The History and Interpretation of Amateurism in the United States Lawn Tennis Association
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This dissertation has been microfilmed exactly as received 6 7-2431 DAVENPORT, Joanna, 1933- THE HISTORY AND INTERPRETATION OF AMATEURISM IN THE UNITED STATES LAWN TENNIS ASSOCIATION. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1966 Education, physical University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan © Copyright by Joanna Davenport 1967 THE HISTORY AND INTERPRETATION OF AMATEURISM 'IN THE UNITED STATES LAWN TENNIS ASSOCIATION DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State U niversity By Joanna Davenport, B.S., M.S. The Ohio State University 1966 Approved by A dviser Department of Physical Education ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to extend her sincere appreciation to Dr. Bruce Bennett for his encouragement and guidance during the course of this study. Appreciation is also extended to Dr. Phebe Scott and Dr. John Hendrix for their helpful advice and their willingness to be on the reading committee. The author also wishes to extend her appreciation to Mr. Edwin Baker, Executive Secretary of the United States Lawn Tennis Associa tion, for his kindness and cooperation shown to her while at the USLTA office. His help enabled her to investigate fully the records of the Association. It is also necessary that the author mention her appreciation to Miss Belmar Gunderson, nationally ranked player and physical educa tion instructor at the University of Minnesota, who introduced her to many of the respondents in this study. VITA January 17, 1933 Born, Salem, Massachusetts 1954......................... B.S., Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, New York 1954-1956 . Instructor, Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, Massachusetts 1956-1957 , . Instructor, Flood Junior High School Englewood, Colorado 1958........................ M.S., Smith College Northampton, Massachusetts 1959-1962 . Instructor, University of Vermont Burlington, Vermont 1962-1963 . Instructor, Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado 1963-1965 . Teaching Assistant and Instructor, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1965 ........................ Chairman, University of Vermont Burlington, Vermont CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION......................................................... 1 The Problem ............................................................................................... 4 Statement of the problem ............................................................. 4 Scope of the stu d y ............................................................................4 Limitations of the study .................................................................. 5 Definitions of Terms Used .................................................................. 5 P ro ced u re ................................................................................................. 7 Publications and information from the USLTA files* • • 7 Personal interview s .......................................................................8 Explanation of interview m a t e r i a l ........................................13 Organization of the Remainder of the Dissertation . .13 H. THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF TENNIS ...................................14 Origin of the G am e .............................................................................. 14 The Wingfield Story ...............................................................................16 Introduction of Tennis to the United States..............................19 Development of the Game in the United S ta te s ....................22 CHAPTER PAGE III. UNITED STATES LAWN TENNIS ASSOCIATION......................... 31 Founding of the United States Lawn Tennis Association ........................................................................................32 Development of the United States Lawn Tennis Association ........................................................................................34 Growth of affiliated clubs and associations ....................34 Rules Legislation...................................................................................35 Tournament Legislation.....................................................................37 The Structure of the United States Lawn Tennis Association ........................................................................................45 O fficers....................................................................... 47 Sections and v o tes ......................................................................... 53 F i n a n c e s .............................................................................................54 The Association T o d ay .................................................................... 60 IV. FOCUS ON AMATEURISM IN THE UNITED STATES LAWN TENNIS ASSOCIATION ......................................................63 The Early Years of Tournament P lay ....................................... 63 The Amateur C ode .......................................................................... .67 Sporting goods rule.........................................................................71 Player-writer rule .........................................................................76 v CHAPTER PAGE Eight weeks rule • • ................................................ • • 83 Expense regulations........................................................................ 87 Additional regulations....................................................................92 Penalties for violations ...............................................................93 V. THE AMATEUR STORY ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE.......................................................................................................... 95 International Competitions ...............................................................96 Davis C u p............................................................................................96 W ightman C u p ................................................................................110 ' Federation Cup................................................................. 112 Olympic games ..................................................................... 113 The International Lawn Tennis Federation ...........................120 The effects of the Amateur C ode ......................................... 129 VI. THE OPEN TOURNAMENT QUESTION......................................... 134 The Professionals ................................................................................135 Teaching professionals .............................................................135 Touring professionals..................................................................141 The Open Tournament Controversy ......................................... 146 Advantages of open tournam ents......................................... 163 Disadvantages of open tournaments . ...........................167 CHAPTER PAGE VII. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS............................................................... 174 S u m m a r y .......................................................................................... 174 Purpose of the study......................................................................174 P ro ced u re..............................................................................................175 The history and interpretation of amateurism in the USLTA ............................................................................... 175 Conclusions........................................................................................; 178 BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................. 180 CH A PTER I INTRODUCTION Tennis was introduced to the United States in 1874 by Mary Outer- bridge of Staten Island, New York, who brought the game home with her after playing it in Bermuda. For many years the sport was thought of as a leisurely game suitable for the limited number of wealthy people who could afford to construct courts on the expansive lawns adjoining their estates. During the first few years of tennis play in this country, matches were primarily informal social activities rather than organized competi tive events. It was not long, however, before local tournaments were sponsored so that men in different areas could compete against one another. At these tournaments discussions invariably arose in regard to rules and regulations. Since the sport was not under the jurisdiction of a national body, each club or locality had its own playing rules and court dimensions. Due to these differences it was soon apparent that a national association was needed and, therefore, the United States Lawn Tennis Association was formed in 1881. The primary purpose of this sport 1 federation was to standardize the game so that playing conditions would be the same throughout the country. The USLTA thus became not only one of the first amateur sports governing bodies in the United States but also the oldest lawn tennis association in the world. The Association not only established rules, court dimensions, and standards for equipment, but it also sponsored tournaments to create further interest in the game. In 1881, one national tournament was con ducted. Since then the Association has expanded its efforts in this direc tion until it now sponsors sixty-one national tournaments annually. Furthermore, one thousand additional tournaments are sanctioned on a local and sectional basis. The promotion of these many