> The rangers said he needed a permit to teach tennis. They relented after the kids pointed out that Dogen is their dad, not a coach.
> He could have been fined $192, one of the rangers told him. ...
> A spokesperson for the Recreation and Park Department said rangers are on the lookout for commercial operations in public spaces.
“This was a routine interaction,” Tamara Aparton said by email. “Because paid instruction is not allowed on public courts without a permit, rangers will sometimes ask questions to determine whether someone is providing commercial instruction or simply using the courts for personal recreation or coaching their kids.”
In other words, bilsbie, no, there was no $192 find for teaching tennis to his own children.
City parks departments don't want random instructors to book courts to teach, they want them to go through their own instructor staff, and want the courts to otherwise be used for people playing the game. I don't think it's an uncommon practice, I think the NYC Parks department works the same way.
Because if there wasn't a fine/permit, you would have all the public tennis courts camped at at all hours of the day by teachers giving paid lessons to students.
Paid instruction is not allowed on public courts without a permit.
And you think it's a form of dystopia that the authorities check that the rules are being followed?
How are the authorities supposed to know?
Do you also think that when the fish&game officer checks that a weekend sport fisherman has a valid fishing permit then that's some sort of oppressive police state?
Look at San Diego and Los Angeles, where many of the public beaches have been absolutely mobbed by “yoga instructors” leading commercial “classes” which become larger and larger and encroach on the space and enjoyment of the taxpayers and general public.
Basically the same tragedy is going on in Tempe, AZ. The City does not permit “soup kitchen” facilities, that is, you cannot open a building or cafeteria to feed the hungry, for free. Requires licensing which is not granted. So, churches that want to do this outreach anyway have long done “guerilla feeds” in public parks. It was tolerated for decades, but recently became controversial over permits and whether permits or reservations could even be used for that purpose, or if the City could prevent charitable dudes, church or no church, from making food and inviting strangers to a public park.
Article from when this happened in August.
https://sfstandard.com/2026/08/01/san-francisco-tennis-court...
> The rangers said he needed a permit to teach tennis. They relented after the kids pointed out that Dogen is their dad, not a coach.
> He could have been fined $192, one of the rangers told him. ...
> A spokesperson for the Recreation and Park Department said rangers are on the lookout for commercial operations in public spaces.
“This was a routine interaction,” Tamara Aparton said by email. “Because paid instruction is not allowed on public courts without a permit, rangers will sometimes ask questions to determine whether someone is providing commercial instruction or simply using the courts for personal recreation or coaching their kids.”
In other words, bilsbie, no, there was no $192 find for teaching tennis to his own children.
But why is there even a fine/permit in the first place. Surely there are real issues to deal with.
City parks departments don't want random instructors to book courts to teach, they want them to go through their own instructor staff, and want the courts to otherwise be used for people playing the game. I don't think it's an uncommon practice, I think the NYC Parks department works the same way.
Because if there wasn't a fine/permit, you would have all the public tennis courts camped at at all hours of the day by teachers giving paid lessons to students.
Tragedy of the commons.
Seems dystopian to be hassled by authorities while teaching your kids tennis.
"Dystopian"? Really?
Paid instruction is not allowed on public courts without a permit.
And you think it's a form of dystopia that the authorities check that the rules are being followed?
How are the authorities supposed to know?
Do you also think that when the fish&game officer checks that a weekend sport fisherman has a valid fishing permit then that's some sort of oppressive police state?
Look at San Diego and Los Angeles, where many of the public beaches have been absolutely mobbed by “yoga instructors” leading commercial “classes” which become larger and larger and encroach on the space and enjoyment of the taxpayers and general public.
Basically the same tragedy is going on in Tempe, AZ. The City does not permit “soup kitchen” facilities, that is, you cannot open a building or cafeteria to feed the hungry, for free. Requires licensing which is not granted. So, churches that want to do this outreach anyway have long done “guerilla feeds” in public parks. It was tolerated for decades, but recently became controversial over permits and whether permits or reservations could even be used for that purpose, or if the City could prevent charitable dudes, church or no church, from making food and inviting strangers to a public park.