Fiend at Court Unplugged
The tennis world very recently marked the 50 year anniversary of the “Original Nine” that signed $1 contracts that formed the basis of the women’s professional tennis tour. That seismic event does not occur without the visionary leadership and organizational savvy of Gladys Heldman. In the words of Billie Jean King, “Without Gladys Heldman, there wouldn’t be women’s professional tennis.”
As a part of a planned year long celebration of the Original Nine, the WTA Insider Podcast recently ran a rare interview with Gladys Heldman that provided fascinating insight into her perspective on the events of 1970. That recording was from an interview of Heldman on the day of her induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. It provides tremendous detail about the organizational dynamics that precipitated and shaped that moment in history.
$1 Contracts
The tennis universe is largely aware that nine women signed $1 contracts. Those contracts are generally regarded as “symbolic.” At some level, a contract for that amount is exactly that. In this case, however, that contract was a mechanism intended to shield those involved from repercussions from the United States Lawn Tennis Association. (USLTA)
The Original Nine were assembled to play a professional tennis tournament that Gladys Heldman had organized. That tournament was created as a protest over prize money distribution at a tournament that Jack Kramer was promoting during the same timeframe. Jack Kramer’s tournament was sanctioned as a professional tournament by the USLTA. Heldman’s tournament was denied a professional sanction.
For the players, playing in a professional event that was not sanctioned by the USLTA risked suspension or expulsion from the organization. In fact, all the players had received official communication that they would be suspended from the USLTA in the week leading up to the planned event if they played.
Expulsion from the USLTA meant that the players would have only a limited number of “Open” tournaments to compete in each year. In effect, suspension meant getting kicked out of professional tennis. It was a risky move for all involved.
The $1 contract was a master stroke conceived by Gladys Heldman as a legal maneuver. Those contracts, in effect, made the women “Contract Professionals” which was a mechanism already in wide use on the male side of professional tennis. Play in the tournament started less than an hour after those contracts were signed and the mechanism worked as intended.
This may seem like an odd thing to claim considering that the USLTA made good on the threat to suspend all the players. The thing is, those contracts were really not intended to shield the players at all.
The Houston Racquet Club
While the USLTA made good on their threat to suspend all the players, the Houston Racquet club, all the club members, and officials involved with conducting the tournament escaped punitive action from the USLTA. The USLTA was casting a wide net with threats designed to prevent the tournament from being conducted.
I am simultaneously amused and embarrassed that I only recently realized that the site of the iconic photograph of the “Original Nine” was taken at the Houston Racquet Club. Despite the title of the tournament as the “Houston Invitational” it somehow escaped my conscious awareness that the tournament was in Houston. I am slow that way sometimes.
To make matters worse, I play the Cat 1 Senior National Clay Court Championships which is hosted at the Houston Racquet Club every year. This means that I step onto those hallowed grounds on a regular basis. There should be a historical marker. It also occurs to me that there probably already is one and I just blow right by it every year.
About that Iconic Photo
One of the hallmarks of this site is identifying opportunities to win bar bets. This is perhaps the best opportunity highlighted to date in that regard. The question is “How many of the Original Nine appear in the iconic photo if the Original Nine holding their dollars?”
The correct answer is actually 8. While nine women are depicted, Gladys Heldman herself is in the photo. She is seated at the right end of the couch and is holding a piece of paper rather than a dollar bill.
This begs the obvious question as to who is missing and why. The Houston Invitational was a draw of only 8 players. The ninth player who signed the contract was Julie Heldman, the daughter of Gladys. She was not playing in the event because she was injured. In fact, she was not at the site when the original contracts were signed and was a subsequent addition.
Another fun fact about the photo is that an official photographer had been retained for the tournament. However, that is not who took the shot that became the iconic photo. With the exception of Nancy Richey, all the women were looking at the official photographer when the side shot of the scene was captured by an AP photographer.
Bottom Line
The organizational dynamics that lead to the Original Nine event are not just a snapshot in time. It is the historical foundation that spawned the modern professional tennis tours. There is a lot that can be learned about these events that illuminate some of the present debates and inequities over prize money and promotion of tennis.
This thread will continue tomorrow. It starts with Jack Kramer and whether or not he the misogynistic ass as depicted in the “Battle of the Sexes” movie. More specifically, I want to explore the real issues underpinning inequitable prize money.
- WTA Insider Podcast, Original 9: Gladys Heldman, released 9/9/2020.
- “Column: The ‘Original Nine’ of women’s tennis made history — and a dollar each — 50 years ago,” Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times, September 22, 2020.
- “Confusion in the Backcourt: In the Continuing Battle Between the USLTA and the Contract Pros The Score Stands at Deuce and No One Seems to Know Who is Serving,” Walter Bingham, Sports Illustrated, April 6, 1970.
- Battle of the Sexes, Fox Movies, 2017.
