On September 20, 1973, at the Astrodome Arena in Houston, Texas, and before 30,472 people, an unprecedented event occurred. A game of tennis, to say the least, weird. A party, however, that broke barriers, stereotypes and prejudices …
On one side, Billie Jean-King, one of the best tennis players of all time. On the other, the former tennis number one Bobby Riggs. It was called Battle of the sexes. Everything had a reason. And it all had a meaning when she, Billie Jean-King, beat her. “It wasn’t about tennis. It was about bringing about social change.”
One of the biggest
Born in Long Beach, California, on November 22, 1943, Billie Jean Moffitt King was a star, an icon, during the 60s and 70s. Not surprisingly, she would accumulate a total of 12 Grand Slam (6 Wimbledon, 4 US Open, 1 Roland Garros and 1 Australian Open), being one of the only six tennis players who have conquered the four most important trophies.
In 1983, after almost 20 years of career, it was time to say goodbye. And he made it consecrated as one of the greatest of all time. In total, 39 Grand Slam titles in his record: 12 singles, 16 in women’s doubles and 11 in mixed doubles.
But parallel to her prolific career, Billie Jean-King always stood out for being a firm defender –and fighter– for women’s rights and social change.
Sonada was his dispute in 1973 with the US Open, which he even threatened to boycott along with the rest of the female tennis players, because they did not receive an award equal to that of the male team. Their arguments convinced the organization, which ended up turning the US Open into a the first tournament that ended the pay gap between genders, offering equal pay to male and female tennis players.
The battle of the sexes
Although undoubtedly his most remembered chapter was the one that he starred in that September 20, 1973.
Bobby Riggs, one of the best tennis players of the 1940s – a three-time world champion – and retired a few years ago, had repeatedly stated that women’s tennis was not necessary. Surplus. He came to pronounce “women suck“. Billie Jean-King answered him, and they both challenged each other.
The duel was to take place on September 20, 1973, in Houston, Texas. Riggs and King would face off in what would be dubbed The battle of the sexes. A party that has already become everything a media show from weeks before. He, a proud macho; and she, a fierce feminist, surrounded the clash of statements and threats before starting.
And before 30,472 people in the stadium, and 90 million viewers behind the television, it happened that she won. Billie Jean-King. The woman. And on the fast track: in three sets, 6-4, 6-3 and 6-3. “It wasn’t about tennis. It was about achieving social change. That was clear to me when I entered the track, “he would declare after the victory.
An inexorable victory. “I thought if I lost we could go back 50 years, it would have ruined everything we have done and affected the self-esteem of all women.”
The fight goes on
After her retirement in 1983 as one of the most successful tennis players of all time – she is currently the seventh woman with the most Grand Slam titles – Billie Jean-King continued committed to improving the conditions of women and the fight for equality .
In addition to being captain of the American team and working for years as a sportscaster, he led the creation of the Women’s Tennis Association, the main organization that governs the tournaments and the professional circuit of women’s tennis worldwide, as well as the World Team Tennis League, a co-ed professional tennis league played in a team format in the United States. She thus became the first commissioner for women in professional sports.
She is currently a board of directors of the Women’s Sport Foundation and the Andy Roddick Foundation, was the creator of Women’s Sport Magazine, and has written several books.
Her story was made into a film, in a film starring Oscar-winner Emma Stone and Steve Carell, and which saw the light of day in 2017. The story of one of the first and most important female sports figures in the United States, as he would recognize. then president Barack Obama, by stating that her figure was key to gender equality not only in the world of sports, but in all areas of public life.
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