We are finally moving past micro-examination of the rules applicable to an incident that occurred earlier this year at the Tom Fey Tri-Level National Invitational Championships. Today’s topic starts into the sportsmanship ramifications of what transpired. Eventually we will work our way toward examining the rules and regulations pertaining to the suspension point system. However, sportsmanship comes first.
In the “Pot, Kettle, Black” department, I don’t think I have previously written much about the abstract concept of sportsmanship. However, the USTA League Regulations don’t have much to say about that topic either. In fact, the primary reference comes in the regulation for player agreement, which culminates with the statement that all players participating in USTA League agree to abide by the standards of “good conduct, fair play, and good sportsmanship.”
Player Agreement. All players participating in the USTA League, as a condition of said participation, agree to abide and be bound by the USTA Constitution and Bylaws; the USTA LEAGUE REGULATIONS; the FRIEND AT COURT – The USTA Handbook of Tennis Rules and Regulations including THE CODE and Wheelchair Rules of Tennis (unless modified by these USTA LEAGUE REGULATIONS); any other USTA regulations (unless modified by these USTA LEAGUE REGULATIONS); and the standards of good conduct, fair play and good sportsmanship.
2024 USTA League National Regulations, Regulation 1.04E(4)
There is only one more use of the word “sportsmanship” within the USTA League Regulations. It is referenced in the context of how to file a grievance. That is an unfortunate indication of the punitive nature of the governance over the USTA’s most popular form of Adult tennis engagement.
The silence of the USTA League Regulations on what constitutes “good conduct, fair play, and good sportsmanship” forces our examination back into the USTA Friend at Court. “THE CODE” talks a lot about those concepts. In fact, it explicitly outlines the key attributes of sportsmanship in a “Sportsmanship Policy” statement.
SPORTSMANSHIP POLICY
Sportsmanship is the foundation of tennis. It is essential to tennis as a welcoming, open, and inclusive sport. Sports integrity follows a boundless set of core values and attributes that enrich the lives of all who participate. These attributes include, but are not limited to:
USTA Friend at Court, THE CODE, Sportsmanship Policy
- Understanding and following the rules
- Being fair
- Acting with character
- Respecting others
- Winning with humility and losing with grace
- Maintaining composure
- Being accountable for one’s own actions
- Giving others the benefit of the doubt
Some people involved with the incident earlier this year at the Tom Fey Tri-Level National Invitational Championships will undoubtedly point to the first bullet of “Understanding and following the rules” as proof positive that the players who received suspension points were unsportsmanlike. However, my extensive (and tedious) examination of the applicable rules for the situation has brought me to the conclusion that wasn’t the issue here.
Some scenarios of not following the rules are certainly bad sportsmanship. However, I do not think that includes players not understanding a “rule” that was not written on the Tri-Level informational page or within any other USTA rulebook. A lack of adherence to a new arbitrary rule made in a verbal announcement that many players competing at the event didn’t even hear isn’t bad sportsmanship. Instead, it’s bad communication.
The crux of the problem was ultimately a failure associated with another attribute in THE CODE, “Winning with humility and losing with grace.” That will be the focus when this series resumes on Friday.
- USTA Tri-Level National Invitational Welcome Page, USTA SoCal Hosted Informational Page, last viewed April 6, 2024.
- 2024 USTA League National Regulations, USTA Resource Document, March 14, 2024.
- Friend at Court: The Handbook of Tennis Rules and Regulations, USTA, 2024
- USTA Adult and Family Tournament, Ranking, & Sanctioning Regulations, USTA Regulation, as amended December 14, 2023.
- USTA League Suspension Point System Calculation Tables, USTA Resource Document, February 6, 2024.
- USTA League Suspension Point System 2024, USTA Resource Document, February 6, 2024.
- USTA League Suspension Point System Frequently Asked Questions, USTA Resource Document, March 23, 2023.
