Squash makes some racquet

"In terms of participation, the 'elite' status will probably work in the sport's favor," says Bruce Watkins, director of the Media Research Laboratory at the University of Michigan, who studies the relationship between sports and the mass media and used to play squash.

Other players just love the action.

"The game is 100 times more interesting than racquetball," says David Sterrett, a lawyer for the City of Boston and a tennis player who discovered squash a year and a half ago. He now plays three times a week at his club. "You get these wild, wild shots," he says. "There's so much strategy; it's a thinking person's game."

Mr. Sterrett also cites social aspects. "It's still a small enough community that if you go to a match, you see people you've been playing against," he says. "You feel like you belong."

The community is growing as fitness centers add courts or adapt ones built (about a foot narrower) for racquetball. Qualified teaching pros have begun to crop up at more clubs, too.

"It's exciting because we're now looking at our first generation of players who have played only softball," says Blasberg. "And [players are] becoming more and more competitive on the world stage."

In 2005, she points out, the junior US women's team finished fourth at the World Championships in Belgium. She would like to see the game become an Olympic sport by 2012.

On the high-profile professional men's side, you can still scroll 50-deep on the world-rankings chart today and not find a US pro. (American Christopher Gordon is ranked No. 72.) This fall night in Boston – a crowd of more than 700 call out Egyptian names as Shabana advances to face the winner of a match between players from Australia and France. History's benchmark matches remain ones between the likes of (Canadian) Jonathon Power and (Scotsman) Peter Nicol. Its greatest dynasty remains the decades-long reign of the Kahn family of Pakistan.

In the US, the big hurdle has less to do with players swinging titanium alloy than with the crowd clutching TV remotes.

"In terms of [entertainment] consumers, I don't think it has a chance," says Professor Watkins. One goal of cable was to cover many more sports, he points out. But even hockey has flagged in the land of football and NASCAR. "I think we're [set] with our power and performance sports."

Zug – who rode to this match, he says, in a van with young players "of seven nationalities" – concedes that in the US, at venues like this one, squash needs to generate its own buzz. "The action happens so fast and in such a small space," he says. "It's hard to make it look good on TV."

Want to see this fast, nuanced game played at its highest level before you try it yourself?

North America plays host to its share of sanctioned, professional events. For more detailed information on venues and ticketing, go to www.us-squash.org

Some upcoming matches (dates in parentheses):

January
Pace Canadian Classic, Toronto (6-7, 8-12)
Windy City Open, Chicago (15-23)
Dayton Open, Dayton, Ohio (24-19)

February
Oregon Open, Portland, Ore. (5-10)
Tournament of Champions, New York (23-Mar. 2)
Virginia Championships, Richmond, Va. (27-Mar. 3)

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