Family Circle Cup--some final thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the Family Circle Cup. The facility on Daniel Island is beautiful, and the staff was helpful, competent, and friendly. Guest amenities included free long distance phone calls and Internet access (thanks to Bell South), fast serve competitions, tennis clinics, a variety of food concessions and bars, and fast-moving bathroom lines. The bad weather was unfortunate, but it didn't hamper anyone's enjoyment of world-class tennis. Playing on clay is difficult, and playing on clay in high winds is very difficult, so the conditions actually added to the drama of the event.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was disappointed that L'Oreal was a major sponsor. L'Oreal not only lifted its moratorium on animal testing, but was also deceptive about its actions. I was disgusted to see that Family Circle was promoting Tyson products at the event. Tyson has one of the nation's worst animal abuse records.

I was also disappointed, but not surprised, that the tournament announcer repeatedly mispronounced the names of several players. The Family Circle Cup is the largest all women's tennis tournament in the world, and you would think that the least the announcer could do was learn to pronounce the players' names.