Tennis Endorses National Physical Activity Plan

The tennis industry became the first sports industry to endorse the new National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) and the CEO Pledge for Physical Activity when the plan was unveiled in Washington, D.C.

The NPAP was announced in a press conference at the National Press Club, followed by a Congressional briefing at the U.S. Capitol. During the announcement, the sport of tennis was cited by Dr. Jack Groppel as “the first of hopefully many entire sports to endorse this pledge and this plan.” 

The National Physical Activity Plan is a roadmap for actions supporting and encouraging physical activity for all Americans. “The Tennis Industry Association (TIA) Board of Directors represents all sectors of the tennis industry, and in our efforts to support the NPAP and bring more activity to all Americans, we are absolutely thrilled to have the backing of the sport of tennis,” Groppel said. 

Groppel, the co-founder of the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute, represented The Global Alliance for Health & Performance, the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity, and the CEO Pledge in support of the NPAP. He then asked TIA Executive Director Jolyn de Boer to sign the CEO Pledge on behalf of the board and the tennis industry overall. 

The CEO Pledge is a commitment by senior business leaders to promote physical fitness. “A healthier workforce means a healthier bottom line for America’s businesses,” Groppel noted. “Employees who are physically active, and move at regular intervals throughout the day, actually drive higher performance—both at work and at home. They are more focused, engaged, energized, and more intrinsically motivated.” 

To date, more than 430 CEOs, executive directors, senior business leaders and other “C”-level executives have signed the CEO Pledge. At the Congressional Briefing, hosted by the Congressional Fitness and Bicycle Caucuses, Rep. Bob Dold of Illinois and Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi both signed the CEO Pledge with Groppel. 

“Our board is in unanimous support of the CEO Pledge for Physical Activity and how it can help get Americans moving to combat the current inactivity pandemic,” de Boer said. “The sport of tennis is thrilled to have been a part of the announcement of the new National Physical Activity Plan.” 

“The plan is a living document that will be updated periodically to reflect specific evidence-informed approaches designed to promote physical activity,” said Dr. Russell Pate, chairman of the nonprofit NPAP Alliance, a coalition of national organizations that includes public and private groups. “Strategies are broad approaches to be achieved through implementation of specific tactics that our experts highly recommend.” 

The NPAP looks to influence physical activity through nine societal sectors: business and industry; community recreation, fitness and parks; education; faith-based settings; health care; mass media; public health; sports; and transportation, land use and community design. 

For more information on the CEO Pledge for Physical Activity, visit ncppa.org. For information on the National Physical Activity Plan, visit physicalactivityplan.org.

About the TIA: The Tennis Industry Association, the not-for-profit trade association for tennis, is THE unifying force in the tennis industry whose mission is to promote the growth and economic vitality of tennis by working closely with the U.S. Tennis Association and industry partners to develop and implement initiatives to increase tennis participation and improve the health of industry businesses. Core TIA activities include producing more than 70 research reports annually on participation and consumer/trade research, in addition to Grow the Game Initiatives such as PlayTennis.com, Cardio Tennis, 10 and Under Tennis, the GrowingTennis System™, and Careers in Tennis. Visit TennisIndustry.org or call 866-686-3036.