I've always considered tennis permits to be a racist policy of the NYC parks department designed to keep minorities, people of color, and middle class New Yorkers OFF the tennis courts and to keep tennis an elitist sport.!
Even more ironically, I know of TONS of courts that have no attendant or security that actually check if players have their permits( all in working class neighborhoods!) So where's the money going? Obviously to the West side clay courts and other posh courts in wealthy areas! What is NYC coming to? We, the people must fight back!

I play at Central Park. The maintenance needs to improve, do they have to use the blowers, grass trimmers and saws on the weekend? It is still busy. Oh, let me just add the RULES of the courts; only allowed to get on the courts on the hour and upheld by the Man operations mgr-total nonsense and then the courts don't have attendants even though they increased the fees...PLEASE.

It's not just tennis!

Get this: The definition of "Senior" has been changed from 55 years of age to 62! In the case of the Rec. Centers, this means a 55-year-old (now ex-senior) will see a 10-fold increase from $10 a year to $100 a year -- not including swimming pool access! And she will have to wait 7 YEARS to become a "Senior" again at age 62!

At that time, under the latest fee increase, she will pay $25 a year instead of $10. But meanwhile it's $100, or $700 over 7 years instead of $70. This group is clearly going to be paying the highest overall increase, and it's not fair.

In addition to agreeing with the comments above on making tennis an elitist sport (reducing the wait for the wealthier and denying access to the poorer while most other sports are free), note that:
Maintenance
courts are now low-maintenance hard courts (aside from some in more affluent neighborhoods).
most courts now have no one to monitor whether players have permits (raising the possibility of confrontations between players who don’t have permits and those who do).
Permit revenues are not earmarked for use in maintenance, repair, or building of tennis courts.
Inflation has not doubled in the past 8 years (when permit prices apparently were last raised), but have increased by about 25% (http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi)
Kids who grow to love the game at $10 a year will discover that at age 18 they can not afford the 2000% permit cost increase and either stop playing or engage in theft of government services.
Non-permit use: The tennis permits office just told me about courts without attendants, “Go at your own risk that an attendant might come by and kick you off. You might as well see as long a you can play.” What do you do, then, if it would cost you $210+ to play with your child? What does this teach our children about good citizenship?

We should be encouraging EVERYONE to participate in healthy activities, not just those who have money. In addition, the 200% fee increase is completely unfair especially considering the condition of the courts. The Lower East Side courts are full of cracks and uneven surfaces. Some courts are very difficult to use. Some courts are so bad, in fact, that it takes a very long time for the puddles to dry after it rains. This cuts down on usable court time and makes the exorbitant fees even more reprehensible.

There are hundreds of artist right now hurting financially because the parks have won in court to keep them out of selling in the parks. Is the park department listening to the wealthy more than the average citizen of NY

There is no way to justify that kind of increase in the cost of a tennis permit.

Basketball is free, handball is free, etc...

The comments made by your guest seem to suggest that they will not increase revenue just decrease the amount of players. The result of the price increase is that wealthier people can play tennis without having to wait in line.

$200 for the year?! That's cheap!

I pay thousands to play hockey all year, two leagues, two seasons in each, two summer tournaments and open ice fees, plus a locker.

People are seriously spoiled.

I love tennis and love to play, but can anyone really object to raising the fees for tennis in the city, when we are laying off teachers, and firemen? Come on... Do the fees at least cover the costs of maintaining the facilities?

I just want to add that single use tickets for tennis went up to $15 from $7. This means that for 2 people to play 1 hour of tennis it costs $30. I think the parks are making tennis a more elitist activity than already perceived.
In addition, many seniors have enough money to pay full price and should not receive the enormous discount.

I purchased a membership at the parks dept. in Staten Island and they still made purchase a separate permit to use the courts.

Orla O'Sullivan! This is about the third time I've heard you on Brian Lehrer. Track me down if you read this. It's been too long.

Brian, keep up the great work.

All kinds of permits! I commented on this before - where I work, Nassau County, permits for new sewers went from $80 to $519 this year. If this is an indication of building permit trends in the County, how does that affect the rate of new construction; often refered to as an economic indicator?

There is no way to justify that kind of increase in the cost of a tennis permit.

Basketball is free, handball is free, etc...

Where I play the courts are neglected and not well maintained, and now I can't even afford to play.

tennis permits?
what?

There are more profitable ways to drive revenue without negatively impacting all players, particularly families unwilling to pay $200 per person. Ideally, there should be *free courts* or courts reserved for younger players similar to the basketball courts in Central Park.

1) Offer seasonal rates--During the winter, 20 week seasonal courts are $1500 for 1 court, you have 30.
2) Offer family passes with a tiered pricing system similar to how soccer leagues work
3) Tournaments--entry fees for USTA tournaments average $75 person well above the $15 reservation fee and can be scheduled during low usage times
4) Sell tickets to watch celebrity matches like they do at Madison Square Garden
5) Auction spots to play round robins with notable tennis players--eg people would pay 5 figures to play doubles with John McEnroe

Just some thoughts.

PS: Thank you for the no smoking rules in Central Park.