Now That's a Big Check.....

Well the U.S. Open is about to get a major upgrade in the coming years. It was just announced yesterday that the New York City Council approved a $500 million expansion of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. This move allows the USTA to replace portions of the facility that are significantly outdated as well as make improvements and additions. In exchange for approval, the USTA committed $10 million for improvements to Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The USTA will help establish a non-profit to fund the park and will also be offering kids tennis programming as part of the agreement in addition to an annual job fair for Queens residents. That community commitment is the big standout for me. So many times, corporate entities are viewed as raiders because they annex and expand without focusing on offering anything to the communities they are impacting. Not only does this agreement allow for the continued improvement of the USTA's signature event, but it will hopefully make an impact on the number of kids who have access to tennis opportunities. I understand a large portion of this is "keeping up with the Joneses" syndrome, where the USTA has to be pro-active in order to continue to make the U.S. Open attractive for TV and attendance revenue (which let's be honest, I'm all for since that is a major portion of how we are able to operate on a local level!) However, I do feel that the USTA has shown a significant commitment to engaging local communities and putting resources into the game (as they should). You don't even have to look very far from our own Idaho backyard to see that. Part of the Davis Cup coming to Boise included a grant from the USTA that will be used to rehabilitate and add family friendly tennis facilities at Ann Morrison park.

Tennis continues to grow here locally and will hopefully continue to grow on a national level. I just hope that when the time comes for the USTA to write that $500 million check, they have local kids from their tennis programs deliver it as one of those giant novelty checks!