When the average person thinks about a “sports family,” players and coaches quickly come to mind. The list is actually much bigger when you look at professional athletes. Their athletic family even goes beyond those individuals who help them to perform, and includes those people who connect them to their fans.
As professional tennis reopens, the “family” is getting back out on the road. Traveling together, players, trainers, coaches, and the Tennis Channel production crews who conduct interviews found themselves reunited in Charleston for the Credit One Bank Invitational. It was a happy gathering for all.
Part of what makes a tennis player good is the people surrounding them. From an athletic standpoint, they need people that give good feedback and are supportive during the ups and downs of tournament play. The other type of person tennis players should keep close are those that help continually instill a love of the game — the fans themselves and the media. In a unique position, the media members of a tennis family connect with the players on a personal level. They conduct interviews, share fan sentiment, and more. They make sure fans get to know players while also revving them up for their next match.
Traveling around the world alongside professional tennis players, media personnel end up becoming just as much a member of a tennis family as anyone else.
Tennis players have been missing their sport families as professional athletics took a timeout to respond to coronavirus. It was a happy reunion when the tennis made its return at the Credit One Bank Invitational in June in Charleston. The tournament brought
the beloved sport back, although things looked a little different. New health and safety protocols included on-site COVID-19 testing and sanitizing regulations. Face masks were mandatory and social distancing was implemented through isolated lounge areas around the stadium for players. The stands were also empty of fans.
The lifeline between those who watch and those who play occurred thanks to the media. Behind-the-scenes footage and check-ins with players in their own lounges helped maintain a connection to the tournament from a safe distance. The media’s role became even more important.
Tapped to help bring more of the players into the living rooms of tennis fans, Greyline Media captured the excitement and anticipation of the players joining Team Peace and Team Kindness for the Credit One Bank Invitational. Our dynamic interviews put more personality into the broadcast, giving viewers what they’d typically experience in person, at the tournament. Incorporating strategies like these,
using the media to enhance a broadcast, is one of the many ways professional sports can endure while being forced to keep the stands empty.
Check out the teaser video that compiles our interviews.
Tennis is maybe one of the best sporting events to safely start back up amid coronavirus worries. It’s naturally socially distant, and there’s no required person-to-person contact. Even the United States Tennis Association (USTA) says tennis works as long as you practice safe social distancing. Looking at the success in Charleston, the future of tennis, although a bit different, seems good. The combination of exhibition play and tournament matches gave the broadcast an extra dimension, more of what people would have seen had they been
able to be there in person. It proved a successful model that future tennis events can look to in order to keep the sport up and running.
For Bob Moran, Credit One Bank Invitational Tournament Director, bringing tennis back means giving the players a safe way to get back to work. He acknowledges that the success the tournament saw is thanks, in part, to everyone working as a team, as a family, to get the sport back on television.
From Charleston, all those in the tennis family moved on to Atlanta. Greyline Media continued reuniting with players by interviewing the men of Team Stars and Team Stripes, playing in the DraftKings All-American Team Cup.
The detail-oriented, high-quality content Greyline Media produces for Tennis Channel to enhance professional sport broadcasts helps take the audience out of their homes, to feel like a more active participant in the event. Even while stands stay empty, the emotions connected to a sport come flying through the screen. After all, we’re just as passionate as you are, we’re part of the family. To learn more
about how Greyline Media can give your broadcast a little something extra, and make the fans feel like they’re family too, contact us today.
For more information visit GreylineMedia.com or email Lesley@greylinemedia.com