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Send comments or suggestions to: Web editor The Yale Alumni Magazine is owned and operated by Yale Alumni Publications, Inc., a nonprofit corporation independent of Yale University. The content of the magazine is the responsibility of the editors and does not necessarily reflect the views of Yale or its officers. |
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Alan Schwartz is serving a two-year term as president of the United States Tennis Association, the volunteer organization that serves as governing body for the country's 23.5 million tennis players. He founded and chairs Tennis Corporation of America, the largest owner and operator of indoor tennis facilities in North America. Y: Most people know the USTA primarily as the institution behind the U.S. Open. What is the group's purpose? S: We have a mission statement -- which I'm kind of pleased to say that I wrote when I first got on the board of directors nine years ago. They've adopted and kept it, and it's eight wordS: "to promote and develop the growth of tennis." Y: How are you doing that? S: We made a major decision during my administration: multiculturalism was raised to a level-one priority. We want to have the people playing tennis look like a mirror image of the country's whole population. This is no longer a country club sport solely, but is available to grassroots America. Y: Public perception still sees tennis as mainly for the country club set. S: You're probably right, and we've got to break that perception down. We've got a public relations job there and a marketing job. Right now, 30 percent of all newcomers to the game are minorities -- African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. That's a big change from a generation ago. Y: What is happening to counter the game's elitist image? S: We're making great inroads through the parks. The parks are where the courts are, and the minute you tie the schools to the parks, you bring more and more kids in. In a number of cities, the school district is now teamed up with the park district, and they're starting to make physical education and tennis part of the curriculum -- thank goodness, with obesity as common as it is. Y: You sound pretty committed. S: Tennis passion has been a constant throughout my life. That's true of an awful lot of the USTA volunteers. We've got a little a bit of messianic zeal -- we think that we've got something good for the world. I spend almost 200 days a year on the road as a volunteer. Unfortunately, the bad part about this job is I've played less tennis now than in any time in the last 60 years. Y: When did you first get involved with the game? S: My love of tennis started when I was five years old, and tennis became what we did as a family on Sundays. At the USTA we find that many of those who enter the game are entering it because their parents had played or a sibling has played. Y: You've won eight national tennis titles. Has tennis stayed a family affair for you? S: Yes, it's a way to get together. And we enjoy being together. We're competitive, but it's in a wholesome way. My father and I won the Chicago Father and Son Tennis Doubles -- as well as my son and I. In the first case, I thought it was tougher to be the son, and in the second case, I knew it was tougher to be the father. Y: Why is tennis so popular with families? S: To my way of thinking, tennis is one of the few sports that are totally intergenerational, if not the only one. I play with and against my ten-year-old grandson. There will be a point in a couple of years where I will be the underdog. But look at the fun you have. |
