PaddleTennisHistory

ORIGINS AND DIFFUSION

While the sport originated in Albion, MI (1898) , the sport's inventor, Frank Peer Beal, did not really begin to develop it until he took over as Episcopal minister of a church in lower Manhattan. He wanted to provide some recreational activities for the children in the neighborhood and convinced the city's parks and recreation department to lay out a set of paddle tennis courts around the fountain in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village in 1915. These courts proved very popular and the sport spread rapidly around the New York metropolitan region. The intent of the game was to provide an introduction to tennis for people in the cities who had limited space and money for recreational activities.

In the days of less vehicular traffic it was possible to lay out paddle tennis courts on city streets; you only had to move the net when a truck or cart wanted to get by. The game also became very popular at public beaches in the New York metropolitan region. The first tournament was held in 1922, standards were agreed upon and the United States Paddle Tennis Association was formed in1923. Although the National Recreation Association listing of sports did not list it in 1925, by 1941 it was being played in recreation departments in almost 500 cities around the United States.

Because of the minimal equipment needed and the small size of the court, it was very popular in urban YMCA's and recreation facilities and has also become a popular sport in school physical education programs. Initially, the sport was played by people of all ages and there are still senior as well as junior tournaments of paddle tennis. Some see the sport as a way to learn the skills of tennis at an early age - a gateway sport. The late Bobby Riggs, former US national champion best known for his loss of a demonstration match against Billy Jean King in 1973, was a paddle tennis champion before turning to tennis and was an important promoter of paddle tennis. (Blanchard 1944).

While the Rev. Beal is the "inventor of the game," Murray Geller of New York City is referred to in paddle tennis circles as "the architect of the modern game." Geller was a paddle tennis player in the 1940's and '50s and was elected chairman of  the USPTA rules committee. He wanted the game to become more attractive to adults while Beal opposed the change wanting to continue the focus on children. Geller wanted paddle tennis to be a game that stood alone and separate from tennis. He proposed a number of changes that included making the court larger, going to an underhand serve and a number of other features that characterize the game as it is now played. The association adopted the new rules. The game was picked up by some beach clubs in Southern California and the California clubs played with the new rules. In the 1980's the east coast and west coast organizations merged with the understanding that each area could play under their local rules (Ender 1997).

REGIONS

Today there seem to be only two true "centers " of paddle tennis - Southern California and the five boroughs of New York City (and some of the public beaches on Long Island). There are also about 20 courts in Florida, most in the St. Augustine area. Elsewhere in the country it is very difficult to find a paddle tennis court. The east/west differences continue in the courts [west coast court] [east coast court] and in the relationship with tennis. Paddle tennis is a more a distinct sport for all ages in Southern California. On the east coast paddle tennis is still popular in New York, Florida and South Carolina and is still seen more as an introduction to tennis for children. There are more courts and players in California, mainly because of the climate.

In California the center of the game is clearly the courts at Venice Beach.  During John E. Harmon's visit to Venice in January of 1999 there was active use of the courts. He spoke with three players that afternoon about the unsuccessful attempt for a professional tour with Almaden as a sponsor.  Almaden's ultimately withdrew as a sponsor.  So while the game appears to be holding its own in this region, the failure of the professional circuit and a concern that younger players are not picking up the game give some concern to paddle tennis' future as a popular game.

Platform Tennis

Platform tennis is often called paddle tennis by its players and sometimes only "paddle" but it is a very different game from the paddle tennis above. The game is played outdoors usually on a raised court similar in size to a paddle tennis court. The major difference from tennis is the enclosure of the court with a tensioned chicken-wire like cage and the ball can be played off the wire as in the indoor court games. The ball is soft sponge rubber, the paddle a perforated solid paddle, only one serve is allowed and most play is doubles. Because of the particular origin of the game, it is still played principally in winter by tennis players who want a year-round game.

ORIGINS AND DIFFUSION

The inventors of platform tennis lived less than 50 miles from Rev. Beal but claim that they knew nothing of paddle tennis when they developed their sport in 1928. Scarsdale, NY, then was exactly the sort of place it is today - a bedroom community of upper-income families with high-paying jobs in Manhattan. The fact that Fessenden Blanchard and James Cogswell had no idea that paddle tennis was a craze in New York City speaks very clearly of the role of social class in games in the United States, as these quotes attest: