It’s been seven months since Tim Russell, CEO of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, joined the Business of College Sports podcast to talk about why college tennis was being cut more than any other sport during the pandemic. It was the most-listened to BCS episode of 2020, so Kristi Dosh asked Tim to revisit the subject now that we’ve seen several more tennis programs eliminated.
The ITA is the governing body of college tennis, overseeing men’s and women’s varsity tennis at all levels — NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College. In addition to providing resources to its members to help support programs, the ITA also put together opportunities while competition was halted in collegiate tennis.
Listen in to hear more about why tennis may be taking the brunt of the cuts, Tim’s opposing argument and also great advice for coaches in any sport to be more proactive in demonstrating value to their administrations.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Health Index (a useful tool for coaches in any sport)
- Tim’s response to AthleticDirectorU the role of Olympic sports on college campuses
Listen to Tim’s first podcast episode with Business of College Sports!
