Leagues without Nationals

Fiend at Court Unplugged

When the USTA first formalized NTRP based league play, the organization simultaneously self-imposed a requirement to conduct a series of National Championships. It has been an implicit part of the system from inception. That is probably why people look at me like I am crazy anytime I suggest that USTA Leagues would do just fine without National Championships. There is a pervasive belief that if the USTA eliminated League Nationals that participation would plummet. I’m not so sure.

I live and play locally in the DFW area. Most of the players in this region live within the “double halo” of both Dallas and Fort Worth. USTA League play thrives in both cities. In addition, there are significant unsanctioned leagues that operate with high participation in parallel with the official USTA offerings. For example, I actively participate in the “Metroplex” (Metro) ladies league and the “Tennis Competitors of Dallas” (TCD) mixed doubles league.

Metro and TCD are both operated by registered USTA Community Tennis Associations (CTAs). That means they they are not completely separate from the USTA. However, those leagues are outside the NTRP system and also do not fall under USTA League regulations. Most significantly, there is no advancement from these leagues to any semblance of Sectional or National Championships.

One of the biggest drawbacks of USTA NTRP based league play is that a player can be “bumped up” and out of eligibility to play on a team with their friends or fellow club members. Without NTRP restrictions, that doesn’t happen in Metro and TCD leagues. The mechanism that Metro and TCD use to maintain competitive balance is by promoting and relegating entire teams across several flights. That completely removes any incentive for an individual player to tank matches for the opportunity to stay with their besties.

In my experience, captains in Metro and TCD almost always play their lines “straight up.” USTA Leagues used to have a rule that required captains to play their lines in order of strength, but it proved impossible to enforce. Unscrupulous teams ignored the rule and enjoyed an advantage at the expense of those that complied. This is why there is a supervised blind roster exchange during post-season league play.

It is fairly frequent in USTA League matches for the strongest players on each team to be scattered across the lineup. That can lead to disappointing mismatches when all lines could have been more competitive. In fact a “good” USTA captain will prioritize the probability of winning the most matches at the expense of ensuring the best competitive matchups. That is bad for tennis.

Another key cultural difference is reflected in the grievance rules. The Metro league “Protest” procedures consist of five line items that take up less than half a page in the official rules document. TCD is on the same scale with half page of “Rules/Sportsmanship” provisions. It is an interesting contrast against the sprawling grievance and protest sections in the USTA League Regulations.

I recently found out what a team receives for winning a Metro season along with that flight promotion. It was a league branded massage kit. (Congratulations! You are heading up to the top flight. You’re going to need this.) I am told that the swag varies from season to season.

A lot of people play TCD and Metro leagues. There is no advancement to Sectional or National Championships. People participate for the sake of playing competitive tennis. This is why I don’t buy the argument that USTA Leagues would collapse without the National Championship incentive. In fact, advancement itself is what prompts a lot unsportsmanlike behavior that hurts the adult tennis culture.

USTA League Play could survive without National Championships. In fact, it might even be better.