Tennis has been lacking support this fall season, and they aren’t receiving the credit they deserve.
They started practicing before school started, but all of the hard work isn’t being recognized by anyone.
Football receives most of the credit, even if they’re struggling. Tennis is winning, but nobody is going out to see them.
The fan base for tennis is awful.
At football games, the crowd backs the team up no matter how the game is going. Tennis is a different story.
First of all, there needs to be people attending the games. Then the players need encouragement from the attending fans in order to step up their game and do well.
Tennis coach Kristin Niehus believes tennis doesn’t receive the recognition it deserves.
“It’s just the way it is,” Niehus said. “Tennis is a great sport; it’s just not as popular.”
Obviously, tennis isn’t going to have a stadium like football does, but that doesn’t mean the players don’t want students to come.
Freshman Anna Glennon wishes more people would realize what tennis is all about.
“People think it’s an easy game,” Glennon said. “It’s physically demanding. We work really hard and it’s intense. I’m really disappointed nobody comes out to see us.”
On the morning announcements, they focus on other sports and rarely mention tennis.
“It’s sad no one comes because we work really hard,” Glennon said. “We started before school started and nobody [in the school] knows who’s on the team.”
Sophomore Anna Hickok thinks people should come and watch tennis.
“I think it should be recognized more because it’s fun to watch,” Hickok said. “I wish people would come.”
Tennis might not be what people expect.
Junior Angela Tsang agrees that most people don’t know tennis that well.
“People just think it’s a ball back and forth,” Tsang said. “It’s pretty intense.”
On game day, there are about 10-20 people who show up, and most are parents. Hardly any students come to watch.
Compare that number to the amount of people who show up for a football.
The support for these girls is practically none.
“Football gets a lot more hype than tennis,” freshman Caressa Branick said. “They should be equal.”
Tennis might not get as much fan support as football, but Niehus says the team is still really close.
“Support doesn’t alter their performance,” Niehus said. “It would help if we had some support, but if they love the sport, they’ll play it.”
Niehus also believes the players are their own support system.
“Tennis is a team sport,” she said. “We’re really close, and we’re here for each other.”