Williams: Tennis a popular alternative

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

In a state that shuns ice and water sports because of its geography and still continues to lift its nose to soccer, tennis remains a popular alternative to the big bad three — football, basketball and baseball.

I recognize and understand that any state in close proximity to Texas or Virginia must engage in a love affair with football, but there is something to be appreciated in the noncontact game of tennis.

The game can essentially be traced back to the time of the Tudor Dynasty in 15th century England, but its association to refinement and exclusivity is seemingly more removed today. In other words, excepting housewives playing in the Hamptons, tennis is largely accepted by the middle class, although tennis, along with golf, still shares a close tie to the country club type.

Particularly here at the University, many students lament that there isn’t more free court space on campus or in the city of Lawrence. Just passing by the courts today, I saw the women’s tennis team was practicing on one side, and students filled up the other. Speaking of which, Kansas not only has a fantastic women’s team but also a tennis club that boasts about 50 members. Not to mention intramural tennis in fall and spring for anybody else who wants an even more relaxed way to enjoy the sport.

Of course it must be mentioned that there are other clubs and intramural teams at Kansas whose mere existence belie the state’s stereotype. Many small towns in my region of southeast Kansas offer and encourage high school students to try tennis as a noncontact alternative to the more popular, but more injury-prone, games of football and softball.

What’s interesting is that my alma mater of Field Kindley, in Coffeyville, didn’t even embrace soccer until 2001 and the men’s swim team membership was in a constant state of flux, but the men’s and women’s tennis teams remained popular and immune to players’ lack of enthusiasm.

But it seems that although the numbers of tennis fans may not be newsworthy itself, the passion of those players is what makes noteworthy the tennis movement in the land of basketball and football. Don’t believe me? If there’s another Federer-Roddick final or all Williams sisters final at the US Open in New York, friends on Twitter or Facebook will let you know.

— — Edited by Jacob Muselmann

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