Earlier I have described how fast international tennis players thoroughly dominated American college tennis rosters .
” My involement in this tsunami was as a small college Men’s tennis coach. It was tricky in 1970 and it is in 2024.
The NAIA was the first to eliminate quotas. The coaches repealed the One International eligible for NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP play rule.
Coach Jim Verdick of Redlands University warned “…soon some Texas school, with all Mexican pros, will win every year.” He was wrong. The next year Mercyhurst College (Pennsylvania ) won featuring six of six players from Finland won. The paste was out of the tube. ” (See NEXT PLEASE -www.tomparham.wordpress.com )
Subsequently I tried to make the American basketball world aware of this scenario being repeated in our other sports that had international players. Men and women. That began 55 years ago.
John Calipari recently commented on portal issues, and then ( At minute 8:38 ) he confirms the fruition of my admonitions:
Two nights ago I watched Elon men’s play Campbel University. Campbell’s 14 player roster featured six “graduate students” and six international players.
My guess is that the average age of IMPACT players is now 23-25 years of age. Tennis once put in an
“age rule”. Calipari vehemently reveals the profound damage to 17-18 year old American high school kids who are now being ignored .
There are two links below. One is to an interview with Coach Calipari, the second is second is with David Benjamin of the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association.) Both have segments with comments on international athletes in American college sports. To access those comments scroll to minute 8:38 with Coach Calipari and beginning at minute 53 to minute 60 ). David Benjamin gives an accurate and fair summary of this conundrum.
Coach Calipari :
Coach Benjamin:
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Once I questioned my own persistence to a respected professional. His adamant response was “… worth the effort? You’re damn right it is worth it. It’s our children. Child advocacy !”
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I have fought this imbalance since 1970. Look the recent blog articles and the books I have written. But I’m about “out of gas”. I am firing me last bullets. And I write this hoping some younger tennis enthusiasts will jump in the fray.
The second half of HELPING deals with this issue. TP
Here are random comments from HELPING ( and elsewhere ) :
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August 5th, 1999 From TENNIS WORLD by Beth German:
“The NCAA is also to be blamed for not keeping tennis specific numbers. It is impossible to find out how many international players take roster spots, scholarships or Graduate from college.”
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REDSHIRT (Definition of an athlete staying out of college competition for a year to develop one’s skills and extend one’s period of playing eligibility: He redshirted last season.
Most humans max out physically at about age 27 or 28, College freshmen start college at 17 or 18.
Aspiring professional tennis players have long been advised to not go to college.
A new scenario has emerged!
Very few make the top 200, who about break even, The conditions are often horrible, lonely and disappointing. One fine college player after trying the pro circuit said ” I got tired of eating mayonnaise sandwiches. You need about 3/4 years to develop physically”.
The galloping allure of American College Tennis is attracting more and more, better and better potential pro players, who are betting on a different developmental arena.
College tennis is becoming the minor leagues of International tennis. 2024 was ample proof that that day is already here. And why not? Annual expenses? That is up to you. Great facilities and coaching, schedules featuring high quality match play. Fine practice partners (a team full ), not to mention a free college education. That most often is worth more than tennis.
And don’t forget- Pro tennis expenses come after years of very similar amounts of annual costs to be in the hunt.
The KICKER–The portal and likeness monies will make very lucrative possibilities for the best borderline international players. True too of the very top Americans. But only a few. Already the first year rumor mill is adrift with wildly questionable numbers and propositions being floated.
THE BAD NEWS IS A LOT OF FINE AMERICAN ASPIRANTS WILL BE IGNORED, And the same is probably true of many “global ” sports. Basketball, golf, soccer, volleyball, track and field are right behind. Tennis just got there first. See NEXT PLEASE (https://wordpress.com/post/littlegreenbookoftennis.com/6105 ).
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Currently college coaches go after the best players . Pretty simple. Earlier the players came from the student body. Then they recruited areas, then statewide, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Now we are attracting elite players world wide. Is Mars next?
We have created a pathway only possible for the very best and richest, What about the majority of our kids?
From Wayne Bryan (Father to Bob and Mike )
One foreign player per team?— fine —helps international good will and is a nice broadening experience for the guys on the team — six foreign players?! — I say the emperor has no clothes. I say burn it down and start over again. Time for a revolt. Carthage must be destroyed! I have been spectacularly unsuccessful in getting this elephant in our American living room removed. I have made speech after speech to coaches and parents in this country and they are 100% behind me and I’ve spoken to the college coaches national meeting in Florida on three occasions in recent years and I’ve hit this topic as hard as only Wayne Bryan can — to no avail.
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Want the best rationale for scholarships from the #1 sport world wide-soccer? Fact: Our men have never won the World Cup. With the advent of Title IX in 1970 our USA women have won three times! The 23 woman roster this time featured all women with college play and college scholarships. I was asked where the Olympic training camp for women was by a colleague from Elon University. Reply: Thirty five miles east. (Six of the twenty three had played for Anson Dorrance’s UNC Tar Heels.) 7. Change comes fast. In 2015 Duke’s women’s golf team finished 2nd in the NCAA. It was on NATIONAL TV. The BLUE DEVILS roster housed no American women. Coaches depend on winning to keep their jobs. I’ll guarantee young women golf coaches made note of Duke’s roster. (And how many good young Asian players are coming along). While this may be new to some it is not to many, myself included. In 1970 the NAIA voted down a “one only international can play in the NAIA Nationals” rule. A grizzled old coach stood and predicted, “… if you allow this, in about two years a Texas team will bring in an all Mexican team and it’s all over!” He was wrong. The next spring Mercyhurst College (PA.) produced the team winner consisting of six “freshmen” from Finland.
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Isn’t it about time some of our organizations screw up their courage and use their time, money and efforts to make these facts available to American parents and players.
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What legal statute keeps us from taking care of Americans first. What does the legal term “state actor” mean to this issue.
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What is not included in the column is the enormity of American college tennis scholarship aid given to international players.
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YOU KNOW BETTER THAN I WHAT IT COSTS AN AMERICAN TO COMPETE AT THE ELITE LEVEL. THERE ARE ONLY TWO MAJOR WAYS TO RECOUP PARENTAL/FAMILY INVESTMENT: 1. PRO TENNIS (IN NC ONLY ISNER, WILKISON, AND SADRI MADE ANY LIFETIME $) AND 2. COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS. THE RISING COST OF HIGHER EDUCATION MAKES SCHOLARSHIPS MORE VALUABLE AND MORE APT TO AFFECT THE CHOICE OF SCHOOL AND SPORT TO PURSUE.
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2016JUNE 25, 2016 by ETHOMASPARHAM
“International players ruled the ( NBA ) draft There were 14 international players selected in the first round of the 2016 Draft,
14 BUMPED AMERICANS. HOW MANY KIDS ARE BOUNCING THE BALL WHO WILL RUN INTO THIS EVENTUALLY.
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There are a growing number of coaches who may not disagree with financial need aid only. What if we gave financial aid to our poor tennis players? Isn’t it intended for our needy? I’d rather have financial help for our needy kids than foreign aid given in the name of diversity. You can be guaranteed that if the scholarship money disappears, so will many international tennis players.
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I wonder how many Athletic Directors silently came to a conclusion similar to this? 1. All sports are counted in the standings for our ‘Conference Cup’? 2. We are in a conference with four good tennis teams with all foreign teams and we give 8 girls and 41/2 boys grants to internationals. 3. I can find a better place for that size of budget.
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by Richard Hoffer
You might not notice it in the so-called revenue sports, football and basketball, which are the games that U.S. athletes are most keenly interested in (although 35 foreign basketball players dotted the rosters of teams in the men’s NCAA tournament this year), but in sports like golf, soccer, swimming. tennis and track and field, the college scene is decidedlv international. For instance: In last week’s NCAA tennis championships 33 of the 64 players in the men’s singles draw were foreign. An American, Mark Merklein from the University of Florida, was the winner, but the other three semifinalists all came from overseas. • The winning team at last week’s NCAA women’s golf tournament, Arizona State, included on its roster the top junior players from France, Mexico and Sweden. • Sixteen of the 31 swimmers on this year’s Arizona State men’s team were foreign, as were 12 of the 25 male swimmers at Nebraska. • The University of New Mexico’s men’s and women’s ski teams, which together had 22 members, were dominated by 19 athletes from other countries. •When Track & Field News previewed the NCAA track championships, which begin this week in Boise, Idaho, of the 168 men it predicted would score points, 54 were foreign-born, as were 43 of the 152 women. It’s not just the big schools that are searching for talent abroad. For one example, of the 17 tennis players on the men’s and women’s rosters at Northeastern Louisiana this season, only two listed a hometown in the U.S. (They were Nhut and Anh Diep, of Houston.) Likewise, Barber-Scotia College, a historically black school of 400 students in Concord, N.C., had an all-Nigerian tennis team that was ranked nationally in the NAIA. All this importation of talent is done by certain schools to stay competitive. Ask why NCAA track and field qualifying standards are nearly as high as those of the Olympics, and Alabama track coach Doug Williamson will tell you, “It’s these young people [read: foreigners] who have elevated the level of competition.”
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Pick a school, google men’s tennis . Tag the roster and see for yourself. Just recently I researched the total rosters of Division 11’s top six men’s teams. Of 63 players on the combined rosters, 62 were international.
Kudzu–it spread like kudzu from 1970 t0 1980. All levels, men then women, small to largest.
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Is this right? I wondered. Soon it moved to other world wide sports. Everyone in our area is a basketball expert. I wrote of all sports to:
Mr. Rudy Washington, Editor-in-Chief The BCA Journal (BLACK COACHES ASSOCIATION) P. O. Box 4040 Culver City, CA 90231-4040 Dear M.r Washington: I’ve coached college tennis for 30-plus years and I have been dismayed by the preponderance of international players who have usurped many tennis scholarships from American youngsters. There seems to be a trend toward this in basketball. Has the BCA addressed the danger to American student athletes this poses, in particular college basketball. Should there be a limit to this? If your Journal has addressed this issue, please let me know. It seems basketball is a game that this should concern. ETP:1h Sincerely, Tom Parham Men’s Tennis Coach March 9, 1998
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This cropped up for me in 1970. Tennis has lost scholarships, choice of schools, team opportunities, winning, the quality of player abilities, gained student debt, coaching and teaching jobs, and on and on.
Calipari spotlighted current similarities with American college basketball. Any international sport has the same potential ( track, soccer, golf, volleyball,).
American players are doing better than they have in a generation. Both the men and the women are winning tournaments and crowding the top 20.
American tennis associations have done a great job of making sure the best kids got access to top coaching during the past 15 years. Tennis is an expensive sport. Few families can afford the costs of elite development. Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Amanda Anisimova, Coco Gauff — all needed help and got it in various forms. Title IX also means the government must provide the same amount of opportunities for women’s sports as men’s sports, which has built a culture of women’s sports over the last 50 years.
‘Challenger level is about survival’: brutal reality of life below elite tennis
Clips from THE GUARDIAN by Ervin Ang
“The cities, conditions are not the best, different from when you play the best tournaments. The Challengers are tough. Sometimes I get very upset because you go a long way to win 30 matches and you’re still outside the top 100. It’s way too much.”
The life of a player can be far from fancy. Casual fans may look toward Carlos Alcaraz’s lucrative sponsorship deals with envy, but those on the fringes of the top 100 and beyond live a starkly contrasting reality. The less glamorous side of the sport involves endless travelling, cost cutting to make ends meet and battling bouts of loneliness.
Kevin Clancy, a sports psychologist who worked with Ireland’s top players, believes tennis and golf are the most psychologically demanding sports. He says: “It’s roughly about 20% of the time that you’re on court and hitting the ball, so there’s 80% of the time where you’re doing a lot of thinking.
“Tennis is a sport that mentally could beat you up really, really badly. For players at Challenger level, it’s about survival. They need to play more tournaments and have that constant pressure of, ‘I need to perform and get points’.
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“These players are playing in front of a man and his dog in the middle of nowhere. It’s really tough from a psychological perspective.”
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“It’s not just forehands and backhands, it’s how much can you suffer? How much can you travel? How much can you sleep in different beds every week? We take almost as many flights as pilots. It’s a lonely sport.
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For all their sacrifices, a juicy financial return is far from guaranteed. In 2024, Nikoloz Basilashvili returned from an elbow injury and earned $63,183 in prize money. But after subtracting flight costs and paying his coaches, the Georgian said he made a net loss of about $120,000.
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“You are mostly alone and you don’t really have a lot of friends to talk to. I don’t know if there is any other sport like this, to take a flight on the same day you play a match and then next week you are in another city.
I repeat this observation of the recent tournament
“Wake Forest University won the 2025 NCAA Men’s Team Tennis Championship. They beat Texas Christian University 4-2. Both are elite private, protestant schools. In the title match both teams played only the same six team members in singles and doubles. There was one American that played for WFU. One for TCU.
The unitiated might think this 5:1 ratio favoring international starters is unusual or new. Sadly the truth is it is a typical formula among men and women, NCAA Divisions 1 and 11, NAIA , JUCOS. Often total rosters and six starters is just as common.”
Here is some more amateur research:
Sixty two teams qualified.
Ten players was the average squad size. About 600 squad members.
Men are allowed 4 and1/2 scholarships. About 270 grants.
Assuming sholarships are awarded to the players that actually play ( 6 or 7), rosters and box scores reveal that about 80 grants of the 270 go to Americans.
While there were exceptions ( Stanford started 5 Americans ), the “typical ” squad of 10 listed 7 international members. The average ratio of starters was 5:1 international.
Thirty three of the 60 teams had zero or only one American starter.
I’ll follow you down ’til the sound of my voice will haunt you
(SILVER SPRING ) by Fleetwood Mac.
Most college spring sports are over. Baseball never quits . Anything emerge with all the changes this year?
I played and coached college basketball and college tennis.
Here is an earlier quote that panned out:
It is pretty obvious some fundamental changes occurred in the 2025 FINAL FOUR college basketball tournament : No Cinderella, all four top seeds make it. Best bet is a large state University that can pay em, a seasoned and proven coach, some internationals to augment big, fast dudes. No need to recruit high school aspirants other than the rare Cooper. 18 years old—need not apply.
Wake Forest University won the 2025 NCAA Men’s Team Tennis Championship. They beat Texas Christian University 4-2. Both are elite private protestant schools. In the title match both teams played only the same six team members in singles and doubles. There was one American that played for WFU. One for TCU.
The unitiated might this 5:1 ratio favoring international starters might be unusual or new. Sadly the the truth is it is a typical formula among men and women, NCAA Divisions 1 and 11, NAIA , JUCOS. Often total rosters and six starters is just as common.
August 5th, 1999 From TENNIS WORLD by Beth German: “The NCAA is also to be blamed for not keeping tennis specific numbers. It is impossible to find out how many international players take roster spots, scholarships or Graduate from college.”
Thankfully the NCAA and the ITA have made data much more available. And the ITA video on the history of college tennis in America cites the long standing issue surrounding international players that continues . (See SEVEN MINUTES–below ).
As the spring tennis season ends with the upcoming National Championships, would this be a good time to “…let it all hang out” ?
HOW MANY INTERNATIONALS ON YOUR ROSTER? HOW MANY OF THOSE PLAY IN THE LINEUP AND AT WHICH POSITIONS (1-6 SINGLES. 1-3 DOUBLES?) CHECK THIS ON LINEUPS FOR “CRUCIAL” MATCHES.
The fact is American College sports will have more and more appeal and possibilities for all global sports.
“like a snowball rolling down the side of a snow covered hill—it’s growing!” (The Temptations )
They completed the Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Tennis Tournament Sunday. The winner (Stanford ) is located near the Pacific Coast. The team they beat (Virginia ) had one American starter. Stanford had one international starter.
Scanning the rosters of the four North Carolina teams, I found no North Carolina starers. There were fourteen teams entered. I don’t know of any North Carolina starters on any team. Stanford and Boston College were the only two teams with less than five international players. Boston College was 0-13 in conference matches.
Most iternationals were starters, which probably indicates they recieved most of the 4 and 1/2 scholarships alloted per team. My guess is that currently the portal rules and the “likeness money” are making American college tennis the “minor leagues of professional tennis”: Just as they have in Men’s basketball.
Over the years many North Carolina colleges and universities have dropped men’s tennis programs, or both men and women’s teams. (East Carolina men, Appalachain men, High Point – both, Guilford ?, ). I know of none added.
Many blame Title IX. Me thinks that money is the more rational explanation.
Upon retiring I committed myself to continuing efforts to help tennis players , coaches, and teams. My friend, Jim Toney, and I focused on our local facilities. Then coaches. Frankly, emphasis has been on on the high school level although much extends both up and down levels.
I wrote a guide entitled THE LITTLE GREEN BOOK of TENNIS which was provided freely to all North Carolina coaches and varsity girls and boys players.
Next we formed a group of capable volunteers we called the SHOT DOCTORS (see brochure ) who lent their time and expertise, particulary to their local schools. Soon the NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS COACHES ASSOCIATION ( NCHSTCA ) became our primary outlet. Included on their new website they created a panel entitled RESOURCES. Membership gave access to exclusive SHOT DOCTORS contributions.
Things change. Certainly tennis does. And while the NCHSTCA website hosts reems of this new information, space dictates limitations.
My intent is to ” leave it all on the court”. This MILESTONES blog is an effort to make more and new instruction available since the book was written and revised (2015 ). And I have selected some repeats, that were most often cited as helpful. THE REST OF THE STORY hopefully shines light the two seismic moments — 1. New technology and data and the truth about international athletes in American colleges (College tennis particularly—-and 2. The upheaval surounding paying athletes ( PORTALS AND POTHOLES ).
Is this not the moment to redesign more reasonable governance of AMERICAN COLLEGE ATHLETICS.
The REST OF THE STORY is VERY LONG. A condensed version is available here. So, too , is the subsequent file, HELPING PART 2 , extremely long and detailed. They are included as evidence of the long these deep seated problems have gone on.
TWO CLOSING COMMENTS: 1. While my “hobby writing” began with my retirment and centers on tennis instruction and sports commentary, there are articles on everything from Bob Dylan to Pickleball . Search the CATEGORIES column ( far right ) on the blog cover page. 2. I plan to keep the blog open and writing short pieces. There is a lot to clean up , edit, categorize.
“Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow Things should start to get interesting right about now”. (Bob Dylan–MISSISSIPPI )
SHOT DOCTORS The brochure below is an announcement of a new, non- profit group of volunteers to help North Carolina’s high school varsity boys and girl tennis players, their coaches and teams.
It is new leaf time for me. It’s not the writing. Technology wins. Too many unknown buttons. Too much angst, frustration, begging for help, same errors and “can’t finds .” Good luck, AI.
Below are a series of NEW articles available freely. In addition, a second group of selected OLDER articles are included later , as they are some of the best articles on the blog:
Below is a letter to me that states the position of NCAA President Mark A. Emmert on international athletes in American college athletics. And I agree with the content. However, I believe there is another tenable side to this issue. Therefore, in addition to President Emmert letter, I have shared what I believe is another salient side to the issue.
Dr. Mark Emmert President, NCAA PO Box 6222 Indianapolis, Indiana 46206
Dear Dr. Emmert,
I am appreciative of your letter of March 15, 2017. Earlier this winter I had a long conversation with Timothy Russell , CEO of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). I have also pled my case to Paul Lubbers of USTA player development, the Southern district of USTA, (STA) and the North Carolina Tennis Association (NCTA).
And have done so with countless others since 1970. Your response ensures that I have been heard at our highest levels and that is truly fair.
Approaching age 77 with fifty years of coaching, teaching and administering in two small (Barton College) to mid size Division 1 (Elon University), I have watched this issue closely, and while I fully agree with diversity and inclusion and equitable participation, there seems to be more to the issue.
My teams rosters included fifty plus internationals. From about a dozen different countries. Roland Thornqvist, women’s tennis coach at the University of Florida just won the women’s D1 National team tennis indoor title, owning a handful of national titles. I recruited Roland to the USA and he is probably best known of my recruits who are in the athletics arena and have stayed in the country. No less known in the world of orthopedic surgery in America is Dr. Pramote Malisitt, a native of Bangkok, who remains in our country. Dr. Peter Lindstrom, is one of twenty nine Swedes whom I recruited, and who is nationally known as a vital computer expert with our defense department. Neither our schools, nation, nor I would wish they weren’t here.
Never have I suggested we shouldn’t have delved into internationals then or now. But it seems to me to be a half full/half empty issue. Not once have I ever said an international should be prohibited from participation. Or equal admittance. The elephant in the room is scholarships. Never have I suggested internationals should be exempt from a reasonable amount of money. I do believe that the NCAA has a legal right to provide aid to our citizens first. One link to follow allows that about 200 million American dollars go into international men and women tennis players.
Many parents and taxpayers question all foreign rosters, all with grants and many from state schools. (See enclosed latest rankings from Division II) I wouldn’t object to an all international team in any sport if they paid the bill. But to scholarship an all African team, rather than an African American team is bothersome, to say the least. What we have now is foreign aid, not trade. Not once in the many times I asked any international , “Would your native country do what we do?” was the answer yes. And the money is coming from the coffers of the only reasonable financial return for all the expenses encountered: Scholarships. Scholarships can easily amount to a quarter million dollars per student ,over four years. Not to mention the subsequent benefits of quality education. I don’t even mention the rarity of professional player rewards, as we all know the status of American elite players. That is another issue, but giving American college tennis to internationals via disproportionate scholarship is directly related to this demise (again link to follow).
Basketball, golf, and other international sports are making forays into the American college arena. As a young coach I quickly realized if they have a nuclear weapon or two, I had better find some to help me keep my job. This is true today. Witness Duke University’s meteoric rise in Women’s golf. Surely young coaches watched an all international roster ascend to the top. Is this the intent of Title IX for our women? The American college system is the best system in the world to train elite athletes. The best example is surely Women’s Soccer.
Soccer, the most widely played sport in the world ,has never been won by American men. Yet, since the advent of Title IX our women have won three world cups in soccer. All twenty three women were participants in American College Soccer. And I’d bet they all had scholarships. Some one asked me where was the national training center for women on the world cup team? Chapel Hill, I replied. (Anson Dorance’s UNC teams had six of the twenty three players). And his teams influenced all the rest.
Upon accepting the job at Elon University, the then president admonished me, “… we don’t want an all foreign team!” After ten years that included a national team championship, I was concerned that a walk-on international was good enough to shift our team balance to more than 50% international for the first time. A decided shift in attitude was “ Coach we’ve decided that we don’t care where they are from if they are the quality of people you’ve been recruiting.”
And, while this validates your position, I believe a compromise is the answer.
My internationals returned home at about a 90% rate. That money may have brought in any number of our own citizens, equal in every way, except talent in tennis, as a true 18 year old freshman . (see DAY DREAM BELIEVER) on addendum to follow. Without scholarship aid for many American tennis youngsters, the “…pathway to opportunity” does not currently exist.
I have shared a few opinions, mine and others, on Addendum 1.
I intend to include a copy of your letter, and valid position to several interested parties. Knowing I have had my say, I remain sincerely grateful.
Tom Parham
“THE REST OF THE STORY” CONDENSED (Dan Parham and AI)
College Tennis in Crisis: A Briefing on the Dominance of International Players and the Impact on American Athletes This briefing document analyzes the provided sources, revealing a concerning trend in American collegiate tennis: the overwhelming dominance of international players, particularly in scholarship-funded positions and top-ranked teams. The main argument is that this phenomenon has detrimental consequences for American tennis players, limiting their opportunities for college scholarships, high-level competition, and professional development.
Key Themes and Facts: International Player Dominance: Data compiled across multiple NCAA divisions shows that international players constitute a significant majority of players in top-ranked teams and occupy most scholarship positions. This trend is evident in both men’s and women’s tennis. For instance, an analysis of randomly selected top-ranked teams across six divisions in the 2024 season revealed that 92% of the players were international. Limited Opportunities for American Players: The high proportion of international players in college tennis directly limits the number of roster spots and scholarships available to American athletes. This is especially alarming considering the financial burden of developing high-level tennis players in the US, where, unlike in Europe and Asia, government support is lacking. Financial Incentives for Coaches: The current system incentivizes college coaches to prioritize recruiting international players, often overlooking talented American players. This is driven by the pressure to maintain high rankings and achieve winning records, often at the expense of developing American talent. The “Preferred Walk-on” Dilemma: While some American players manage to secure spots on teams as “preferred walk-ons,” this designation often comes with little to no financial aid. This further disadvantages American players compared to their international counterparts who often receive full scholarships.
Supporting Evidence (Quotes and Data): “The NCAA is also to be blamed for not keeping tennis-specific numbers. It is impossible to find out how many international players take roster spots, scholarships or graduate from college.” – Tennis World, August 5, 1999. “In the final match, no American player participated… Americans received less than 5% of the total tennis scholarships awarded.” – Description of the 2001 Big South Conference men’s tennis tournament “Let’s be honest …College tennis is failing American tennis. “ – Luke Jensen, former professional tennis player. “There’s somewhere around 7,000 scholarships available… and there are just not enough American juniors to fill the scholarships.” – Tim Russell, CEO of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Consequences and Concerns: Diminishing American Tennis: The lack of college playing opportunities for American athletes negatively impacts the development of future American tennis stars. This is evidenced by the dwindling number of American players in professional tennis with college experience. Loss of Fan Interest and Support: Teams dominated by international players may face challenges in attracting local fan interest and alumni support. The lack of “homegrown” talent can lead to a disconnect between college teams and their communities. Ethical Considerations: Concerns arise regarding the ethical implications of allocating taxpayer-funded scholarships predominantly to international students, while talented American students are left behind.
Potential Solutions: Scholarship Allocation for American Players: A significant proposal is to reserve a certain percentage of scholarship funds for American players, ensuring they have a fair chance to compete and develop at the collegiate level. Increased Support for High School Tennis: Strengthening high school tennis programs can help cultivate a stronger base of American players and provide them with the necessary experience to compete for college scholarships. Data Transparency and Advocacy: Collecting and analyzing data on the nationality of college tennis players, scholarship recipients, and award winners can raise awareness and encourage action from the USTA, NCAA, and other relevant organizations.
Conclusion: The current landscape of American collegiate tennis presents a significant challenge to the development of American players. The dominance of international players in scholarship-funded positions creates an uneven playing field, hindering the growth of future generations of American tennis stars. Addressing this issue requires a concerted effort from the USTA, NCAA, college coaches, and all stakeholders who are passionate about American tennis. Proactive measures such as scholarship allocation for American players, increased support for high school tennis, and data transparency are crucial steps towards a more equitable and sustainable future for the sport.
HEADS UP
August 5th, 1999 From TENNIS WORLD by Beth German: “The NCAA is also to be blamed for not keeping tennis specific numbers. It is impossible to find out how many international players take roster spots, scholarships or Graduate from college.”
ITA Website, Rankings Data & Nationality
Stunning: In 1970 the National Association of Athletics (NAIA) voted to eliminate restrictions on foreign tennis players. The issue was largely a small college concern, NAIA, NCAA 2, Junior Colleges men and women. From 1970 to 1980 teams went from a maximum of one international player to all six starters being international. A report below from the NCAA sites statistics from the year of 2007 that doesn’t reflect the more important issue. The NCAA report included all the division 3 schools that don’t offer tennis scholarships, plus the total number of teams are included —many of whom don’t recruit anybody. The intensity of the situation for the big schools came later in the ’80’s and 90’s. The NCAA, the ITA and the UTR are good sources of data on college tennis. The best of these is the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Their website allows you to reach every team, its roster, its schedule, & the national origin of the players. In contrast to the mid ’80’s you can now easily find the nationality and the possibility of scholarship players.
In 1985 I painstakingly uncovered that one 8 team conference had 63 players in the total league, 62 of whom were international. While that took me hours to uncover, that kind of information can be found easily now by researching teams on the ITA website. Check the ranking file, check the roster, and check the schedule for close matches, and the stunning picture is revealed easily.
We randomly picked the 1st, 5th, 10th and 20th ranked teams from each division men and women.
The results speak volumes and suggest any teams picked in each division would show very similar results.
DIVISION 1 MEN’S SINGLES INTERNATIONAL:
Rank 1 Texas Christian University 9 of 9
Rank 5 Kentucky 7 of 8
Rank 10 Florida State 6 of 8
Rank 20 Arizona State 5 of 8
27 of 33 = 87 %
DIVISION 1 WOMEN’S SINGLES:
Rank 1 Texas A & M 3 of 6
Rank 5 Michigan 2 of 6
Rank 10 Cal Berkley 4 of 7
Rank 20 South Carolina 4 of 7
12 of 22 = 54 %
DIVISION 11 MEN’S SINGLES:
Rank 1 Valdosta State 9 of 9
Rank 5 Columbus State 8 of 8
Rank 10 Wingate 8 of 8
Rank 20 Hawaii Pacific 9 of 9
34 of 34 = 100 %
DIVISION 11 WOMEN’S SINGLES:
Rank 1 Nova Southeastern 8 of 8
Rank 5 Emory Riddle 7 of 7
Rank 10 Auburn Montgomery 7 of 7
Rank 20 Mississippi College 6 of 9
26 of 29 = 90 %
NAIA MEN:
Rank 1 Georgia Gwinnett 7 of 8
Rank 5 Reinhardt 6 of 8
Rank 10 Grace 7 of 8
Rank 20 Cumberland (Tenn) 8 of 8
28 of 32 = 90%
NAIA WOMEN:
Rank 1 Georgia Gwinnett 8 of 8
Rank 5 Middle Georgia State 7 of 8
Rank 10 Union 7 of 8
Rank 20 Northeastern Ohio 7 of 8
29 of 32 = 91 %
TOTAL ALL 6 DIVISIONS
156 of 178 (92%) were International
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PROBABILITIES
Win or NFL means “…Not For Long !” (Hank Stram , Coach )
Coaching’s Pox. Winning rules.
2. The best players win—-probably.
3. “ I just rob banks. That’s where the money is !” (Willie Sutton )
Global sports produce a much greater pool than just the USA, or the South, or North
Carolina.
4. Coaches will play the best players.
5. The players who make up the lineup in close, competitive matches ( 4/3 , 5/2 ) will be those with scholarships. Check the rosters and schedules ( “Results”. or “Box Scores”. )
WHY DO IT? ( Jim Toney, late Economics Professor at Elon University and tennis angel )… A fine player and promoter of tennis, Mr. Toney and I zeroed in on High School tennis court construction. Later in his life he developed Parkinson’s. During our last conversation I told how much I appreciated the work he had done for tennis. He leaned forward, peering at me with those steely eyes, and said ” Don’t you quit.”)
RECENT COMMENTS
Harvey Penick—THE LITTLE RED BOOK of GOLF author). “If you read this book you are my pupil. If you play golf you are my friend. “
Robert Bayliss
This is a difficult conundrum. On one hand, having an international player on your team can be a culturally broadening experience for all, as we learn about the history ad culture of others.To deny opportunities to “foreigners” seems unfair. Looking at this from a different angle provides a warning for our sport. One of the incentives driving young players into tennis is the goal of playing on a college team. The travel, life lessons learned, and so much more can provide motivation to commit to tennis in the hopes of gaining a scholarship, roster spot, admissions bump, and more might be exactly what keeps young players involved and committed to tennis. To forfeit that incentive will diminish; ish the number of players and the overall interest and importance of tennis to young Americans. The growth of soccer, lacrosse, and other sports is already eroding tennis’s base, so adding to that problem is problematic.
Looking long-range at this, I believe that we should be careful not to load up our college rosters – and the benefits thereof – with an overwhelming number of international players. Alumni interest and support are also a consideration.
In today’s world of collegiate athletics, coaches are fired for performance at increasingly higher rates. If I lose matches to teams stacked with international players there is the possibility that I might similarly load up my own roster internationally. The domino effect would be disastrous for American tennis This is balanced against the competitive benefit for American players as they compete against outstanding foreigners. While rushing to judgment should be avoided, we cannot continue to ignore anything that threatens the strength and significance of American tennis. The time for action is now.
Respectfully
Bobby Bayliss
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Charles Hassell:
“Tom-
Those are interesting questions but I confess ignorance in this area. I could be wrong but I believe colleges can award scholarships to anyone they please, particularly private schools, subject to eligibility requirement imposed by the schools, athletic conferences, and maybe the NCAA- at least for the time being. I don’t think that organization will be around much longer, at least not in its present form and with the current level of control we have seen up to now. I do not know what we will end up with but the myth of amateurism has clearly been exposed. And, of course, public colleges and universities have limitations peculiar to the schools and the laws of the respective states in which they reside.
To the extent that your questions ask what “should” be done, as in what is most fair, what is best for tennis, best for the young athletes, and do all agree it is desirable to favor U.S. kids? Is it a question of trying to prevent coaches from recruiting the best players regardless of their nationality? Is that a desirable aim? I don’t know enough about any of these problems as they relate to tennis to offer a useful opinion. Sorry.
We had a great show last Sunday after a brief shaky start from a quick cloudburst. Big crowd who seemed to like the music. Wish you could have been there.
-Pud”
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James Haslam:
“A FOREIGN PLAYER’S VIEW ON CAPPING SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FOREIGNERS
I am from Tasmania, Australia and received a full tennis scholarship to Wake Forest University commencing Feb 1969. It was the biggest and best break of my life and I am very thankful to the ‘system’ that made it possible, and to Wake coach Jim Leighton, who not only was a marvelous man and tennis teacher, but, when I fell in love with teaching tennis, taught me how to teach the game, despite that being at the expense of my playing for him.
I have keenly followed the evolution of NCAA sports, in particular college tennis. I fully support the rights of college athletes to sell their services to the highest bidder, or in individual sports to earn and keep whatever prize money and endorsements they can. I believe a college athlete earning money in professional sports brings glory and recognition to the college and enhances alumni and donor contributions to the school, athletic & tennis programs.
I believe it may take a decade for the rules and regulations relating to NIL, transfers, athlete payments, to reach an equitable status. It has eliminated some of the hypocrisy of the NCAA.
I also believe that American education (part funded by American taxpayers) should first and foremost be for the benefit of American students. Also part of that education and college experience comes from intermixing with students from all over the world…that America in general has lately drifted too far towards isolationism.
College athletics should also be first and foremost for the benefit of American students.
I note that my sport, tennis, has the highest % of foreign scholarship athletes of any sport.
To reconcile the competing interests, I suggest that 50% of all tennis scholarships be reserved for American athletes. That the number of scholarships in tennis (whether athletic or need or whatever) be either 10 or 12; meaning the number of foreigners on scholarship be 5 or 6. A team or squad can be larger, but any extra spots go to Americans. A foreigner marrying an American after arrival and gaining American citizenship would, for the purpose of the scholarship cap, be classified as a foreigner.
I accept that some coaches will find loopholes in any system, will break any rule they think they can get away with, but it is the role of the governing bodies (ITA, NCAA, US Govt) to close loopholes and penalize rule breakers.
I have spent the past 26 years in retirement as a volunteer donating my time (50-60 hours per week) to tennis, about equally between Tasmania and North Carolina. The NC time is partially as thanks for the opportunities the US and Wake Forest afforded me, and partially for the American people who helped me along the way.
Sincerely
James G Haslam”
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Dan Parham – A Proposal to Invest in American Tennis:
Please summarize the key concepts of international tennis recruiting from Tom Parham
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Tom Parham, a renowned tennis coach and author, has shared insights into international tennis recruiting, particularly in the context of college tennis in the United States. Here are some key concepts from his perspective:
Global Talent Pool: Parham emphasizes that college tennis recruiting has become increasingly global. Coaches now scout talent from all over the world, not just domestically, recognizing that many international players bring high levels of skill and experience.
Cultural Adaptation: Recruiting international players requires understanding their cultural backgrounds and helping them adapt to life in the U.S. This includes not only on-court performance but also academic expectations and social integration.
Academic and Athletic Balance: Parham stresses the importance of balancing academics with athletics. International recruits must meet academic standards while also contributing to the team, which can be challenging given the differences in educational systems.
Communication and Expectations: Clear communication about expectations, both athletically and academically, is crucial. Coaches need to ensure that international recruits understand the commitment required and that they can handle the dual responsibilities.
Visa and Eligibility Requirements: Navigating the visa process and NCAA eligibility requirements can be complex for international recruits. Parham notes that coaches must be well-versed in these areas to avoid potential pitfalls.
Scholarship Management: International recruiting often involves managing scholarship budgets effectively. Coaches must decide how to allocate scholarships between domestic and international players, ensuring a competitive team while staying within budget constraints.
Long-term Development: Parham advocates for a focus on the long-term development of international players, not just immediate performance. This includes mentoring them through their college careers and preparing them for life beyond tennis.
These concepts highlight the complexities and strategies involved in successfully recruiting and integrating international tennis players into U.S. college teams.
You said:
what are the negatives of so many intrenational athletes in American colleges?
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Having a large number of international athletes in American colleges brings both benefits and challenges. Here are some potential negatives:
1. Resource Allocation
Financial Strain: Scholarships and resources dedicated to international athletes can limit the availability of funds for domestic students.
Recruitment Focus: A strong focus on recruiting internationally might divert attention from developing local talent, leading to fewer opportunities for American athletes.
2. Cultural and Social Integration
Cultural Barriers: International athletes may face difficulties integrating into the broader student body due to language and cultural differences, which can affect their academic and social experiences.
Isolation: There is a risk of international athletes forming insular groups, which can limit their engagement with the broader college community.
3. Academic Concerns
Academic Preparedness: The varying educational backgrounds of international athletes may create challenges in adapting to the academic rigor of American institutions.
Language Barriers: Non-native English speakers may struggle with coursework and communication, potentially impacting their academic performance.
4. Perceived Inequality
Unfair Advantages: There can be perceptions that international athletes receive preferential treatment, such as leniency in admissions or academic expectations, which might foster resentment among domestic students.
Competitive Imbalance: The influx of international talent can create a competitive imbalance, making it harder for local athletes to secure spots on teams.
5. Compliance and Eligibility Issues
NCAA Regulations: Navigating NCAA rules and regulations regarding international athletes can be complex, leading to potential eligibility issues or compliance risks for colleges.
Visa and Immigration Challenges: Ensuring that international athletes have the correct visas and maintain their status can be administratively burdensome and risky.
6. Impact on College Identity
Erosion of Local Identity: A heavy presence of international athletes might dilute the local or regional identity of a college’s athletic program, potentially alienating local fans and alumni.
Shift in Athletic Focus: Colleges might prioritize sports that attract international talent, which could lead to less support for traditional American sports.
These challenges require careful management to ensure that the presence of international athletes enriches rather than disrupts the college environment.
The Little Green Book of Tennis 