Tennis Related - Off Court Serious Issues

[ponchi101]

Kyrgios.
As I have been there, I can't be impartial in this situation.
But if you are trying to leave, and the person will not let you, what are you supposed to do? I had to climb out the window (second story, I was young).

[Owendonovan]

Maybe Nick and Sasha can go on a double date.

[Deuce]

This is rather insightful...

Jessica Pegula Wants to Talk to You About Her Mom...

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[ponchi101]

to Jessica. Well written.
And: do find an American/Canadian/somewhere Red Cross site and take a first aid course. Basic CPR, how to use an AED, basic immobilization, and Heimlich maneuver. You truly can save the life of a loved one.

[ti-amie]

Thank you Jessica.

[Deuce]

This is rather insightful...

Jessica Pegula Wants to Talk to You About Her Mom...

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Apparently some players - past and present - read it, as well, and has praise for Jessica...

Players React to Pegula's Essay About Her Mom...

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[Sinner Fan]

Jessica is a truly strong woman as is her mother. Very well done Jessica.

[ti-amie]

[ponchi101]

Ok. Let's agree. There should be no pay gap between the ATP and WTA.
Now: HOW do you achieve this? What is the plan? Will the ATP players, scheduled to play in City A, be willing to boycott that event unless the WTA players, playing in City B, get the same pay? Or, will they request that the pay schedule for City A be reduced and such reduction be given to the pay schedule for City B?

I am being serious. What would the logistics be?

[mmmm8]

Ok. Let's agree. There should be no pay gap between the ATP and WTA.
Now: HOW do you achieve this? What is the plan? Will the ATP players, scheduled to play in City A, be willing to boycott that event unless the WTA players, playing in City B, get the same pay? Or, will they request that the pay schedule for City A be reduced and such reduction be given to the pay schedule for City B?

I am being serious. What would the logistics be?

It has to be done from the top. ATP, WTA, and ITF have to all agree on the prize money and only accredit tournaments that will meet the amount.

[ponchi101]

Ok. Step one.
What do you do with tournaments that do not pay equal money, WITHIN the separate tours? ATP 250's do not pay all the same. Do you homogenize those too?

[ti-amie]

Ok. Step one.
What do you do with tournaments that do not pay equal money, WITHIN the separate tours? ATP 250's do not pay all the same. Do you homogenize those too?

The pay difference between ATP 250's and WTA 250's is and always has been startling. If you look at the financial commitments for similar events that get posted here you begin to shake your head.

I wonder if the whisper campaign for the tours to merge that's been going on for a few years now is really because the only way equal pay for men and women could be accomplished is for the tours to merge. There are many other issues that would have to be resolved for this to happen among them the ATP's bias against the WTA. If a merger could've taken place it would've been a few years ago when there were headline grabbing rivalries between the top players who on their own sold the tour. The reasons that's not happening now are too complex to get into but right now why should or would the ATP want to merge with the WTA especially after the fiasco that occurred when the WTA abruptly pulled out of the TennisTV contract.

I don't see anything but a merger fixing the situation, and I don't see why the ATP would seek a merger at this time.

[Deuce]

How about directly tying prize money to ticket sales - like as a percentage?
That way, the prize money is directly related to the income of a tournament. And one could conclude that the better product - which is what fans would flock to more - would have the greater prize money.
Would that be a fair direction to take?

Perhaps the danger in this is that both tours might then create a lot of idiotic gimmicks designed to get more asses in the seats - and that would obviously be a bad thing.

Do ATP tournaments outdraw WTA tournaments in terms of fans? I've heard rumblings that they do - but, when watching on TV, as well as at tournaments I've attended, the number of people in the seats seems pretty much the same for both.

Additionally, more equality in other matters would also help - like an element I mentioned a month or two ago of Majors alternating the men's and women's singles Final as the last match (grande finale) of a tournament. Right now, and for as long as I remember, it's the men's final that is the last match of every Major. This sends the obvious message that it is the most important and significant match.
But what about changing that to make it equal? One year, the Aussie Open and Wimbledon would have the men's final as the last match, while Roland Garros and the U.S. Open would feature the women's final as the last match - and the following year, the Majors would reverse who plays the final match, and reverse every year...

Also, on the websites for the Majors (and any other tournament where both the men and the women play at the same time), the default view of the draws is always the men's singles. Why not alternate that, as well, in the interest of equality? It may seem like a small thing, but I think defaulting to the men's singles every time sends the message that that is the most important and significant draw.

[Owendonovan]

Perhaps the danger in this is that both tours might then create a lot of idiotic gimmicks designed to get more asses in the seats - and that would obviously be a bad thing.

Like signing camera lenses?

[Deuce]

Perhaps the danger in this is that both tours might then create a lot of idiotic gimmicks designed to get more asses in the seats - and that would obviously be a bad thing.

Like signing camera lenses?

No - that actually encourages people to stay home and watch on TV.
But only if they actually show what the player writes on the lens in a readable format!

I was thinking of stupid gimmicks like selling the women's game more on 'sex appeal', having speed serving contests among the male players between matches, and other ridiculous things that have nothing to do with actual tennis competition.

Aside from ticket sales determining prize money, should TV viewership also count toward that? Should advertizing money be part of the percentage of prize money, as well as ticket sales?
One would assume that ticket sales and TV viewership would be similar in terms of attracting fans to watch a given tournament.
Or would that complicate things too much and/or be too easy to manipulate the numbers?