From '92-94, the official poster for the Lipton
Championships in Key Biscayne, FL "was a cross between Gone With
the Wind and Miami Rhapsody, tasteful paintings of the 2-year-old
Lipton Stadium and photos of palm trees and beaches. And then
there's the 1995 Lipton poster -- an orange fireball vaguely
similar to the Miami Heat logo, centered on a stark black
backdrop." According to first year Lipton Championships CEO
Laurence Kashdin: "This is about seeing tennis in a different
way." Eric Conrad of the Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL writes,
"There is a transformation under way at the 1995 Lipton event,
but the Lipton is just one snapshot in an industrywide response
to depressing tennis participation and equipment-sales numbers
served up since 1990." How tennis can become "cool" may be the
"biggest test" the sport has faced. "The most striking clash of
images at this year's Lipton Championships may be the strong
presence" of MTV-Latino Network. But Lipton's '95 changes go
beyond MTV. Roughly five acres at the tennis complex is covered
with fan-interactive exhibits, from a large Nike play area to a
Bacardi sand bar to games where fans can smash overhead lobs
alongside Pete Sampras and other players. Kashdin: "Tennis,
outside the Grand Slams, is not that profitable. If we have to
surround tennis with entertainment to validate it, that's how
we'll validate it" (Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 3/20).
