If I had to guess, most avid tennis players are not aware that the USTA has been searching for a new CEO. Additionally I believe that most couldn’t name the former USTA CEO even if their lives depended on it. Today’s post is a paragraph by paragraph examination of the recent USTA press release that announced the selection of Lew Sherr as the organization’s new leader. Specifically I am searching for clues about what this new era might portend for the organization. As a reminder, overthinking such things is the hallmark of this site.
Lew Sherr, the current Chief Revenue Officer of the USTA, has been named USTA Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director. According to USTA Chairman of the Board and President Mike McNulty, Sherr will begin in his new role on May 2 following Tuesday’s announcement.
USTA Press Release, April 12, 2022
The reasons that drove the surprising and sudden resignation of the previous USTA CEO, Michael Dowse, have not been publicly disclosed. It is possible that Dowse’s departure may be completely independent of organizational factors. Even if that is the case, the selection of his successor could be an indicator of the current organizational state and desired shifts in priorities.
In his new role, Sherr will partner with the USTA Board of Directors to set the strategy for tennis’ growth in the United States, and will lead the USTA National staff to ensure those strategies are successful and that tennis continues its recent growth trends toward an increasingly diverse player and fan base for the sport.
USTA Press Release, April 12, 2022
When Michael Dowse was selected as the USTA CEO, that press release made no mention of partnership with the USTA Board of Directors. Doing that is an inherent part of the job description. The fact that it was explicitly mentioned in this announcement makes me wonder if there was tension in the working relationship between the board and Dowse.
The statement that the CEO is responsible (in partnership with the Board of Directors) to set the organizational strategy is similarly an inherent part of the job. Shortly after Dowse started his tenure, there were job cuts and restructuring at the USTA. In conjunction with that, the USTA published a list of five strategic choices that the organization was pursuing. At the time, I thought that those objectives were newly developed under Dowse’s tenure. However, I subsequently discovered that they were published before Dowse was ever announced in the position.
The juxtaposition of strategy in conjunction with the close partnership to the USTA Board of Directors could be interpreted as an indication that the board was not happy with the strategic direction under Dowse. However, it seems strange that there would have been discord since that document pre-dated his tenure. If it means anything at all, perhaps it is an indication that the board was looking for something new rather than a continuation of what had already been put in place.
Alternatively, it may mean nothing.
Over the past two years, tennis has seen a 27.9% increase in participation, growing by approximately 4.9 million players in that time period. In 2020, participation in the sport increased by 22%, with four million more players than in 2019. In 2021, the trend continued when an additional million Americans picked up the sport, a 4.5% increase over 2020.
USTA Press Release, April 12, 2022
That paragraph simply annoys me. I feel like there is some internal memorandum at the USTA that directed that all press releases will contain glowing participation figures. The recent growth is a fortunate side effect of the pandemic rather than any initiative supported by the USTA. At the same time, when things are not going well for the USTA, the pandemic is blamed. I hope that the new administration will shift away from repeating this same rhetoric and become more action oriented.
Another top priority for Sherr, who has laid out a comprehensive growth strategy for the association and the sport, is the bolstering of services and support for the 17 USTA Sectional Associations, the drivers of tennis participation and growth on the front lines of communities around the country. He also plans to accelerate the digital transformation that is presently underway at the USTA.
USTA Press Release, April 12, 2022
“Another top priority for Sherr” is a clear signal that there was a priority embedded in the previous paragraph. So that (annoying) statement about participation is one of his top priorities. As it should be. “To promote and develop the growth of tennis” is literally the mission statement of the USTA.
“Bolstering services and support” for the USTA Sections is a departure from the previous related verbiage in Dowse’s announcement. That wording was more subtly oriented in the grassroots up direction. From the areas where I have visibility, that produced disjointed results. The new verbiage may signal a shift to a top down orientation of strategic direction.
Digital transformation is an overloaded industry buzzword. I don’t think this means the same thing for the USTA as it does in my day job. In the USTA context, I hope this means that there will be an initiative to finally create the well structured data management systems required to support better digital engagement with the tennis community. This has to be a high priority for the USTA and the performance to date is a pretty good indicator that some sort of change is needed.
In his tenure as USTA Chief Revenue Officer, Sherr has driven all revenue streams for the USTA to record levels including overall sponsorship, broadcast revenue, and attendance and ticketing revenue, and under his leadership, the USTA will ensure the Association’s financial strength and continue to build on the profitability of the US Open.
USTA Press Release, April 12, 2022
The financial strength of the USTA is important and clearly the US Open is front and center. As a point of contrast, Tennis Australia had negative revenue streams from the Australian Open in 2021 and had to take out a loan to even conduct the event in 2022. The US Open produces the revenue required for the USTA to operate.
That being said, this is a worrisome paragraph to me. Financial strength is required to promote tennis, but promoting tennis is the top priority. I already perceive that the USTA over prioritizes the US Open and this seems to indicate that the trend may shift even further in that direction.
Additionally, one of the paragraphs above explicitly mentioned increasing the fan base of the sport in addition to participation. There was no mention of the fan base at all when Dowse was previously announced to the position.
“Lew is the right person to lead the USTA and the sport of tennis,” said McNulty. “He is an empathetic leader who has proven he can build, develop, and motivate teams, and can design and implement successful strategies for growth. Equally important, he has demonstrated a keen ability to build relationships that foster trust and energize cultures.”
USTA Press Release, April 12, 2022
That is a loaded paragraph. On the surface, it contains a laundry list of good characteristics of a leader. The explicit references to fostering trust and energizing cultures might be revealing. Could this mean that trust issues and morale problems are perceived as an issue for the USTA? The restructuring undertaken early in Dowse’s tenure would certainly have created some uncertainty. The pandemic probably didn’t help matters.
“I’m excited to assume this position at such an important time for tennis,” said Sherr. “I look forward to working closely with our talented national staff, our 17 sections, the incredibly passionate volunteer base, as well as all of the important stakeholders in our sport at every level. I know that tennis is a sport that can enhance lives and longevity, and it’s our responsibility to share it with as many people as possible. I thank the USTA Board for this opportunity, and I am eager to help lead this association–and the sport of tennis–to greater growth and long-term success.”
USTA Press Release, April 12, 2022
Sherr is saying all the things you would want him to say.
Sherr has a long and successful history in a wide range of sports, entertainment and media properties. Prior to the USTA, Sherr was Senior Vice President, Marketing Partnerships for Madison Square Garden where he directed all sponsorship activities of MSG’s Entertainment Division, which operated six music venues and produced several world-renowned touring theatrical productions. He also held senior level positions at Time Warner Global Marketing and Clear Channel Advantage. He began his professional career with a seven-year stint at Wilson Sporting Goods Company.
USTA Press Release, April 12, 2022
My first thought after reading that paragraph was concern that Sherr isn’t a tennis guy. That visceral reaction annoys me, because I have long claimed that the USTA has a cognitive bias problem that drives employment selection based on tennis history rather than technical or organizational skill required to do the job. Therefore it is annoyingly inconsistent to me personally to be concerned about any lack of tennis in his background. We are all a work in progress.
And he may very well have more tennis in his history than published in his USTA biographies. It would be a strange departure for the USTA if that was the case, but one I have been advocating for.
I love the fact that Sherr has a marketing background. Effectively marketing tennis participation is the single most important thing that the USTA can do to move the needle in a positive direction. There is significant opportunity here.
A graduate of Duke University and Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, Sherr will be based at the USTA National Campus in the Lake Nona neighborhood of Orlando, Fla., but plans to make regular visits to all USTA National offices and USTA Section office locations.
USTA Press Release, April 12, 2022
Crystal Ball: Coming soon, an announcement of a “listening tour” to a Section office near you. For what it’s worth, Dowse was planning to do the same thing, but it was thwarted by travel restrictions and closures during the pandemic.
The USTA CEO search was led by Nolan Partners, an Excel Sports Management Company. According to Nolan, the USTA Board considered a highly diverse long list and highly diverse short list that consisted of more than 50% female and/or ethnically diverse candidates.
USTA Press Release, April 12, 2022
I understand what the USTA is doing with that final paragraph. It heads off criticism that they are predisposed to selecting white males to the position. Is it really necessary to use the word “diverse” three times to make that point? Hopefully no one is questioning the decision on that basis.
Finishing Shots
Once again, overthinking is the hallmark of this site. It is quite possible that the speculation and attempts to find and read tea leaves in the announcement is wildly wrong. It will be interesting to see what visible differences actually emerge under Sherr’s leadership.
- Lew Sherr named USTA CEO and Executive Director, USTA Press Release, April 12, 2022.
- Michael Dowse named USTA CEO and Executive Director, USTA Press Release, October 17, 2019.
In the first paragraph after the section on his experience, the word “for” should be removed from the phrase, “employment selection based on for tennis history”.
Thanks! Correction is made.
I’m curious to know if by board diversity they also include a member with a disability. It’s really not diverse without us. With 1 in 4 adults having a disability, ignoring the market potential of adaptive and wheelchair tennis seems short sighted. As it is USTA is way too focused on junior player development in WC tennis. I’d venture to say the number of adults acquiring a disability is greater than those born with disabilities.
Not to mention that tennis is arguably one of the best adaptive sports going. I agree that the USTA needs to do more in that area.