This is College Tennis?

Last week, I went out to Emporia with a friend to see some college tennis action. I played tennis in high school and have serious respect for those that can play at the collegiate level. Now, I'm not a big tennis fan, but when my buddy said he was going to see a friend from high school play, I couldn't resist.

I don't know what I thought it would be like, but I sure didn't expect the match to be played at Emporia High. There were maybe a dozen and a half people there (mostly parents) and the match was delayed by two hours because there was a high school tournament finishing up. The players weren't provided Gatorade or anything, so they brought their own water bottles or bought a drink from the concession stand. I couldn't help but think, 'This is college tennis?'

But I don't think many people realize what it is like to be a collegiate athlete in a non-revenue sport. The university doesn't care about you and nobody comes to see you play. The competition level is higher, but other than that, it's a lot like high school. And to think that these players don't get much many (if any) to play their respective sports. What a rip off!

The girl my friend was there to see play came up to us after her match and told us what it's like to be a Division II tennis player.

"I got back to Maryville from my match yesterday at 4:30 in the morning. We drove all night, and I couldn't sleep because there's no air conditioning in our bus. I woke up this morning, got on the bus again, came here, and had to wait for hours to play. But I said I loved tennis and wanted to play in college, so I guess I'm living up to it now, right?"