Photo courtesy of Angela Weiss of ATP Tour

Each year, the US Open Tennis Championships are held in Queens, New York. It is the fourth grand slam tournament to occur yearly, preceded by the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon. However, the US Open is inarguably the most anticipated event. This year’s US Open celebrates 50 years of equal pay, thanks to female tennis player Billie Jean King, who initiated female and male tennis players being paid equally for participating in matches.

Although the players themselves are now receiving equal pay and plenty of opportunities with the cumulative reward for winning the final match being 65 million dollars, it is not an equal experience for tennis fans. It can’t be argued that tennis is an expensive sport to play. Rackets, balls, clothing and lessons all add up. But you shouldn’t have to be rich to watch tennis.

Celebrities like Anna Wintour, Hailey and Justin Bieber, Barack and Michelle Obama, Danny Devito and Michael Phelps have all been in attendance this year. What do they all have in common? Wealth. In addition, the sponsors and brand partners of the US Open are all prestigious, luxury brands such as Polo, Cadillac, Tiffany & Co., American Express, Rolex and J.P. Morgan.

The prices of food and merchandise are remarkably higher than those of most sports arenas. Citi Field, the New York Mets’ stadium, charges around 63 cents per ounce of beer while the US Open charges around 93 cents per ounce when I viewed their menu prices. Location isn’t a factor either, considering Citi Field is only a two-minute drive from Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The argument that the duration of the US Open is much shorter than baseball season – so their food and beverage prices ought to be higher – can easily be torn down as the ticket prices for the US Open are much higher than any regular-season New York Mets ticket. The median rate for Mets tickets is currently between $50 and $60, but they are also available for less than $10 on different ticketing websites.  On the other hand, the least expensive US Open tickets, depending on the match, could go for hundreds on Ticketmaster.

            So, why would the US Open only cater to the wealthy? With the rise of the “old money aesthetic” on social media, tennis has in turn become more popular than ever. The sheer fact that the fabulously wealthy are now being directly associated with tennis goes to show that it is a sport only being catered to those who can afford it.

            The organization’s sponsors and partners are most popular with those in high tax brackets – no lower-class individual would be able to afford the 2024 Cadillac, which is being heavily advertised at the US Open. The organization gets partnership funding from luxury corporations, and those corporations are banking on the wealthy attendants seeing sponsored items and thinking, “Well, if this item is associated with the US Open, which is perceived as prestigious, then I’ll be perceived similarly if I buy this.”

Attendant Matt, from Queens, said, “I don’t want to say I’m shocked … but [the prices] were high, you expect it to be high.” Another attendant, Johannas, said that they intentionally came to the free day event on Thursday, Sept. 7, but remarked that “the plan is to come here for free and buy nothing, just enjoy the sport. We’ve played tennis for nine years … For [these prices] you can take a helicopter around New York City for 15 minutes.” So, it’s no secret that tennis fans who simply enjoy the sport are feeling the heat from the high dining and ticket prices.

The company intentionally has high prices to draw in a specific crowd, which will in turn make them more profits, keep the audience in the specific class that they want, and make their brand partners and sponsors continue to work with them.

If the US Open wants to preach the achievement of equal pay, they should also make the event equally accessible. The stadium is surely big enough, and if the Mets can have low-priced tickets and relatively inexpensive food, can’t the US Open?