First some very good news. On February 14 we received a press release stating, "USPTA Signs Multi-Year, Non-Exclusive Endorsement Deal with RacquetDesk and CourtReserve." While I'm happy for RacqetDesk, I'm happier for CourtReserve because they are a long-time advertiser of Tennis Club Business. “We’re fortunate to have two software service providers who are willing to share our endorsement,” said John Embree, USPTA CEO. “These USPTA endorsees are willing to ‘play nice in the sandbox,’ so our members can benefit from the company that best suits their needs.” Ashley Owens, Director of Sales & Marketing at CourtReserve, said, “CourtReserve is proud to be an official endorsee of the USPTA and believes strengthening relationships will continue to push tennis and racquet sports forward. With CourtReserve's dedication to the USPTA divisions over the last five years, we continue to value this organization's educational and teaching aspects. We are excited to work with more USPTA pros for years to come!” Well done, Ashley. You guys rock!

We are getting a fair amount of feedback about the USPTA's many endorsement deals. I was told that the current fee for being listed as an official partner or sponsor of the USPTA is $20,000. Not sure if that is correct but that would explain why the commissions are relatively small.

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• The messages I'm getting are interesting. After receiving the February 6 press release "USPTA Signs Endorsement Deal with SES Lighting" one reader wrote, "On a $5K purchase the USPTA would get $50 and members would get a $250 discount. For an organization that cannot sell certifications, the USPTA does a great job of selling endorsements, sponsorships, and partnerships. Yahoo!!!!!" I read quite a bit of sarcasm into this email, haha.
   

• When I shared my understanding that vendors have to pay $20K upfront to become official sponsors, the reader replied (less sarcastically, I guess) "I think the real question is, does the board feel the USPTA is achieving its mission of raising the standards of tennis teaching professionals?"  Wow. That was more like a zinger. No?
   

• One reader shared his gut feelings: "For a while, USPTA used to say they had 15,000 members. Then they said they had 11,000, so I assumed the 15,000 included international and the 11,000 was domestic.  I noticed the website now says 14,000 worldwide.  I think they are playing games with the number of pros they have. In fairness to them, their membership structure may be so screwed up that it is difficult to explain without a PowerPoint presentation and a PhD. The bottom line, I think they are in trouble. That is a gut feeling only." You know, when a USPTA Master Pro tells you he has a gut feeling, you should take that seriously.
   

• USPTA Expands Partnership with WTCA was another email sent out on February 3. The comment I received was, "What a word salad - advancing women’s tennis through thoroughly educated coaches." But on a more serious note, the rumor that the USPTA may be taking over the WTCA sooner than later is not going away. Really, Sarah?
   

• A group of USPTA divisions had two-day business conferences. I was told Mark McMahon gave solid leadership presentations. "One guy talked about the difference between PB and tennis instruction. Because the learning curve is shorter in PB that means you have to push them into other less lucrative activities like leagues or tournaments. What are the implications for PB? How long can you repeat this cycle? Or how do you maintain pickleball attraction?  He didn't say. He started by talking about how he taught a lady who was blind in one eye and over 70 to hit 8 in a row.  That is how easy the sport is to learn." I guess this is a good thing.
   

• After this press release "USPTA Strikes Expanded Partnership with Tennis Warehouse to Include Equipment" we had a multi-people conversation:
  A: "There is a sense of irony in this endorsement - which can be saved for the April 1 edition or a later issue. Owned and operated by players, Tennis Warehouse has been helping people all over the world, including USPTA professionals, to find the right racquet for over 25 years. During the 1990s people like John Embree, who was at Wilson at the time, sold out to the mass distributors. Essentially, they killed the pro shops. There are very few pro shops at clubs compared to years ago. In 2023 Embree is now pitting the tennis mass retailers against Head and Wilson.  "
  B: "Hmm. And TW President Kerpsack owns the texting app StringPin.net which is also a USPTA sponsor."
  C: "For me that looks like revenge marketing. Wilson and HEAD won’t give them any money so they promote the competition. Embree seems to be on a tear."
  A: "You are correct, John is on a tear. Look at the USPTA home page.  It looks like the home page for a directory of tennis businesses, not a body of certification and education. The PTR homepage is more focused to certify and educate pros. Maybe the world is changing and the mission of the USPTA may be changing to become the focal point of the industry. He may be generating cash flow for the USPTA, which is probably needed. Time will tell whether he is creating value for the USPTA brand or whether he is destroying the brand.  
   

• In reference to the USPTA membership, one reader mentioned, "Notice that the USPTA is saying they still have 14,000 members despite the fact we had a tennis boom when the US allegedly added 5 million players. John Embree and the USPTA are not capable of selling certifications to teaching pros. It seems like all he can do is sell meaningless discount programs."
   

• I saved the juicy message for last. This isn't the first time that question came up but it's getting more relevant because 6 U.S. states (Alaska, Connecticut, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois plus the District of Columbia) have enacted laws against professionals like tennis pros having independent contractor status.
  "The yearly fee members pay the USPTA includes liability insurance, but since so many tennis pros by law have to become employees, this insurance is already in place via the business they work for…so the question is, can they force you to purchase a service that you don’t need?" Whoa! Ever thought about that? This has all the ingredients of a baked headache pie, folks. For both USPTA and PTR.