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MESSAGE #1314 HERE’S TO YOU, BOB RYLAND

Speaking with Bob Ryland at Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education in Philadelphia

As we close out Black History Month, my thoughts are with a good friend of mine, Bob Ryland, the first black professional tennis player.

If you’ve been following this blog, you know that Bob was Arthur Ashe’s hero. In fact, when Arthur Ashe was 14, he said, “I only want to be good enough to be able to beat Bob Ryland.”

Bob has taught tennis to the Williams sisters, Barbra Streisand, Bill Cosby and many others in his career. I recently had lunch in New York City with the living legend and every time is like the first time. What impresses me about Ryland is that even though he lived through segregation, he stays one of the most optimistic people I know.

You think it’s hard to play tournament tennis nowadays?

I remember when Bob told me about a time when he got accepted into a tournament in California because of his high ranking. But once he arrived, and the tournament director saw that he was black, Ryland was told to “Go get some lunch and come back.”

When he returned, the tournament director said that his opponent showed up and Ryland wasn’t here, so he was disqualified. Of course, this was intentional because of the color of his skin.

Ryland also frequently was pulled over by the police for no reason. There were blacks strung up on trees and also dragged down the street when he was a young boy. He lived through hell.

Bob Ryland could easily be bitter and angry at those situations, but he isn’t. According to him, “It is what it is.”

Much of life is not what happens to us, but how we react.

I am proud to say that Bob Ryland is a dear friend, hero and role model. Bob will be 91 years young this June 16th and you can be sure he will be around the Central Park Tennis Courts once the weather warms up.

Many people say, “Be like Mike.” Today, I say, “Be like Bob.”

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #542 PHILADELPHIA HERE I COME…

Today I will be giving a talk at Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education with Bob Ryland, the first black professional tennis player. It comes at a good time, just after the inauguration of our first black president and just before Black History Month.

We will be interviewed live on NBC Philadelphia at their studios and then by Comcast Sportsnet. There will also be several local newspapers reporting the event. Our talk begins at 7pm.

Now I know what you’re thinking…what does a Chinese-American tennis pro have to do with this?

I’ll tell you what. It’s not about the color of your skin. It’s about people helping people. It’s about giving people hope.

If I can fail out of college twice and become Pro of the Year and Mr. Ryland can overcome segregation and other challenges, imagine what YOU can do…

The message today will be…

YOU CAN DO IT!

Check back tomorrow for a full report.


Thanks for reading.