Report: $100 fee keeping many of NYC off tennis courts

NEW YORK (AP) - Tennis, everyone?

The New York City Parks Department has worked in recent years to make the sport widely accessible by building public tennis courts across the city. But The Wall Street Journal reports that the $100 cost of a permit may be a bar to entry for many.

Permits are needed to use an outdoor public court from April through November. They cost $100 a year for adults 18 to 61.

The Journal reports that tennis permit holders disproportionately live in wealthy, largely white Manhattan neighborhoods. The fee was lowered from $200 in 2016, but some residents of low-income areas say more people would play if the cost were lowered again to $50.

The Parks Department says the fees allow the department to govern court use and manage demand.

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Information from: The Wall Street Journal, http://www.wsj.com