Football is not considered a lifetime sport by many, but as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady bids to play in his ninth Super Bowl in his 19th season this year, one might question whether that idea is true. Put simply, lifetime sports are only considered such if they can be played for one’s entire life.
“I’ve been playing tennis for 52 years and still play today at least three to four times a week,” said Jerry McEwen, a 71-year-old University of Memphis tennis alumni.
McEwen said he liked playing tennis because it maintains his physical and mental health. Tennis can be played by people of all ages, from children to elderly people like McEwen.
Golf is another example of a sport people can take part in by those of different ages and skill levels.
“I’ve been playing golf since I was about four or five, and I plan on following in my grandad’s footsteps and playing it my whole life,” said Chase Harris, a University of Memphis senior on the men’s golf team.
Tennis and golf could be considered the two predominant lifetime sports, as they both require only one to two people. Team sports that require 10 or more people, such as football, baseball and soccer, are difficult to play later in life purely based on the number of participants required, let alone the physical demands, but, team sports are generally more popular among young people.
The UofM has had strong teams in tennis and golf for several years now, but both sports struggle to attract fans to their events.
The UofM men’s tennis team have made the NCAA tournament in six of the past seven seasons and has been ranked as high as No. 16 in the nation. Even though they started their season with a win over highly-regarded Northwestern, they had less than 50 people attend their second home match of the season.
“We’re so appreciative of the support we receive at matches, but we’d loved to see a few more fresh faces, maybe some people who have never seen a tennis match before,” said Chris Patzanovsky, current number one singles player for the U of M men’s tennis team, said.
The UofM golf team, like tennis team, has also had strong results in recent times. None more recent than Isaiah Thomas, a junior on the men’s golf team, winning the prestigious Patriot All-America Invitational at the end of 2018.
“It’s difficult for us to get people excited about golf as we only have one home tournament a year, but we’d love to see more interest in our sport,” Harris said.
For two sports everyone can play, golf and tennis at the UofM do not draw the crowds of people of all ages.
