What Makes Tennis One of the Greatest Games
It wasn’t always regarded as the intensely athletic sport that it is.
This piece explores why tennis is considered one of the greatest games, drawing on an article from The Atlantic written 123 years ago. Back then, sports were viewed as serious undertakings with the purpose of cultivating manliness and channeling aggression. Football was seen as the most valuable game due to its inherent risks and demands for coordinated action, but tennis, being a more genteel sport, offered a different kind of strength.
Arthur Stanwood Pier wrote that while tennis did not have the same level of danger as football, it provided a way for men to develop attributes of peace, such as steadfastness, better temper, and a kinder heart. The article highlights how modern tennis matches, with their speed, power, and fluid coordination, still embody these qualities, and concludes with the simple pleasure of the game.
Written by urgent.news from The Atlantic's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
