Tennis Courts Need Some Love
Hotels, wellness clubs, and retirement homes in Utah that want to attract more clients may want to consider working with a tennis court contractor in Salt Lake City. The sport not only brings in more fans but also works well with the growing health industry in the country.
How Big Is Tennis in the United States?
Ask any American what sport they’d like to play to watch, and it’s easy to assume tennis won’t be on the list. Most probably, the top answers will be basketball, football, and baseball. In reality, tennis is one of the most popular games in the country. Based on the data by the Tennis Industry Association (TIA) in 2017, more than 17 million people play it. It’s an increase of 1% compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, more than 15 million Americans expressed interest in hitting the court. Another 12 million called themselves players although they haven’t played within the past two years. This is good news amid the concern that the sport is dying in the United States. One of the primary reasons is the decline of core players. These are people who smash those rackets regularly. They are the ones who consistently train, invest in equipment and apparel, and attend classes.
Several of these core players are already aging, but industry statistics also reveal the growth of youth tennis players. In 2014, for example, about 2.14 million players were between 6 and 12 years old. That’s more than 3.5% higher than in 2013.
Playing for Health
While core and professional tennis players remain few, more Americans engage in cardio tennis. It’s a form of fitness wherein they use the sport to increase their cardiovascular endurance.
The 2017 statistics showed an increase of nearly 5% of these players, which translated to 2.2 million. Since 2008, its popularity grew by over 150%. Tennis players were also twice as likely than the regular Americans to describe their fitness as good. More than 50% of them said so compared to only 25.7% of the general population.
This can then imply that even aging core players might still keep the sport. They only reduce their frequency on the court. Also, this bodes well for states such as Utah, which has a growing senior population due to aging in place and net migration. A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine claimed that playing tennis could reduce the risk by almost 50% regardless of the person’s age. It had a similar longevity effect as swimming. It might even be a better choice for those who want to live longer than football.
Tennis players were also more likely to participate in other physical activities. The 2017 data showed that 50% of them walked to maintain their fitness. More than 43% of them bowled while 37% ran on the treadmill. From an economic perspective, tennis rides with an expanding global wellness economy. This industry was already worth $4.2 trillion in 2017. This goes to show that people want to keep themselves healthy and fit, and they’re spending money on them.
If you want to grow your business and be part of the health and wellness industry, perhaps it’s time to have a tennis court.
