February 2010 -- USPTA has had an excellent sports marketing program for more than two decades. Our sports marketing efforts have, from a business perspective, provided avenues for you to get your name "out there" in your community, helped to boost your business, and have built the brand of the United States Professional Tennis Association. As we look back over the years, USPTA has been a key leader in every available tennis outreach program.

After all, we are the delivery force for the game, since USPTA's 15,000-plus pros have been a part of many of the tennis industry's programs and initiatives. Without USPTA professionals, any tennis-specific outreach program would struggle!

Historically, we truly did lead the way in one specific sports marketing area with our groundbreaking initiative, Tennis Across America. We were the first tennis organization (under USPTA President Rod Dulany in 1990) to go nationwide with a community grassroots program and a plan to get people of all ages on the tennis court.

How many sports marketing programs in ­tennis can boast several national kickoffs in the 1990s on the White House tennis court? In addition to that, who else has had a former president (George H.W. Bush), television and movie stars (e.g., Chuck ­Norris), and world-class athletes such as former NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver and U.S. Congressman Steve Largent represent the initiative as honorary chairmen and advocates?

Let's examine what a sports marketing program should do: Its purpose is to get our product in the public eye. In my humble opinion, our product is the best tennis teaching and coaching in the world, offered only by certified professionals from the world's largest and oldest certifying organization in the game of tennis - the United States Professional Tennis Association!

In essence, Tennis Across America has served as a tremendous vehicle to get USPTA's message, our members, and our members' facilities in the public eye in respective communities. Anyone who has conducted a Tennis Across America clinic knows the support that is offered by USPTA in promoting events. And this leads to the next step in our sports marketing evolution: Tennis - for the health of it!, using Tennis Across America as the vehicle to deliver the initiative to the people in our communities.

Our newest initiative, Tennis - for the health of it!, has been very well received since its inception in 2008. USPTA has developed a great Web site, ­www.tennis-health.com, which continues to have the latest information through videos, articles and news. It provides tools and resources for tennis-teaching professionals to incorporate Tennis - for the health of it! in to their programs and the ability to post upcoming events at their facilities. We have gotten on board with IHRSA and its efforts before the U.S. Congress. In fact, USPTA President Tom Daglis spent a day on Capitol Hill last year, representing USPTA, alongside IHRSA, in supporting the Workforce Health Improvement Program Act and Personal Health Investment Today Act. Although these two initiatives have struggled before Congress in the healthcare reform process, if they are not passed they may still be cornerstones of a comprehensive obesity bill that will be introduced this year.

USPTA will continue to lead the fight, alongside our partners who join us in these endeavors, to keep the world view of tennis in the forefront of people's minds. Namely, we will continue to promote the idea that tennis is absolutely the premier activity in which people can become involved to help keep them strong and well, and to prevent diseases such as obesity and diabetes. And, it is obvious to every one of us that many people do not want to go to a gym for their workout, nor do they want to go for a run, and even walking, albeit great exercise, is boring to many people. Tennis is action-oriented and can be a tremendous vehicle for so many people. So, why tennis and why USPTA?

USPTA, and Tennis - for the health of it!, received tremendous credibility in the medical and scientific community by being published in the professionally refereed journal, Physician and SportsMedicine. And, we have developed a National Advisory Council that has intentions to meet this year for the first time and create a summit around Tennis - for the health of it! The mission of the council is to ensure that all components of Tennis - for the health of it! are health-enhancing, developmentally appropriate, safe and fun. Numerous other alliances are being created as we go to press with this editorial. These strategic alliances are quickly recognizing the role that USPTA plays in getting tennis to our communities.

And, this is where you must come into play! As the delivery force for the game, you must get involved and take advantage of what is at your disposal so that USPTA's sports marketing programs can be successful. I ask you, from my perspective - as a national board member and as a colleague/friend who cares - go to www.uspta.com and select Tennis Across America in the Quick Links section of our home page right now and register your facility to conduct a Tennis Across America event this year. USPTA will provide you with the tools and templates, such as sample public service announcements, sample fliers, program guide and a PDF of the TAA poster to get you started. We want your sports marketing program at your facility to be successful and we want you to be successful in growing your business. Let's do this together!