Tennis final is a good ol’ U.S. vs. Russia match
The United States plays Russia for its first Davis Cup title since 1995, and tennis officials want your attention — a la Cold War
Posted on Fri, Nov. 30, 2007
BY MICHELLE KAUFMAN
United States tennis officials are well aware this weekend’s Davis Cup final might get overshadowed in the crowded American sports landscape, so they did their best to drum up interest — going so far as billing the U.S.-Russia showdown as “The Biggest U.S.-Russia Matchup Since Rocky vs. Drago.”
The promotional materials, which include a photo of Sylvester Stallone raising his championship belt, were mailed to media members nationwide. The cards featured the Top 5 U.S. vs. Russia Showdowns, including the 1980 Olympic hockey ”Miracle on Ice,” the controversial Russian victory in the 1972 Olympic men’s basketball game, Pete Sampras’ performance in the 1995 Davis Cup final, and the 1972 world chess championships between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky.
Though the Cold War is long over, and players from Russia and the U.S. are now friends off the court, there is no doubt this Davis Cup final offers a dose of intrigue.
Source: Miami Herald
Very smart of tennis people to hype it like that. That’s why other sports are successful and chess is not.
Maybe because most good US chess players are Russian or eastner European. Doh!