Why Wimbeldon?
Though humans invented sport, we did not create them all equally. As unfair and trivial as it seems, it’s quite true.
There is a certain number of sports or sporting events the world is fascinated by: The Superbowl, BCS National Championship game, Any World Series (MLB, College, Little league and even Poker), NBA Finals, March Madness, The Masters, World Cup (only this low because I live in America). These are events that it doesn’t matter what you are doing, most people have a general sense of what is going on. Some people put Wimbeldon in this category. I don’t.
I was debating someone this very topic last year and I had no proof or my argument. Well, now I do. The argument for Wimbeldon was just like many others. TRADITION, legacy, aura and mystique. Blah, blah, blah. All I hear is “I don’t have an point, but everyone else likes it, so do I.” then comes the big one: It’s a “Major.” C’mon, being the smartest person out of Arkansas doesn’t mean you’re smart. Change your reference point and all of a sudden any stat looks the way you want it.
My argument was simple. Compared to every other sporting event Wimbeldon just didn’t match up. The only reason why people cared was because there was nothing else to care about. It’s a simple matter of good calendar timing. Wimbeldon always takes place in late June to early July. Right after NBA wraps up the Finals, before the NFL heats up with training camps and before the MLB All-Star break so nobody, not even the teams themselves, cares about baseball yet. Perfect Storm for a lackluster event. Could you imagine the SuperBowl going on at this time? ESPN would be almost unwatchable analyzing the 3rd string waterboy on the offensive coordinators son’s high school team.
I am not arguing that Wimbeldon sucks or isn’t worth watching. It is my 4th favorite Tennis event to watch. (Remember that line about changing your reference point) I am simply saying it’s shouldn’t get billing as being the biggest tennis tournament around. The Aussie Open is awesome but struggles in the U.S. with a time differential, the French Open has the clay (but can keep Nadal’s capris), U.S. Open is my favorite and would hold the honor but the English want to act like your father at 50 years old and pretend like they are better simply because it’s older. Take your white tube socks and get out of here old man.
Sidebar: I feel like Wimbeldon is sponsored by Gain laundry detergent. Why does everyone have to wear white? Has a private school feel. Cricket, you don’t have room to talk.
Sorry, now where was I? Oh… Right, my proof. Most summers, Wimbeldon gets to enjoy the fruits of this scheduling perfect storm and the fans are the only ones who suffer. Not this year. This year 3 things happened while, oddly enough, one of the more exciting tournaments was being played out. First, the tournament. John Isner sets a crazy record for longest Tennis Match ever, spanning 3 days and lasting 11 hours. Despite Federer being upset early, most of the major players advance as expected. Serena in the finals and wins easily. And we are were set up for a possible upset match in the men’s final. Nadal won in straight sets, but of Tiger won by 8 strokes we would all still watch. All in all a good tournament. How come nobody cared?
Well, unlike before, there was something else going on this summer. Three things in fact. World Cup, Summer of LeBron and the return of Brock Lesnar to UFC. Three things that aren’t even as big as the Superbowl or the Masters with Tiger Woods in the final pairing. Wimbeldon takes 4th billing to all these events.
Tennis is a great sport, it just doesn’t appeal to the masses the way other sports do. It is a bit stuffy, and Wimbeldon owns all the stuffiness. Why would Larry Scott leave the WTA to be the PAC-10 commissioner last year? Tennis is a global sport, isn’t it? Why would you leave it to be the head of a regional conference? PAC-10 is big, but not a world association.
Go ahead, keep believing that Wimbeldon is the greatest tennis tournament. Keep thinking that it’s close to as important as the other top tier events in sports. I dare you to start watching. Clearly, you haven’t been.
