USTA's lack of morality.

The U.S.T.A. has been found culpable and ordered to pay $6 million in punitive damages for failing to protect a teenage player who was sexually abused. The organization's culture prioritizes protecting itself over the well-being of young athletes. Financial penalties alone won't solve the problem; the current leadership must be removed. This situation mirrors the Harvey Weinstein scandal, with both using tactics to suppress victims. The U.S.T.A. has a toxic culture perpetuated by its incapable leadership. Responsible individuals must take ownership, act decisively, and ensure transparency. The U.S.T.A.'s leadership must be ousted to bring about genuine change and protect the sport. Share this article to support the cause. The Weinstein Company and the U.S.T.A. by Javier Palenque. In September last year, when the first news broke about the Arizona teenage player, who was sexually abused under the auspices of the U.S.T.A., I wrote an article anticipating the organization's predictable failure to take meaningful action. The lawsuit's outcome has now confirmed my premonition. The U.S.T.A. was found culpable and ordered to pay $6 million in punitive damages. This verdict underscores the deeply entrenched issues within the U.S.T.A.'s culture, which prioritizes protecting the institution and its leadership over the well-being of young athletes. What many people fail to understand is that the root of the problem lies in the U.S.T.A.'s culture. Financial penalties alone won't bring about the necessary change. The only effective solution is to remove the current leadership entirely. Revisiting my previous article is disheartening, especially considering that sponsors of the U.S. Open continue to associate themselves with an organization more focused on self-preservation than on fostering the sport and safeguarding its young players. None of the board members have taken a stand for what is morally right. Even worse, the CEO plans to appeal the verdict, further tarnishing the U.S.T.A.'s reputation and displaying an egregious lack of accountability and intelligence. This situation mirrors the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Weinstein, a powerful Hollywood producer, used his company to silence his victims. It took years of persistent media coverage and courageous testimonies from victims to bring him to justice. Similarly, the U.S.T.A. has employed tactics to suppress its victims, prolonging the legal process and raising suspicions about other undisclosed issues. As I read a recent NYT article during breakfast, I was struck by the parallels between the U.S.T.A.'s behavior and Weinstein's legal strategies. The U.S.T.A., a supposed non-profit, has consistently misused its resources to protect its own interests. This includes evading taxes, engaging in racially discriminatory practices, and now facing another high-profile sexual harassment case. The problem, undeniably, is the toxic culture perpetuated by its leadership, the incapable good ol' boys. The young plaintiff from Arizona likely had no idea how the U.S.T.A. operates. The organization's, old boys, network uses every possible tactic to silence dissent and intimidate anyone within the tennis world who might support the victims. They exploit plausible deniability and rely on non-disclosure agreements to maintain their facade. This misuse of the organization's resources for self-serving purposes is a blatant disregard for the mission they claim to uphold. Ownership and accountability are crucial in situations like this. If the U.S.T.A. were owned and operated by responsible individuals, such as Jamie Dimon of J.P. Morgan, the response would be vastly different. A leader like Dimon would act decisively, acknowledging the severity of the issue, firing those responsible, and ensuring transparency to prevent future incidents. Instead, the U.S.T.A.'s lack of true ownership allows its leaders to avoid responsibility, using the organization's funds to silence victims and protect their positions, all while getting the welfare of the not-for-profit tax designation. The board's complicity in this matter is clear. They approved efforts to attempt to buy the victims' silence, settle, and maintain the status quo, which only highlights their moral bankruptcy and incompetence. This cannot continue. The U.S.T.A.'s leadership must be ousted to pave the way for a genuine change in culture and ensure the protection and growth of the sport. I urge the young woman from Arizona to persist in her fight and expose the U.S.T.A.'s corrupt practices. The organization must be held accountable for its actions, and its leadership must be replaced with individuals committed to transparency, integrity, and the true mission of promoting tennis. If you want to support this cause, share this article and help expose the truth. The U.S.T.A.'s current state is unacceptable, and we must demand better for the future of the sport and its young athletes. I say no to ineptitude and yes to growing the game. For further discussion or to join the effort, you can reach me at jklink at yahoo.com. P.S. A not-for-profit cannot act like the criminal you see below. I refuse to accept it, but the leadership will make a choice. Act like the Weinstein Company, or like the progressive, inclusive, caring, proclaiming equal rights and pay, kid-friendly not-for-profit that they posture as. Remember they are none of that by choice. You need to smarten up and realize what they do. It is the culture. They cannot fix it. They are the problem. The price of their false image is how much, and who pays for it. The price of their jobs is how much, and who pays for it. The price of the status quo is how much, and who pays for it. As you can conclude, they could care less about the sport, and if you look at the finances you will see how correct I am. You are the judge. They want the sport to pay for them, while they benefit from it, and provide nothing to it. It is a bad deal for the sport all along. Now you understand what I mean when I say that the sport is hijacked. I say expose the monster if it is an individual, and if it's a company, I remind you that a monster has a head, or a group of heads, the executives, exposing the monster as well as what should be done, and that is the leadership. They should not be allowed to hide and come out clean, after another display of gross neglect of duty. In this case, the jury of everyday Floridians has made their decision already. The USTA is at fault. You are guilty, USTA. Guilty.