Former American tennis star John Isner was unhappy with Arkansas Athletics’ latest decision to discontinue their men’s and women’s tennis programs. They become the first SEC program to shut down men’s and women’s college tennis.
The college sports have entered the NIL era, where extra focus is being made to maximize the revenue and in the process, they are cutting down programs where the revenue is little to zero.
On Friday, the recommendation from Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek was approved by the Chancellor and subsequently, UA System President and Board of Trustees were made aware of the call to shut down the tennis programs. It’s important to note that the students who were part of these programs will be allowed to continue with their degree program.
“After considerable reflection and thoughtful discussion, we have made the very difficult decision to discontinue our men’s and women’s tennis programs,” Yurachek said. “We understand the disappointment and emotion this news will bring to many. The landscape of college athletics continues to evolve, requiring us to make challenging choices as we balance competitive opportunities, resources and the long-term sustainability of our department.
“Ultimately, we concluded that we are unable to provide the level of support necessary for our tennis programs to consistently compete in the SEC and nationally at the standard our student-athletes, coaches, alumni and supporters deserve. We appreciate the efforts of Coach Udwadia and Coach Clary, along with all of our current and former student-athletes.”
The challenging yet controversial decision was met with immense backlash on the internet, with former tennis star John Isner riding that wave. Isner took to X and expressed his dissatisfaction by slamming the program for making this decision.
“The post NIL college landscape is out of control. Flat out ruining college sports and now a very proud men’s and women’s program is being cut altogether because of all this BS. This is a travesty. Never thought I’d see the day where an SEC school eliminated tennis,” Isner wrote.
John Isner Argues With Fans on Why Arkansas’ Decision Was Wrong
John Isner didn’t just leave it up there. In the comments section, when some fans try to appeal why the decision was necessary and by contrast, inevitable, Isner argued his case.
One fan cited the Mississippi St women’s tennis roster, which includes several international players who are not American. Isner argued that tennis is an international sport so it will happen naturally.
In another reply, Isner made it clear why the programs were cut down by University of Arkansas:
“It’s NIL and pressure to perform in the revenue producing sports ie basketball and football. Most other sports are non revenue,” he wrote.
One fan argued that college tennis doesn’t generate any revenue while eating up a lot of NIL money. In response, Isner argued if they should play only those sports that generate interest like football and basketball.
It’s clear Isner is not welcoming this decision from Arkansas and fears for the future of college tennis in this post-NIL era.
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