TENNIS..... a boom or a bust?

Some will argue that the sport of tennis began around the 12th century in a crude form, but most historians agree that the modern version of tennis as we know it today began around 1860. Tennis initially bcame popular among the UK elitist snobery, then spread throughout the world. The game rules varied until around 1924 and really haven't changed much since.

During the 70' and early 80's disco period, tennis surged in popularity. The woodie racquets were quickly becoming garage clutter and were being dismissed in favor of the new sleek metal frames, thanks mostly to Howard Head, an employee of Prince Tennis Equipment Co.

Out of respect for the deceased woodies, Wood-Joy, a La Quinta, CA company recently created giant size wooden tennis racquets. They have a nostalgic vintage look to them and stand five feet tall. They are purchased for many reasons, such as decoration, gifting and awards. These eye popping big guys can be purchased directly from Wood-Joy or their retailing partners throughout the USA.

http://www.wood-joy.com/servlet/Categories?category=Tennis

They have also been used as props on television, clown acts and auctioned off in many important fund raisers, such as the annual Andy Roddick Foundation Charity Weekend fund raiser "Serving Children Today For Tomorrow".

The sport of tennis may be in for another surge in popularity, partly because of the high cost of of golf these days, as well as chubby Americans finding tennis an appealing cheap, non-boring alternative to expensive fitness clubs. Many tennis players of the 70's and 80's shifted into golf over time and are now returning back to tennis. Additionally, the entire globe is now very acquainted with the sport of tennis, especially ping pong charged China and badminton influenced India. With a combined population of over three billion, China and India alone could easily triple the popularity of tennis over time. Imagine all the different unusual techniques of play that would evolve eventually from this growth phenomenon.

Similar to golf, tennis is a perfect way to meet lifetime friends. Regardless of your playing abilities, you can rest assured that there are many others with similar athletic abilities. The ideal opponent is the player that you can't quite count on winning with. The element of surprise of not knowing makes for the perfect match up. One only needs to join a tennis club or City Parks/Rec sponsored activity and have the tennis pro or staff give you a list of near equal players. Or you may even find players off of craigslist and now certainly Tennisopolis. If you are an international business or pleasure traveler, you'll find packing a tennis racquet and few cans of balls is quite an easy task.

Oh Yes, Tennis is BIG!