4 мин.

Он твердо защищает Марию и ... начали утверждать «он плохой руководитель WTA»

546

Is WTA Boss Steve Simon Causing More Harm Than Good?

Adam Addicott 27/03/2017 12:56 

Steve Simon has never been one to shine away from saying what he thinks about the state of the women’s tour and expressing his ambitious ideas.

His latest revelation concerns on-court coaching. Unlike the ATP Tour, coaches has been allowed to walk on the court with a microphone and talk to their players since 2009. The idea was to provide the viewers a insight into the communication between the player and their coach. Keen to capitalize on the concept, Simon has now switched his attention to potentially allowing coaching from the stands.

“The on-court coaching has been positive,” Simon said. “I want to look at it further. I don’t know where it will go, but I am not understanding why we allow coaching on court but not from the box. There are some great personalities among the coaches that could be good for our sport. It’s something that I would actually like to see expand.”

It is an interesting idea, but one that has its critics. How exactly would this work? Would the women’s tour follow that of boxing and football with tactics being shouted from the side of the court? Furthermore, why should coaches be used more as an entertainment figure in matches? The focus should always be on the player and their ability to come through matches. Allowing somebody from the stand to constantly tell them what to do takes away a player’s independence in matches.

WTA Chief Simon is certainly qualified to share his own input. Prior to becoming the CEO of the WTA, he was the tournament director of the prestigious BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Simon’s knowledge of the sport is highly valuable, but there is a growing discontent forming among fans.

The TennisTV fiasco

The WTA Streaming service is something that has infuriated many. Last year the WTA ended their partnership with TennisTV without any indication of what will replace it. At first a new platform was expected to be in place within the first quarter of 2017, but now it is hoped that there will be a streaming service before the end of the year.

“The bottom line is that they (the ATP) have a long-term strategy and I needed a short-term strategy for it.” Simon was quoted by journalist Stuart Fraser as saying.

“I need to make sure I control these rights for that period to maximise them in the market place.”

The WTA boss has described the move as ‘short-term pain for long-term gain’ is something that baffles many. During last year’s tour finals in Singapore, there was a 247% increase in global and digital social audiences in relation to fan engagement. Yet there was no fully operational platform in place to build on this momentum when the year-end event concluded.

It is unfair to say that the WTA is failing their fans. Their social media accounts such as Twitter has exceeded expectations within recent months of interacting and communicating with the public. Still, there are reservations about the man heading the organisation.

The wild card controversy

Maria Sharapova’s return to the tour has divided the sport. Under the wild card system, the former world No.1 is allowed an unlimited amount. The sticking point was that Sharapova has been given the pass and allowed to play her first match on the third day of the Stuttgart Open (the same day her ban ends). Some have called for a reassessment of the WTA rules, which has been met with a muted response from Simon.

“Every rule gets looked at and reviewed, and I’m sure this may be one of them,” Simon told BBC Sport. “If the members wish us to look at the rule, we will, that’s how our system works.”

“My personal opinion is that it shouldn’t be adjusted unless we decide to not provide it at all and change the entire wild card rule. I think the suspension is in place to deal with an action that occurred.”

It wasn’t the comprehensive response that some would have expected from the head of one of the biggest women’s sports in the world. Simon’s focus on increasing the profit margins of the WTA is understandable, but it is the fans who are bearing the brunt.

For a man who also wants to ‘shorten’ women’s matches to make them more appealing for TV broadcasters, his intentions are understandable and he means well. Unfortunately for Simon, the WTA Tour was built to support and showcase women’s tennis. It is not a multi-national corporate organisation such as Microsoft.

Simon still has the capability to lead the WTA Tour, but only if he changes his own perspective.

http://linkis.com/www.ubitennis.net/bl/d9E5q

>

 

logoWTA