THE IMMORAL USTA AND ITS BRANDING TO THE WORLD. By Javier Palenque
Javier Palenque
GLOBAL BUSINESS CONSULTANT | FAMILY BUSINESS EXPERT | GLOBAL BUSINESS TRADE EXPERT
Monday saw a Florida court swiftly condemn the USTA's negligent culture, as a jury of Floridians reached a verdict against the organization in a mere 150 minutes following a week-long trial. Despite the glaring call for accountability, the USTA's PR team opted for the absurdity of announcing an appeal, rather than the resignation of culpable legal heads and the subsequent departure of the Chairman and CEO. This flagrant disregard for accountability, shielded by the board of directors, prolongs the issue needlessly.
The board, ultimately accountable, chooses to retain legal counsel, likely rewarding them with bonuses, while their PR machinery churns out falsehoods about tennis participation rates, investment rates, and allocation of funds. It begs the question: how does this PR person sleep at night, propagating lies without remorse? Perhaps personal integrity takes a backseat when there are no familial stakes involved. What if the victim was your sister? or kid? does that make a difference? Meanwhile, the USTA's Marketing personnel grasp at straws, attempting to paint the organization as a champion of gender equality when, in reality, it perpetuates an entrenched Ol' Boys' clan mentality.
Let's be clear: the USTA is a relic of outdated practices, exposed for what it truly is—an embarrassment to decency, competence, and the nation it represents. Sponsors should heed this wake-up call and withhold support until a genuine change in leadership is enacted.
Predictably, the old guard will fiercely defend their cushy welfare positions. But make no mistake, their continued reign spells the demise of the sport they purportedly serve, diverting resources to cover for their incompetence rather than nurturing the game. Remember they publish fake participation numbers, so their welfare is not under threat. Also, remember how they got to court in this case, they attempted to silence the victim and cover for their incompetence once more.
In a scenario where accountability prevails, swift action would have been taken at the first sign of misconduct. Yet, with a staggering tally of thirty-one sexual harassment cases in five years (one every six months), the USTA remains complacent, tarnishing its reputation as the epitome of ineptitude, arrogance, and decadence. The board's inaction speaks volumes, epitomizing a failure of leadership that only exacerbates the organization's woes. The problem is the culture and the only way to solve it, is to get rid of the heads. There is no other way.
If the reins were in my hands, heads would roll at the onset of any wrongdoing. But alas, the status quo persists, with the USTA's leadership clinging to power at the expense of the sport they claim to champion. It's a disheartening reality—a cancer eating away at the very essence of the game. The cancer has metastasized, which means spread around the rest of the organization.
In light of recent events, the Chairman, Board, and CEO of the USTA must resign from their positions of trust, as their actions have unequivocally demonstrated their untrustworthiness. The swift judgment rendered by a group of ordinary Floridians, who sided with the victim in a matter of minutes, serves as a damning indictment of the organization's integrity, lack of morals and values. The cancer needs to be extirpated from the sport.
The USTA's incompetence is glaring and cannot be obscured. It is time to usher in an era where intelligence, not the antiquated notions of an old boys' clan, governs our sport. Sponsors, take heed: you are complicit in supporting a corrupt system that does nothing to advance the sport. May I ask why you sponsor this behavior? what do you get out of it other than association with shame and bad press?
For tennis to thrive, two critical steps must be taken:
I say NO to ineptitude and yes to growing the game.
I can be reached at [email protected]
Here is a sample of all the branding done in the last three days by the Ol' boys, and all attempting to cover their lack of competence.
UK - THE GUARDIAN
UK- THE INDEPENDENT
领英推荐
ABC NEWS
MID-FLORIDA NEWSPAPERS
NY POST
YAHOO FINANCE
FOX NEWS
NEWS PRESS
SPORTSKEEDA
AP NEWS