Nearly 10 years after leading an effort to allow cheering during Big 12 tennis matches, TCU tennis is crediting fan enthusiasm with helping it win the 2024 men’s tennis national championship.
Head coach David Roditi played for TCU tennis in silence. Most conferences, as well as the pros, require fans to sit quietly during matches. Soft applause after a point is allowed, but Roditi wanted more.
Roditi pushed the Big 12 to change, and fans have been cheering ever since that 2016 season. It allows fans to behave like they would at a football or basketball game.
“It also moved the needle about fan’s cheering, chanting and overall enthusiasm levels allowed,” Roditi said. “In the past any sound from fans could be argued by coaches or players to replay a point and now nobody uses it as an excuse. We just play on.”
Known as the “Roditi Rule,” the change also made TCU more aware of the need to expand our fan base, he said.
The rule changed the atmosphere at men’s matches. Music, food, games and more are now available at tennis matches. The “Keep it in the Purple Committee,” a group of fans, coordinates the food, bands and games up for matches.
The Roditi Rule is the subject of a student-produced documentary. They created the 12-minute documentary last fall, focusing on rule and how it helped the team win the national championship.
The film features Roditi, assistant head coach Devin Bowen, tennis stars Luke Swan and Pedro Vivas, and Keep it in the Purple leader Linda Cappel.
The film’s official showing will be later in the spring semester.
