John Schwarz

World Team Tennis and the Legacy of a Sports League John Schwarz

Although World Team Tennis (WTT) in its original form lasted only five years (1974-1978), it left an indelible legacy in the world of sports. It gave its owners, executives, broadcast media personalities, managers, representatives and sports writers a foothold in the world of sports that still extends today. WTT graduates Robert Kraft and Jerry Buss became the gold standard of professional sports owners while others worked their way up to the top echelons in the business of sports. The league also played an important role in the fight for recognition and equal pay for women in the professional tennis world. It helped lead to today where professional tennis has become the most egalitarian of all professional sports in compensation for both men and women competitors at the sport's major events. Both the events and people involved in WTT are traced in this book. While the early version of WTT folded in 1978, its story needs to be told. With Billie Jean King as one of its original founders, players such as Chrissie, Martina, Vitas, Ilie, Bjorn and Jimmy all competed and together put their stamp on the concept of men and women competing as teammates. The fact that Team Tennis rose from the ashes three years later and still exists today, almost fifty years since, is a testament to the strength and importance of the underlying idea of a professional tennis league. John H. Schwarz served as Executive Director for both the World Team Tennis League and the Boston Lobsters in the heyday of WTT. Now retired after a long career that included CFO of a publicly traded international construction and real estate company, he consults to various businesses. He resides in Austin, Texas, where he writes and still follows sports.