Child's Play

The agents see things differently. "More times than not, we encourage athletes to stay in school," says Ivan Blumberg, who heads ProServ's tennis division and represents Sampras. "Even if you assume that the only thing an agent has in mind is making money, in the long run, that agent makes less as a result of a player's premature decision to turn pro. An athlete who waits until she is 15 or 16 and plays until she's 27, as opposed to one who turns pro at a younger age and is not able to play by the time she's 15, should have a more prosperous career, both financially and emotionally."

Adds Arthur Ashe, "An agent might be the best buffer and most-valued second opinion for a family. Some might cynically say that all agents are avaricious and that they only want to milk these kids dry and discard them. But I know of a lot who aren't like that."

If it all sounds more like business than sport, it is. "The bottom line is, agents know that if they don't make contact with Venus Williams, someone else will," says Ashe. "They all feel they have to ring her doorbell."

Until this year, Richard had no trouble keeping track of the visitors, or of the discussions he'd had about Venus. He started a notebook-sized journal when she was seven, at the suggestion of a friend who believed that the story of a tennis star from the mean streets of Compton would make interesting reading. Richard continues to record the events of his daughter's life, but the task of sifting through the mounting pile of offers and interview requests has overwhelmed him. He has since turned that task over to Keven Davis, a Seattle lawyer and a close friend of a doctor who has treated Venus. Davis, who represents entertainers and pro athletes, is being assisted by Sally Sullivan, an attorney in the same firm who was a nationally ranked junior player 20 years before Venus was born.

Davis and Sullivan aren't charging for their services. Says Richard, "There are some things we aren't financially able to do, even though we need the services. Keven and Sally are explaining the legal aspects of the offers we've gotten, so that we won't throw the girls' lives away. They are concerned with our family, not with our money."

Richard says that he and his wife, Oracene, have been offered houses, cars and millions of dollars by people who want Venus's name on endorsement contracts. For instance, they declined when a real estate developer in the Southwest offered to move the entire family to a newly built home at his golf and tennis resort, in exchange for being able to advertise that "Venus Williams, budding tennis star," resides at the complex. They have refused free trips to Wimbledon for Venus. Richard now refers all promising offers to Davis and Sullivan. Davis says that IMG, ProServ, Advantage and agents from other firms have shown "substantial interest" in Venus, but he admits that he has not received any formal offers from any of them.

Under Women's Tennis Association rules, Venus can't turn professional until the year of her 14th birthday, or on Jan. 1, 1994. "A lot of people think that she'll be ready then and that she'll do well," says Richard. "But it's too soon to speculate, because in my mind, she hasn't done anything yet."

What might Venus's signature be worth if she is ready? If Capriati, Inc., is any indication, the answer is plenty. As a rookie pro last year, she earned in excess of $2 million in endorsements alone.

Autographs, interviews, limo rides, plane trips, celebrity events, photo ops with the Reagans—it would seem impossible for Venus to have a normal life amid all the hoopla. "I hope they're less concerned with creating a champion than with creating a champion person," says Garrison. "With all the expectations, you can sometimes forget that you're still a good person, even though you might lose."

Richard and Oracene are determined that Venus have a balanced life. Later this month she will play the Southern California 12-and-under championships. After that, she'll play a few exhibitions but, according to Richard, won't compete again until the Orange Bowl tournament in December. This summer, besides traveling to Flushing Meadow, Venus will take classes in gymnastics and math, visit relatives in Michigan and Louisiana, and read and read. "It's time to back off a little from tennis," says Richard. "I'd like for the racket to stay out of her hand for a while. Venus is still young. We want her to be a little girl while she is a little girl."