As I launched this site, it was immediately and patently clear that I have no intention of investing my time reporting general tennis news and tournament results. A primary reason for that is because there are many other sites already doing an adequate job regurgitating current news and events in tennis. Another factor was a self awareness that I could not reliably and predictably keep up with the immediacy of the news cycle given the constraints of my day job.
After 6 months of writing daily about tennis, I have found that I am touching on current events more and more. So my view on how news stories might be a part of this site has become more nuanced. I have come to grips with the fact that there will be some coverage of current events. That being said, my focus will never be on the “what” of current events but rather the “why” of things that are shaping the tennis experience.
Two weeks ago today, the USTA announced job cuts and the closure of the White Plains, NY offices. I have to confess that I initially missed the story. I am guessing that probably a lot of other people in the tennis community are also unaware that this happened. The announcement was not widely carried or reported.
A Reuters article printed in the New York Times, indicated that the elimination of 110 jobs and closure of the White Plains, New York office are a part of belt-tightening measures brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak. The same article indicated that more than $20 million was going to be saved by instituting management salary reductions and furloughing approximately 100 employees. I am assuming that those furloughs are in addition to the 110 jobs cut outright.
To me, the closure of the White Plains office marks the end of an era for the USTA. For much of my tennis life, White Plains was the location of the National Headquarters for the USTA. The following excerpt is from the USTA website describing the the national headquarters.
The national headquarters of the U.S. Tennis Association is located in White Plains, N.Y., and houses its executive office, administration (finance and accounting) and business operations as well as membership, pro tennis, team events and shared services groups, including communications, information technology, human resources, legal and marketing.
USTA National Headquarters, USTA Website
Curiously enough, the USTA job posting page includes a new part time position in the White Plains office that was posted the day after the closure of the facility was announced. I guess it’s going to take a while for White Plains to wind down.
I can’t say that I am completely surprised at financial restructuring of the USTA. While clearly COVID-19 has had a detrimental impact on the financial position of the organization, looking at the 2019 financial statement of the USTA shows that there were clearly issues prior to the current crisis.
In 2019, the Total Operating Revenues of the USTA was just shy of $485 million dollars. The Total Operating Expenses were slightly over $494 million dollars. I complain anytime I have to do math in support of this site, but fortunately in this case I don’t have to. The operating deficit is right there on the audited financial statements of the USTA. It is an annual loss of $9.2 million dollars. I think the technical term for this is bleeding cash.
USTA Executive Officer and Executive Director Michael Dowse is quoted in the Reuters article. “We have an opportunity to re-imagine the structure of the organisation to better serve the tennis community in the United States.” Additionally he said “This new structure allows the USTA to be more agile and more cost effective, while getting closer to tennis players at the local level.”
Even before I read that last sentence, I was anticipating that some of the impacts will be apparent at the local level. Clearly there will be a focus on grassroots tennis participation. I am also guessing that some national events will be modified significantly or possibly eliminated.
Change is coming and it was inevitable.
- Tennis: USTA Cuts 110 Jobs Due to COVID-19 Fallout, Steve Keating, Reuters/New York Times, June 8, 2020.
- USTA National Headquarters, https://www.usta.com/en/home/about-usta/who-we-are/national/usta-national-headquarters.html, dated January 1, 2017, viewed June 20, 2020.
- Work for Us: USTA White Plains, https://www.usta.com/en/home/about-usta/jobs—human-resources/national/usta-national-headquarters-white-plains-ny.html, dated June 9, 2020, viewed June 20, 2020.
- “United States Tennis Association Incorporated and Affiliates, Consolidated Financial Statements Years Ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.”
Hope there will be good changes.
Likewise. My awareness that the fact that the USTA is going through this reimagining phase is the primary impetus for my current reflection on my own involvement in tennis to see if anything in my own experience could be helpful to the process.