Tennis: Fans skip BNP Paribas Open after Orwellian new rules implemented

INDIAN WELLS, Calif.. (Oct.24 2021) 

       After the 2020 edition was cancelled on the day before it was to start due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 BNP Paribas Open returned eighteen months later, in a special October edition, to the sound of crickets instead of the cheers of paying fans.

       Tournament spokespeople scrambled to explain the staggering 50 percent drop-off in paid attendance from 2020, blaming the virus,.as well as the timing of the event, saying Eastern snowbirds, among the most reliable tennis fans, hadn't yet arrived for their annual wintering in the Palm Springs / Palm Desert area.

       It didn't help that fan favorites Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal all sat out the tournament. This despite the opening of the men's draw to its largest in tournament history - or perhaps because of it, as the three stars weren't looking forward to having to possibly play annoying first round matches this late in the season. With upsets taking care of the rest of the seeds, two massively talented but complete unknowns - Paula Badosa and Cameron Norrie ended up with the trophies.

       Still, pent up demand after 18 months of no tennis should have brought an onslaught of tennis deprived fans. 

       Curiosity about some hot young newcomers alone should have increased attendance. Though the stadiums sat half empty, news of that often precipitates casual and budget minded fans to come out. In previous years BNP Paribas stadium tickets were out of reach pricewise, or simply sold out, particularly on the weekends.

       But not this year. The usual fans stayed away making access affordable. Cheap - even below face value - tickets flooded the secondary market and many opportunists, as well as potential new fans would have sprung for the easy tickets and filled the stadiums, if not blocked by a series of difficult and unnecessary hurdles

        Beyond the date change, the 2021 edition was handicapped by a slate of self-defeating new policies. There were new rules designed to head off a possible COVID outbreak (yet for some reason, no masks required). And other new rules, of less clear purpose, conspired to confuse fans, cancel tournament trips and terminate box seat subscriptions.

       There may have been resistance to the forced usage of  the special BNP Paribas health passport. All patrons, as well as all employees, media members, servants, volunteers, vendors, security, medics, athletes and coaches would need to provide proof of full vaccination from COVID-19 or be barred from entering the venue. Exempt were those who didn't have to scan in, potentially including celebrities, politicians, organizers and owners. Proof had to be supplied via a special BNP Paribas app, to be downloaded to your smartphone (not included).

      Keep in mind that since the tournament's inception two decades ago, that is until 2019, fans could decide on the spur of the moment to just drop in and watch some great tennis. Such spontaniety is now prohibited no matter how lucrative it was, now advance planning and forethought is required. Confusion about the new policy was not mitigated much by  this official BNP Paribas Entry to Tennis Paradise instructional video, which detailed several steps and preparations one needed to have performed before even being allowed on the grounds to buy tickets. In 2019 and before, you just showed up, bought a ticket, and went in. The new system is claimed to be better, but for whom.

         If you didn't watch the video, and you're not alone, it detailed what, but not how, one needed to do using this app, in order to patronize this tennis tournament.  One was required to send ones medical records and financial information to BNP Paribas, use the app to arrange a parking pass, and verify that their clear plastic bag was of the proper size and format. Uninformed or out-of-compliance tennis fans, who are among the most affluent in sports, encountered an unaccustomed level of pushback, interference and resistance from power mad volunteers and security, finding themselves as often as not, denied entrance to the venue despite their wealth, influence and support for the game.

       Even digitally-savvy tennis supporters were confused by the lack of information. For instance, a link to the official app was not provided in those official BNP Paribas Open articles.  It was presumed that anyone with a (now mandatory) smartphone would know to head over to the App Store, search on the BNP Paribas open, then upload their private information into it. And consider the possibility of fake apps. It is trivial - literally trivial - to create a fake app with the name BNP Paribas Open, and upload it to the Google Play Store. Such an app could enable unauthorized parties to collect medical and financial information.

       A visit to the app store shows a dozen apps with the name BNP Paribas. it is easy to find the official one. it is the one with the lowest rating and the worst reviews.

       The official app sports a 2.8 star rating out of five on Play Store, and 2.2 on the Apple App Store, with most of the critical reviews complaining of the app freezing. Can you imagine being a senior fan returning to Indian Wells, in this orwellian desert paradise, struggling to get this thing to display their entry barcode to an impatient volunteer, or display their stadium ticket three or four times to volunteers on the way down to their seat, or to use it  to attempt to pay for a meal in a place that cash is banned? Their best bet would have been to hand the phone to a kid, the true smartphone experts, but they have all been banned from the venue.

       And for anyone, installing and opening an app sweeps your smartphone for far more information than the traditional phone web or in person ticket purchase.  This app gives them a lot more information. For instance, via Location, they know where you are, to within two meters, any time the app is running.

       Surprising that the app that gives organizers so much information about you is so lousy at its supposed job of getting you around the tournament. Even the proficient have difficulty  and fear embarrassing moments of app dysfunction while people are waiting, but this presumption of smartphone proficiency is gallingly ageist, as many of our senior patrons are not smartphone proficient, or possibly never even owned one until now.

       And speaking of ageist, people under 12 were completely banned from the venue. Certainly kids are annoying, they don't have interesting amounts of money and it's always a good idea to keep the riff raff out. I hate to get snarky but it's really hard to justify this policy in my mind. Their tickets went unsold along with those of the family members who would have accompanied them, costing the tournament parking, food and souvenir revenue.

       But who does have interesting amounts of money? BNP Paribas Bank, the title sponsor and primary contributor to the tournaments world class $17 million prize purse. With the contract running out in two years, tournament  officials might soon have to scramble for new sponsorship if fan support and interest doesnt improve dramatically in 2022.