Page 194 - Introduction to Electronic Commerce and Social Commerce

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Making Connections: Wimbledon,

Media and Society

On arriving at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon in No-
vember 2007, we were escorted from the gate to the shop by one of the many mem-
bers of the security staff, where we embarked on a tour of the club and a visit to the
Museum. We were asked to wear green stickers imprinted with ‘Wimbledon 2007
Lawn Tennis Museum’ to indicate that we were legitimate visitors to the grounds.
Our stickers were inspected by our Blue Badge Tourist Guide, a fl amboyant, middle-
aged woman with a southern English accent, green coat and bright red handbag. We
were led through the outside courts and instructed not to touch the ‘special grass’.
We went to Henman Hill, where assembled crowds cheered on the British player
on the huge outdoor television screen erected during the Championships. Our guide
chatted about the rules of Wimbledon—the restrictions on advertising, the size of
logos and the need for players to wear predominantly white. We were told that in
total, there were just 500 members of the Club, of whom only 375 were full-time,
and that the easiest way to join was to win Wimbledon. According to our guide, the
members describe themselves as cutting-edge traditionalists. We were taken down to
the instantly recognisable space of the press interview rooms and up to the British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) television studio. We were invited to take photo-
graphs of ourselves sitting where commentators host shows and players hold inter-
views during the televising of Wimbledon.
The path leading into the Museum was indicated by a series of glass ‘step-
ping stones’ embedded into the floor. Set into the ground were scenes featuring

iconic objects associated with Wimbledon, branded in its green and purple colour

scheme: an official Wimbledon umbrella labelled ‘play suspended’, Wimbledon
strawberries on green grass and a tennis ball on a patch of green and white court.
The Museum itself was organised as a chronological journey through the history
of Wimbledon tennis from 1555. According to the brochure, visitors to the Mu-
seum are invited to explore the game’s evolution from a garden party pastime to a
multi-million-dollar professional sport played worldwide. Fine objects and antique
artefacts were displayed in glass cabinets and neatly arranged, numbered and la-
belled. Opportunities for interactive engagement with the exhibits were provided
alongside. For example, it was possible to see versions of early racket sports being
played. Connections between lifestyle and tennis were captured in displays such

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