Does tennis have an attention problem in the USA? And what does it look like in Germany and Austria?
by Jens Huiber
last edited: October 8, 2023, 5:50 p.m
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Tommy Paul is worried about the popularity of tennis
So let’s start carefully with a list of the most popular sports in the USA, measured by how much of a presence these disciplines have in the public eye throughout the year (not just during the two weeks during which the US Open takes place). : The National Football League (NFL) is certainly at the top, followed by the National Basketball Association (NBA). After that, it’s purely a matter of taste whether you call it Major League Baseball (MLB) or college football; student basketball is also very popular.
Are there 13 other leagues that attract more fans in the USA, as Tommy Paul claimed on the sidelines of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai? Perhaps. Maybe not. But that’s not the point of Paul, who is currently having his best season. Rather, it’s about the fact that there is a media break from tennis in the USA outside of the Grand Slam weeks. You can also see that on one of the largest sports portals, si.com (Sports Illustrated), tennis is not listed as a separate menu item.
Football rules in Germany
And what does it look like in Germany or Austria? Mind you, it’s not about how many people actively participate in a sport. But how many are willing to sacrifice time and money for consumption.
In Germany, football outshines everything, every competitive event is perceived as a local phenomenon – it only helps to a limited extent that the basketball men sensationally won the title at the World Cup just a few weeks ago. The halls – also for handball and ice hockey – are well filled. The HBL, DEL and BBL games are only shown in the stream.
Dominic Thiem guarantees odds
There are also full stands for tennis in Stuttgart (women and men), Munich, Hamburg and Halle-Westphalia, at least on the final days. But for daily talk beyond the tennis bubble, Alexander Zverev needs an Olympic victory.
In Austria, Dominic Thiem has almost single-handedly kept the sport of tennis alive in the media in recent years with his fantastic successes. And the ORF, ServusTV and Sky were happy and successful in broadcasting. Which also showed that the basic interest in tennis in Austria is probably higher in percentage terms than in Germany. But Thiem and Co. also have to take a step in terms of attention behind football, alpine skiing and yes, a red-white-red specific, Formula 1.
2023-10-08 18:58:00
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