Tennis fans are snobs. They’re well-behaved, cheer only between points, and hold sportsmanship in high regard. It’s Miami’s job to bring them down a notch when they make their way to Crandon Park Tennis Center for the Sony Ericsson Open. Feel free to jeer the umpire, trash-talk players, and keep errant tennis balls by employing the finders keepers argument. You might get booted off Key Biscayne. Whatever. Johnny Mac would be proud. But for all of their elitist ways, most tennis fans ain’t too bright either. They’ll scramble for tickets to the women’s or men’s finals April 2 and 3, respectively, when hard-core fans know those tickets can’t hold a racket to passes for opening weekend. That’s when most players in the tournament will still be in the draw for the second and third rounds. Plus you get plenty of top-level tennis on many of the outer courts, where you are so close to the players you can give unsolicited advice on their return game — another expellable offense. There’s a reason tickets for the weekend matches and grounds passes are more expensive than the rest of the week. But they’re worth it — if only to bring a little Miami ghetto to the second whitest sport in the world (golf is still tops!).
March 21-April 3, 10 a.m., 2011