1. By joining the Los Angeles Tennis Group, you agree to becoming an official member of the LATG community. This includes understanding and following the terms and Community Guidelines of Meetup.com, and abiding by all applicable bylaws, including this Code of Conduct.
2. First and foremost, our group’s mission is to encourage players to have fun and improve their tennis games with positive people.
3. To that end, LATG expects members to behave appropriately within public and private events, public and private messages, and on the website. Respect people’s time, attention, personal choices, and personal boundaries. Violations of the following rules, 3 through 9, may result in suspension or dismissal from the group by the Organizer or Leadership Team (Co-Organizer & Event Hosts) at will.
3a. Unsportsmanlike conduct is strictly prohibited. Players must not cheat, start arguments or physical fights, criticize / bully / threaten others, hit balls at players, or throw sports equipment.
3b. As explained by the U.S. Tennis Association’s rules guide, Friend at Court: Good sportsmanship includes values that enrich the lives of all who participate, such as …
• Understanding and following the rules
• Being fair
• Acting with character
• Respecting others
• Winning with humility and losing with grace
• Maintaining composure
• Being accountable for one’s own actions
• Giving others the benefit of the doubt
3c. We expect our members to follow proper tennis court etiquette at all times. As a member, you represent the LATG community. That means showing mutual respect to fellow members and non-members of LATG (guests, crowds, tennis players on nearby courts, etc.)
4. We adhere to a 2 No Shows and you’re-out-of-the-group attendance policy. RSVPing and then skipping events inconveniences members and costs the LATG money in court fees and fines. Your fellow members count on you to honor your RSVPs. Remember: Doubles games rely on 4 players, so if you No Show, you’re probably torpedoing 1 – 3 other people’s games. And people remember that.
Members who No Show to 1 event will receive a warning. After 2 No Shows, you will be dismissed or suspended from the group. Similarly, dropping out of an event less than 4 hours before start time for afternoon or evening events and less than 12 hours before morning events merits a warning. After 2 late drops, you may be removed from the group by the Event Host or Organizer.
5. Discrimination of any type will NOT be tolerated. Members will not discriminate against other members regarding age, race, creed, color, sex, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, marital status, or socioeconomic status.
6. To maintain our group’s fun and positive atmosphere, the use of profanity, strong language, slurs and insults, hurtful comments – in any language — is prohibited during events and in comments on the Meetup website. Your actions reflect the whole community and not just yourself. What may not be offensive to you may be offensive to another member.
7. Harassment of any type, including, but not limited to, sexual harassment, will also NOT be tolerated. Harassment includes unwanted verbal or non-verbal communication that makes a player feel uncomfortable, intimidated or bullied. Harassment can take the form of events, gestures, texts, emails, social media posts, or other acts concerning a player’s age, appearance, race, creed, color, gender, sex, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, marital status, or socioeconomic status.
7a. What is considered SEXUAL harassment? In our group, we abide by the definition of sexual harassment used by Sara McGovern, press secretary for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN): “If someone is making unwanted sexual comments or advances, it’s never OK.” For example: Unwanted advances include, but are not limited to, asking players for dates or sexual favors in exchange for better matches or court assignments. (See #9 on Favoritism.) They might also include inviting a player to a tennis outing outside of Meetup and then pressing for a romantic or sexual relationship.
7b. Tennis events are for playing tennis; dates are for dating. Unless a player says he / she is interested in a romantic relationship, always assume he / she has joined the group to PLAY TENNIS. If you’d like to pursue a relationship with a member outside the Meetup group, always respect their boundaries and make your true intentions known BEFORE a one-on-one outing.
7c. What are unwanted comments? Unwanted comments can include complimenting a player on their physique, anatomy, “sexiness” or “hotness.” If you want to compliment a player, stick to addressing his / her athletic abilities, or use NON-sexualized phrases such as, “You look nice / professional / sporty / competitive / determined to win today.”
Unwanted comments might also include texts or emails complimenting the player’s appearance in a sexual or provocative way, sending unwanted personal photos, or proposing a sexual meeting / encounter. The standard for what is offensive / uncomfortable is almost always decided by the recipient of the comments or advances, not the sender, so tread respectfully.
7d. If you experience harassment, please report it to the Organizer or a member of the Leadership team (Assistant Organizer or Host). We take all allegations seriously and investigate them in a professional and discreet manner. Any member(s) who willfully file false accusations or retaliate(s) against another player(s) are also considered guilty of harassment.
8. Members who provoke, instigate, urge, or incite other members to some action or course (“drama”) which leads to a violation of the Code of Conduct will be treated as if they had committed the act themselves. (Don’t provoke others.)
8a. If in such a situation, do not fall victim to another player egging you on. Report the player to the host of the event. If there is no host at the event, please report the incident to one of the Leadership Team members on the website.
9. Favoritism is strongly discouraged. Members, including hosts, must not use personal relationship(s), or hopes of future relationships, to alter, affect, or influence match outcomes, team selection, or any other LATG-related activity. Favoritism creates an uncomfortable and resentful environment for all players. If you witness an incident of favoritism, report it to the Organizer or a member of the Leadership Team.
10. All members are accountable for themselves and their actions. Please respect the decisions of our Event Hosts, who are volunteering their time to provide members with times and places to play. Hosts within LATG are NOT responsible for members who break the rules. And LATG cannot be held responsible for the actions of members.
10a. Any member can apply to be an Event Host by contacting Head Organizer Jackie Smash or Assistant Organizer Luis Vasquez. By volunteering to host, you agree to abide by this code of conduct and the decisions of the Head Organizer(s). Violating members will be investigated on a case-by-case basis, and permanent removal may be warranted. 
11. LATG has an open-door policy for you to present problems or ideas to the Leadership team. Please feel free to contact any of the Event Hosts or Organizers if you have an issue that needs to be resolved. Hosts should treat complaints about other members discreetly and confidentially and are encouraged to alert the Organizer Jackie Smash for advice on how to respond. I, Jackie, consider all reports anonymous and confidential. Often, I can help because I may know if a problem member has broken rules at another host’s event. I never identify people who report incidents; your anonymity is assured. And I investigate all grievances fairly and impartially by interviewing people present at the incident before interviewing the subject of the complaint.
12. Grievances should be reported in a timely manner within 14 days. Waiting more than 14 days prevents the LATG Leadership Team from properly investigating or preventing a future incident. If ever presented with an emergency or life-threatening situation, in which a member is a danger to themselves or others, please do not hesitate to call 911 and alert a member of the Leadership Team.
13. Serious accidents occasionally occur during athletic activities, so if you see or experience any unusual and/or significant hazards, please bring it to the attention of the nearest host immediately, and remove yourself from participation, if necessary. By reading this, you assume all risk of injury or even death while participating in LATG events.
14. Thank you for reading this Code of Conduct. If you find yourself in a situation where you’re not sure what the tennis call or rule is, please refer to the U.S.T.A.’s rules and regulations guide: Friend at Court. The 2024 version can be found in PDF form here. Also try to use the exemplary conduct and courtesy exhibited by the top pro players in the world (as seen in the top photo) as your guide.
15. Above all, Let’s HAVE FUN!
Sincerely,
Your Leadership Team