Thursday, October 13, 2011

Courtsider?

A courtsider (or court-sider)? Does anyone know what that is? No idea? Well, it's a new term for me in the tennis world. I learned this over the past week at Williamsburg that I thought I would share. I learned about it by overhearing the tournament director and ITF supervisor talking about someone with hands in his pockets and clicking and electronic device in each hand. So my friends and I thought someone was cheating, and us being curious asked what was happening. The ITF supervisor said that these 'courtsiders' are people who are paid a lot of money to go to tennis tournaments, watch matches while helping cheat the system of betting on tennis. Sounds interesting doesn't it?

Supposedly in the US it is illegal to bet on matches, but in other parts of the world it is legal. And you can only bet on a tennis by who wins and loses, so this 'courtsider' sits next to the court with a device in each hand, and when one player wins a point he clicks a button in one hand, and if the other player wins a point he clicks a button in the other hand. These clicks feed a certain person inside information on a live match, therefore giving him/her a greater advantage of picking a correct winner.

In addition to sitting and watching matches, they also have a room in the tournament hotel and when they see a player who is taped up or have ice everywhere, they asked the player what's wrong? if they are ok? are they going to play? just basic questions and the player doesn't think anything of it and says the truth, and the 'courtsider' takes this information and sends it to whoever is paying him, because that is more information that could determine the outcome of a match. So it is just crazy to think of the extremes people go to to bet on matches, and at a 10k? I mean really?! The smallest pro tournament! Isn't there the WTA going on in Asia right now? I just thought the whole thing was wierd. But now you guys know some inside info on what happens behind the scenes of tournaments.

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