Tombstone
Born: 1992 – WTT expansion franchise
Folded: January 6, 19931Johnston, Joey. “Action drop out of World Team Tennis”. The Tribune (Tampa, FL). January 7, 1993
First Match: July 8, 1992 (L 24 -23 @ Atlanta Thunder)
Last Match: August 6, 1992 (L 30-22 @ Atlanta Thunder)
World Team Tennis Championships: None
Arena
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owner: Bob Gries
WTT Wear
World Team Tennis
Logo T-Shirt
World Team Tennis has been around in one form or another for nearly fifty years now, but this chill logo tee from our partners at Old School Shirts pays tribute to the original league and its mid-70’s glory days when Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Bjorn Borg and Ilie Nastase suited up for their WTT clubs in between Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows.
Also available in women’s scoop neck and women’s racerback tank styles!
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Background
The Tampa Bay Action were a failed entry in Billie Jean King’s World Team Tennis promotion that lasted just a single season of play during the summer of 1992. In fact, the entirety of the Action’s existence was seven home matches held at the 3,000-seat Tampa Bay Convention Center over the course of two-and-a-half weeks in July 1992.
On The Court
The Action’s co-ed roster consisted of:
- Jill Hetherington
- Mikael Pernfors
- Kathy Rinaldi
- Tobias Svantesson
- Marianne Werdel
The best known player was Pernfors, who made it to the men’s singles final of the French Open in 1986. But the biggest stars of Tampa Bay’s brief affair with Team Tennis were on the visiting rosters. Martina Navratilova came to town with the Atlanta Thunder on July 12th, 1992 and Jimmy Connors followed the next week as part of the Los Angeles Strings team (July 24th).
The Action were solid on the court, advancing the playoff semi-final in August 1992 before falling to Navratilova’s defending champion Atlanta squad.
Reception & Demise
The Action were owned by sports promoter Bob Gries. Gries, whose family owned a stake in the NFL’s Cleveland Browns at the time, was also the owner of the terrifically popular Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League. The Storm averaged over 20,000 fans per game at the Florida Suncoast Dome during the summer of 1992.
But Gries’ marketing magic for indoor football didn’t carry over to tennis. The Action’s home opener on July 11, 1992 drew just 1,260 fans to the Convention Center. Appearances by Navratilova (2,040 fans) and Connors (4,100) juiced the gate somewhat, but overall the Action averaged only 935 spectators for their remaining home matches.2Johnston, Joey. “Action drop out of World Team Tennis”. The Tribune (Tampa, FL). January 7, 1993
The Action dropped out of World TeamTennis in January 1993.
Voices
“It’s just not designed to be profitable. The concept is tougher than I expected. If you don’t have stars, it doesn’t fly.”
– Bob Gries, Owner 1992 (to Joey Johnston of The Tampa Tribune, January 1993)3Johnston, Joey. “Action drop out of World Team Tennis”. The Tribune (Tampa, FL). January 7, 1993
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