Special Supplement: 1998 Black Enterprise/Pepsi Golf & Tennis Challenge.

If you got game, financial backers will come; if you don't, expect to go it alone

By age 17, she had already taken the tennis world by storm. Finally, a potentially dominant African American player-in-the-making in a sport desperately in need of some color.

Her peers--and her critics--marveled at her game, her athleticism, not to mention her No. 1 ranking at the junior level. She was the reigning champion in the Junior U.S. Open and Junior Wimbledon. While most girls her age were more concerned about what to wear to high school graduation, Zina Garrison was thinking about leaving the ceremony early to catch a flight to France to play in the French Open, her first pro tournament. Houston's biggest secret was now the talk of the town. "There was confusion everywhere," says Garrison of her formative years. "It was both good and bad. Good because of the immediate recognition and the money, and bad because of the tremendous pressures that accompany that success."

On the business side, Garrison had secured a three-year contract with apparel and shoe line manufacturer Pony. Budget Rent-A-Car, Carnation and Wilson Racquet rounded out Team Garrison's stable of financial backers. In her sport, where there are no teammates to pick up the slack when you're having a bad day, financial support is as important as a top 10 ranking. By her 18th birthday, Garrison would enter the computer ranking at an amazing No. 29. Two weeks later, she would climb to 18th in the world. A month later, she had claimed a spot in the top 10.

Things were as good as they could get--at least, until that five-year stretch where it seemed corporate America forgot who Zina Garrison was. "I went five years after that without having a clothing contract," Garrison recalls. "And for a tennis player, that's especially tough. All the money I made on the court was what I had to use to survive. There was basically no money outside of my earnings. There was no bonus. It was tough, especially knowing that players ranked lower than you were doing a lot better financially."

Unlike in professional basketball and football, where African Americans participate in larger numbers--80% and 67% respectively--blacks in golf and tennis have been forced to fight their own corporate battles. However, there doesn't seem to be a concerted effort by corporate America to snub blacks in golf and tennis--Tiger Woods and Venus Williams are a testament to that. But for every Tiger and Venus--players who are a sure bet to do well--there are countless individual anecdotes of other players who have a difficult time getting--and staying--on the circuit. And financial difficulty is the main culprit.

"I've watched Venus and [sister] Serena and they're making the money they deserve to make," says Garrison, now 35. "There's no doubt I helped open some doors for them but the way I see things, I think naturally blacks develop a following among a lot of different types of races because of the fact that you're different," says Garrison, who tearfully retired last year after 15 years as one of the best players throughout the '80 and early '90s. "Tennis sponsors especially are just not sure about us, which may make them somewhat reluctant to open their pockets."

As for the Williams girls--Venus in particular--getting financial backing hasn't been tough to come by. As it shouldn't. Her own tennis genesis mirrors Garrison's. In 1995, Team Williams, led by father Richard, secured a lucrative deal, reported to be $12 million over five years, with Reebok International, Inc. for then 14 - year - old Venus. The Reebok deal made getting additional backing virtually unnecessary. Keven Davis, the family's attorney and agent, says where ethnicity may have worked against a player like Venus years ago, that's not necessarily the case today.

"There's still work to be done," admits Davis, who has been with the Williams since 1990. "Venus came along at the right time. Companies see her as somebody with the total package. There have been other good African Americans before Zina and there are other African Americans that are good today. But being good is only part of it," says Davis who notes that Venus' main court rival, Martina Hingis, doesn't enjoy the same endorsement success. "You have to do more than just win. You have to have qualities that people find more attractive. I don't want to say attitude but you need to bring something else to the table: education is important, family, religion, moral values, all of those things."

Finding Mixed Reviews

Craig Bowen, the associate manager for Titleist and Foot-Joy Worldwide, says when it comes to golf, the bottom line is simple: Minority players--who don't carry star power like Tiger Woods--need to be given a chance--period. "There are five to eight professional black golfers--that if given the right situation of sponsorship--could possibly make a dent on the PGA Tour or a major U.S. TOUR" he says emphatically. "People ask the question, 'Why aren't there more black golfers on the tour?' Well, here's why: The money is just not there and the folks who have the money aren't very receptive." Tiger remains the standard for the golf industry--black or white--with a reported $80 million in endorsements from Nike, American Express, Titleist, All Star Cafe and Rolex. However, whether in the world of golf or tennis, stories like the Blakes are all too common.

Tom Blake Sr.'s sons--recent Harvard grad Tom Jr. and freshman James--are two of the best college tennis players in the country. The eldest, Tom Jr., who graduated last June, co-captained the Crimson Tide and was ranked No. 19 in singles competition in the nation with a 27-11 record. Freshman James is so good, he's expected to turn pro this year. Still, Tom Sr., who lives in Connecticut, says he has had to do everything out of his pocket. "I have been supporting my sons for many years without the help of the USTA or anybody else," says Blake. "And I know there have been a number of Caucasian youngsters that haven't been doing as much as my sons and they've been able to do a lot more because they've been given the opportunity," he continues. "Whereas for my kids to get sponsorship, it's been a major, major hassle. My kids could have been a lot further on had we been able to get some help."

Interestingly enough, however, Toure S. Claiborne of Advantage International, the McLean, Virginia-based sports marketing company which now represents Garrison, says regardless of skill level, the dollars will come with exposure. "If you can get exposure and recognition to your household, your hometown, your chances of getting help increases," says Claiborne, who is also Detroit Pistons free agent guard Jerry Stackhouse's agent and business manager. "Golf is a perfect example. The kids, who are traditionally not African American, have come from backgrounds that can support and sustain a two-, three, even four-year commitment financially, to give the kids a chance to make it."

Claiborne adds that while some businesses may take it upon themselves to finance a player for a short time, expectations are often high and winning is always the determining factor as far as longevity of support goes. And that, Claiborne says, is a risky undertaking. "I know of situations where businessmen are independently interested in helping an athlete, but oftentimes, these people are going to want significant returns," he says. "I would stay away from the independent financier--unless it's your parents or something [other than] blind deals like that. It's something that would cause the athlete to feel indebted to the opportunity. It's more of a business understanding instead of an obligation."

Regardless of the parameters, endorsements and corporate backing have never been easy for African Americans, especially in sports where they are the exception rather than the rule. Claiborne notes that tennis legend Arthur Ashe didn't get comparable financial support as his white peers until he was ranked in the top 10. "I know for athletes like Charlie Sifford [the first black player on the PGA TOUR], endorsement opportunities were null and void early on in his career," Claiborne says. "It's just been in the past several years--and in golf in particular--that African Americans have been able to capitalize on such opportunities."

Choosing Alternative Routes

While things have certainly gotten better, there's definitely room for improvement. There is no set formula, but of course, it doesn't hurt to have game like Tiger or Venus. For big corporations, the color of money will always be green. A run-of-the-mill athlete will continue to have to look for ways to make himself known, but according to Bowen from Titleist, there are always alternative routes. "It's up to some of the folks reading these articles to take an interest in an individual," says Bowen, who has been at Titleist for seven years. "It's almost like a race horse. You want to give it a chance to run. If it wins, good; if it doesn't, fine. To some people or organizations, $20,000 to $30,000 is not a lot of money," says Bowen.

According to Bowen, one source of income has been other professional athletes. Michael Jordan has made golf an off-season leisure activity for years. And some of his peers have seen golf not just as a respite from their respective sports, but also a potential business opportunity. Bowen says athletes like former Cleveland Cavaliers center Brad Daugherty, Houston Rockets forward Charles Barkley, and Green Bay Packers line-backer Seth Joyner either sponsor or have sponsored players. "You figure if you get five or six of these guys making $5 million a year to put up $100,000 each so that we can sponsor five of the best African Americans, that's just one of the ways to change the tide," says Bowen.

Prior to her five-year drought, Zina Garrison had done quite well on the circuit supporting herself. Along the way, she'd beaten longtime rival Chris Evert for the first time in 1985, Martina Navratilova (after 21 straight losses) in 1988 and won gold in doubles play at the Seoul Olympics. By 1990, the same year she signed with Advantage International, Garrison had reached the apex of her career. It wasn't until then that she was able to see gainful returns. "I just kept pushing on until I got to the finals of Wimbledon in 1990 and I landed a deal with Reebok and Yonex and that went on for a while until I retired," said Garrison, who also had other deals with IBM, Bike Athletic and Mazda. Through her Houston-based Zina Garrison All-Court Tennis Academy, she hopes to make it easier on other kids who dream of court glory, perhaps with less hassle. But while the battle to change the tide continues, Garrison remains realistic. "Let's face it: It's always gonna be a little tougher for us, that's just part of it. It's definitely not a situation where we're in dire straits but we have to just keep going."