Sport is a reflection of society. Phrase that we have heard on more than one and two occasions, no matter how many times we have tried to separate it. It has been 50 years since Billie Jean King broke one of the most present myths in sports: that men are ALWAYS better.
Bobby Riggs, a tennis player who had retired 20 years ago, decided that it was a good idea to meet in a battle with Billie Jean King, a 29-year-old player who was in a great moment in her career. Jerry Perenchio was the promoter of the already well-known “Battle of the Sexes”, the same one who had organized “The Fight of the Century” between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier two years earlier, someone with experience in making a bigger spectacle of a sporting event.
A STORY THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN BUILDING
To understand the importance of the duel between tennis players, it is essential to know that Billie Jean King was already making history. In 1971, the American was the first female athlete to win $100,000 in one year, repeating the same feat the following year. In 1971, Billie, along with her fellow tennis players, did everything possible to have the WTA created, months before the US Open announced equal prizes for both men and women.
With celebrities of all kinds in the stands, including Salvador Dalí, and with all kinds of ceremonies before and during the exit of the protagonists, King and Riggs were preparing to go out in front of more than 30,000 spectators to fight for the $100,000 prize, although There was much more at stake, not just money. Logically, Billie ended up winning, something that the American is reminded of on a daily basis: “It’s not about tennis, it’s about social change,” King explains to the official WTA website.
MUCH MORE THAN A SIMPLE EXHIBITION MATCH
“I honestly didn’t think that beating Bobby was a great sporting achievement, but we wanted to change the way of thinking and I knew the global reach it could have. It had a significant psychological and emotional effect,” explains Billie. Riggs himself in 1973 exclaimed that men were superior, that women did not deserve equal pay.
Prior to that meeting between Billie and Riggs, the former tennis player first faced Margaret Court who was number one in the world. The Australian got confident and Bobby won easily in two sets, which caused Billie to go for revenge and do what Margaret couldn’t, beat her. With a score of 6-4, 6-3 and 6-3, the social conversation began to change tone. Since then, she hasn’t stopped doing it, although King thinks she gets too much credit.
2023-09-21 21:30:06
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