Hell's Pavement

I'm not sure that I would automatically discount that sexual abuse played a contributing role in the Menendez brothers' murder of their parents. That you or your friends observed nothing "suspicious" means nothing; child sexual abusers seldom have any distinguishing characteristics that would identify them as molesters to the general public. The Menendez brothers always struck me as sociopathic and deliberate killers, but that doesn't necessarily mean they weren't abused as well. In fact, most sociopathic killers did experience significant abuse as children, and not just the usual pressure from "tennis parents."

In no way do I mean to deny the possible role of sexual abuse in the Menendez case, and I completely agree with your comments. I am more interested in the subjective judgments we (my fellow teens and I) formed about the case twenty years ago.

At the time of the trial, I must admit, I thought the brothers alleged sexual abuse as a gambit to avoid a murder conviction. But I've since come to find their charges more plausible.

David,
I grew up on the national junior tennis circuit a few years before you. I met Andre Agassi in the late 80's at Bolleterri's. I asked Andre why he didn't practice harder, because I was part of the coaching team working with him, and he said he didn't care about tennis. I think his negative experiences in the early years turned him off to the game. As you so eloquently explained, this happens to so many kids who start out competing in tennis and end up competing for the love of their parents. We started a program called the Junior Tennis Show.com a few months ago to help educate well meaning tennis parents on how to perform effectively in this very important role. Thanks for writing this article and shedding light on this very serious issue that has hurt so many kids over the years.