, was the

near total omission of any mention of tennis in SGMA’s Super News’ opening issue. The sole exception was a minor picture of Tracy Austin winning the U.S. Open almost 20 years ago.

There were other signs that perhaps it’s time for the tennis industry to stick up for itself by presenting a tennis-only show for the first time in over a decade. One leading manufacturer, for example, had no tennis exhibit per se, despite having a strong tennis product line. When asked why the lack of attention to tennis, a telling rationale surfaced. “When we see a sport is hot, we pour company kerosene on the fire to make it hotter,” a senior executive confided. “If another sport like tennis is simply simmering we’ll just let it simmer until outside forces raise its temperature. Then, we’ll add some kerosene.”

If total Super Show attendance was announced as down by 4 percent, tennis booth operators surveyed were far more pessimistic in their estimates. Remarks were not made in

a “poor me” tone of voice but with a squinty eye resolve that seemed to say, “I’m not going to take this anymore and I’m going to do something about it.”

Another element making exhibitor experience particularly prickly was cold and rainy weather, meaning movement around the city was always unpleasant. Even worse, next year the Show will be scheduled over Presidents’ and Valentine’s Day weekend, not exactly a family-friendly decision. All this is unsettling backdrop to the Super Show’s decision to leave Atlanta after 2000 when the Congress Hall will be renovated. It will not return and reportedly will settle in Orlando.

With more wringing of hands in Atlanta than ringing of registers, it was suggested the length of the show be reduced to three days. This may be an ultimate sign of maturity from past Go-Go years when manufacturers competed to host the most extravagant after-hours party. No longer. When business on the floor closed for the day, conversation turned serious, for instance, to the Tennis Industry Association alliance, which with the help of the U.S. Tennis Association, has marshalled $50 million over the next five years in a master Plan for Growth. The blueprint was unfurled at three different meetings in Atlanta, an unprecedented display of unselfishness by manufacturers who are understandably concerned with beefing up their own sales figures.

All of this has stirred more than modest muttering about syndicating a new all-tennis show. As an entity, the TIA itself cannot prod this initiative without jeopardizing its sizeable subsidy from the SGMA. More problematic is tackling an added project after budgets have been set, a tricky assignment in a dodgy economic climate with no assurance from retailers that they need another show. The positive sign from this manufacturer and retailer restlessness, however, is the signal that neither are as passive as the industry they serve.

Two items were of particular interest at the Super Show. The first was the formal introduction of the Head Titanium line of racquets. Titanium is a sexy almost-new material that has already been used in golf club heads for several years. Head is the first tennis company to make a big deal of this space age metal, and while it is too early to tell the seriousness of consumer interest, Wilson and Prince have added titanium to some frames to cover their industry-leading bets.

An almost unnoticed sprig of news came from Puma. Once a major player in the American tennis market, it more recently has been one of a handful of elite European sporting goods houses that have had trouble getting their arms around the United States marketplace. Puma signed Serena Williams, Venus’ 16-year-old sister, to a multi-year, multimedia, multi-million dollar contract. What makes this deal different than just another athlete signing an impressive footwear and clothing contract is that Puma is partly owned by Monarchy/Regency, the world’s leading independent film company whose investors include Australian impresario Kerry Packer, the Kireh Group and Korean conglomerate Samsung.

When asked why the big interest in Ms. Williams, ranked only 41 in the world, a Puma representative said, “We don’t know if Serena can sing or act, but, believe me, we never would have hired her just for her presence in the tennis world.” These folks sound like a worthwhile card to add to the tennis family rolodex.

Topics: Eugene Scott, Puma, Serena, Super Show, Tennis, Tennis News, Tracy Austin, Venus Williams