February 15, 2008
D.C. Gets Tennis Team
Get ready for the Washington Kastles. The newest addition to World TeamTennis will begin play this season, which opens July 3. First they will have to find a venue somewhere around town and draft players on April 1. We're telling you this now so that you won't think our "Tennis Draft" article is an April Fools gag.
WTT teams play a month-long season with 11 games, followed by a championship. Games are shorter than regular tennis games, ending when the first player gets to four points. Sets, however, can be longer, going into overtime until the player who leads in points wins a game.
The Kastles will presumably join the Eastern Conference and compete against teams like the Delaware Smash, Boston Lobsters and New York Buzz. The Buzz, led by veteran John McEnroe, made it to the finals in 2007 before losing to Anna Kournikova's Sacramento Capitals.
The Kastles' ownership group is led by local venture capitalist Mark Ein. Ein says on the team's website, "I am thrilled to bring World TeamTennis to our area. WTT tennis is great entertainment emphasizing fan interaction, and it is the only major sport with men and women playing together on the same team. The Washington Kastles season will be an exciting summertime addition to our local economy and a fun activity for our entire community."
We're just wondering what a Kastle is.
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"We're just wondering what a Kastle is."
I'm speculating there's some sponsorship or other relation with Kastle Systems. The logo on the shield and the company's logo look suspiciously similar.
I'm a huge soccer fan and it always bugs me when American football fans or people with a anti-soccer bias go out of their way to ridicule or malign soccer, especially as a viable sport in the US. So I won't submit to my desire to ridicule this, because I need to be consistent.
But I want to mock this, I really do.
P.S. OK, maybe just once: "overtime"????
Must be the night. (Misspelling intentional. For once.)
Unless we trade for Anna Kournikova, I'm boycotting any home matches.
april fools?
Why does he have troll hair?
I think I've seen that knight-with-tennis-racket before in some German fetish video.
Seriously. Who picked the name? I mean think about it....the Boston Lobsters is an obvious conclusion, the Newport Beach Breakers, the New York Buzz. But there are no kastles or even castles in Washington save the Smithsonian Castles. Can't we just be the Washington Monuments instead?
I have half a mind to write Billie Jean King!
I thought MaliVei Washington was our tennis team.
But seriously...there are already individual pros from the area. Isn't tennis an individual sport -- doubles, at most. The only reason I can see for teams is so that players at the amateur, high school, and college level can improve their skills with some competitive motivation and recognition added (short of financial reward). And being on a team is a fun way to bond. At a pro level, however, I'm not sure what teams add to the game.
And if counting to four (and perhaps not having to win by two points), World Team Tennis abandons the true 0-15-30-40/deuce-game system. By changing the rules, the league isn't even spreading love for the game to new fans like MLS, kickball, Tiger Woods, Kingpin/The Big Lebowski, etc. Oh, and I believe Lil' Jon has done wonders to promote the sport of skeet-shooting.
Seriously, who wants to watch tennis played the wrong way? Unless, of course, Dave Chappelle is playing the wrong way.
BTW, if we have to have a World TeamTennis team, I'd pull for the Washington LOBbyists. Or namedrop The Washington Deuce.
Owner Mark Ein owns Kastle Systems
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/28/AR2007012801035.html
I agree with MikeB - unless tennis hotties Ana or Maria are involved, I will continue my boycott!
Boycott the Green Balls!
I guess I'm confused - why is there such disdain for a tennis league that people feel the need to boycott?
I think this sounds like a good thing for the area and will gladly find my way to several matches, if the tickets are a reasonble price.
Apparantly my home town has a team that I had no idea about. Go St. Louis Aces!!
Indiecognition, I don't know if team pro-tennis is that uncommon. The Davis Cup is a pretty big deal. I mean, it's not the norm, but it's not unheard of either.
Also, it's good to know that Anna Kournikova has finally won something (besides doubles tournaments).
Wallenda: First, Gene Samburg owns Kastle Systems (http://www.kastle.com/about-bio.asp). Mark Ein owns Venturehouse Group (http://www.venturehousegroup.com/aboutus_team.html).
Second, I don't think it's disdain about the league or the team. It's about the stupid corporate shilling team name. Are they going to have to change the name if Mark Ein ever sells the team?
A professional team name/mascot should have some sort of connection to the city it's in.
A professional team name/mascot should have some sort of connection to the city it's in.
I'm not really sure that Wizards have a real connection with DC.
drew: if Gene Samburg still owns Kastle Systems then Mark bought Gene:
http://www.kastle.com/pressroom-kastle-sale.asp
drew: if Gene Samburg still owns Kastle Systems then Mark bought Gene:
http://www.kastle.com/pressroom-kastle-sale.asp
who gives a crap about the sponsorship/naming thing. honestly, i hate corporatism as much as the next guy, but screw it, it's a private enterprise, let them do their thing.
it's another entertainment choice for us in DC, and that can only be a good thing.
This reminds me. Does anyone know what happened to the DC Olympic Curling Team?
A professional team name/mascot should have some sort of connection to the city it's in.
What better symbol for Washington, DC than a Kastle card?