Williams' father to study business
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Your support makes all the difference.Richard Williams, the sharecropper's son from Shreveport, Louisiana, who took his daughters, Venus and Serena, from the perilous park tennis courts in Compton, Los Angeles, to fame and fortune at Wimbledon, is due to go back to school today.
The patriarch has enrolled "as a student representing the Williams family" for a three-day course at the Business Institute for Continuing Education in Professional Sport and Entertainment (BICEPS) at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Donald Trump, Revlon's Ronald Perelman and the Estée Lauder Perfume family number among the Wharton School's former students, as does Leland Hardy, Richard Williams' legal adviser, who created the BICEPS programme "for the sole purpose of having the top professors in the world educate professional athletes about the growth and preservation of their new-found wealth."
Serena Williams, 20, who succeeded Venus, 22, as the Wimbledon women's singles champion and world No 1, has won £5.5m in prize-money and is negotiating a new tennis clothing contract to match her sister's £40m deal. Venus, whose prize-money amounts to £7m, has won four Grand Slam singles titles, Serena three. The siblings share a house in Florida.
Their father boasts several business interests, including a tourist bus company. Three years ago he talked about developing three businesses per year, each generating from $10m [£6.5m] to $15m [£10m] annually. He also said he planned to buy the Rockefeller Center for $3.9bn [£2.5bn].
Wharton School's three-day BICEPS programme is augmented by year-round internet-based support. The programme tackles subjects such as: how to read and understand business plans and financial statements; understanding taxes; understanding the Stock Market; real estate fundamentals; and the value of public relations.
"Any athlete or entertainer who wants to learn from the best how to become and stay wealthy, needs to attend this programme," said Richard Williams without fear of contradiction by his legal adviser.
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