No sports knowledge required at LA tourney

You don’t have to be a tennis fan to enjoy what the LA Tennis Open has to offer.

At first thought, the concept might seem kind of counterintuitive.

After all, sporting events were designed to showcase the athleticism and competitive spirit that characterizes the dynamic of sport itself, right?

To be honest, that’s not as true today as it used to be.

Sure, a good reason to go to a soccer match would be to play the spectator and watch two teams hit a ball back and forth. The same could be said of tennis.

But now, sporting events are becoming expos to the nth degree ““ with food samples, roulette wheels and free stress balls becoming just another facet of the experience.

That’s where the world of sports marketing has brought us today.

I’m not here to comment on whether this is a positive development when it comes to the purity of sports, but I will say that many more people may find it appealing to attend a tennis event without having the slightest interest in Roger Federer.

Some people refrain from purchasing tickets because they don’t find the sport particularly engaging.

That’s totally their prerogative.

But what they don’t know is that the LATO experience doesn’t have to start and end with serves and volleys. There’s much more to it than that.

I dare say, one need not understand the sport’s scoring system to enjoy a day at Straus Stadium. If you plan to spend three hours courtside watching a high-energy exchange in a third-set tiebreak, it might help.

Otherwise, it’s completely unnecessary.

Once inside the Los Angeles Tennis Center, the guest is immediately ensconced by game booths, sponsorship giveaways and food vendors as far as the eye can see ““ despite this year’s relative cutback in sponsorships ““ and not to mention hospitality suites complete with carpet and bottle service.

Now that’s a tennis tournament.

A modest comparison would be something like a county fair, but on a more intimate scale. Minus the rides and rodeos.

This event, besides boasting some of the most well-established names in the sport, such as Marat Safin and Tommy Haas, provides ongoing entertainment for all attendees.

For the older crowd, wine-tasting takes place under tents sprinkled throughout the grounds. For the youngsters, game booths and raffles operate constantly during the tournament. For everyone in between, enjoy an afternoon perusing sponsors’ five-point tents and garnering free tote bags and keychains, or indulge in a burger from Wolfgang Puck’s while dining in a country-club-like atmosphere just beyond center court.

So, you see, you don’t have to be a tennis fan to enjoy what the LA Tennis Open has to offer. There’s something there that will surely satisfy every taste, literally.

So take a chance, immerse yourself in the splendor of the all-appealing LA Tennis Open.

If you’d rather watch Marat Safin serve up a few aces than spin a sponsor’s giveaway wheel, e-mail Salam at [email protected].