1973 : King triumphs in Battle of Sexes
On this day in 1973, in a highly publicized "Battle of the Sexes"
tennis match, top women's player Billie Jean King, 29, beats Bobby
Riggs, 55, a former No. 1 ranked men's player. Riggs (1918-1995), a
self-proclaimed male chauvinist, had boasted that women were inferior,
that they couldn't handle the pressure of the game and that even at
his age he could beat any female player. The match was a huge media
event, witnessed in person by over 30,000 spectators at the Houston
Astrodome and by another 50 million TV viewers worldwide. King made a
Cleopatra-style entrance on a gold litter carried by men dressed as
ancient slaves, while Riggs arrived in a rickshaw pulled by female
models. Legendary sportscaster Howard Cosell called the match, in
which King beat Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. King's achievement not only
helped legitimize women's professional tennis and female athletes, but
it was seen as a victory for women's rights in general.
King was born Billie Jean Moffitt on November 22, 1943, in Long Beach,
California. Growing up, she was a star softball player before her
parents encouraged her to try tennis, which was considered more
ladylike. She excelled at the sport and in 1961, at age 17, during her
first outing to Wimbledon, she won the women's doubles title. King
would rack up a total of 20 Wimbledon victories, in singles, doubles
and mixed doubles, over the course of her trailblazing career. In
1971, she became the first female athlete to earn more than $100,000
in prize money in a single season. However, significant pay
disparities still existed between men and women athletes and King
lobbied hard for change. In 1973, the U.S. Open became the first major
tennis tournament to hand out the same amount of prize money to
winners of both sexes.
In 1972, King became the first woman to be chosen Sports Illustrated's
"Sportsperson of the Year" and in 1973, she became the first president
of the Women's Tennis Association. King also established a sports
foundation and magazine for women and a team tennis league. In 1974,
as a coach of the Philadelphia Freedoms, one of the teams in the
league, she became the first woman to head up a professional co-ed
team.
The "mother of modern sports" retired from tennis with 39 Grand Slam
career titles. She remained active as a coach, commentator and
advocate for women's sports and other causes. In 2006, the USTA
National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open, was renamed in King's
honor. During the dedication ceremony, tennis great John McEnroe
called King "the single most important person in the history of
women's sports."
history.com/tdih.do
1519 : Magellan sets out
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5360
1565 : First European battle on American soil
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5361
1946 : First Cannes Film Festival
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7026
##########################################
On this day in 1973, in a highly publicized "Battle of the Sexes"
tennis match, top women's player Billie Jean King, 29, beats Bobby
Riggs, 55, a former No. 1 ranked men's player. Riggs (1918-1995), a
self-proclaimed male chauvinist, had boasted that women were inferior,
that they couldn't handle the pressure of the game and that even at
his age he could beat any female player. The match was a huge media
event, witnessed in person by over 30,000 spectators at the Houston
Astrodome and by another 50 million TV viewers worldwide. King made a
Cleopatra-style entrance on a gold litter carried by men dressed as
ancient slaves, while Riggs arrived in a rickshaw pulled by female
models. Legendary sportscaster Howard Cosell called the match, in
which King beat Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. King's achievement not only
helped legitimize women's professional tennis and female athletes, but
it was seen as a victory for women's rights in general.
King was born Billie Jean Moffitt on November 22, 1943, in Long Beach,
California. Growing up, she was a star softball player before her
parents encouraged her to try tennis, which was considered more
ladylike. She excelled at the sport and in 1961, at age 17, during her
first outing to Wimbledon, she won the women's doubles title. King
would rack up a total of 20 Wimbledon victories, in singles, doubles
and mixed doubles, over the course of her trailblazing career. In
1971, she became the first female athlete to earn more than $100,000
in prize money in a single season. However, significant pay
disparities still existed between men and women athletes and King
lobbied hard for change. In 1973, the U.S. Open became the first major
tennis tournament to hand out the same amount of prize money to
winners of both sexes.
In 1972, King became the first woman to be chosen Sports Illustrated's
"Sportsperson of the Year" and in 1973, she became the first president
of the Women's Tennis Association. King also established a sports
foundation and magazine for women and a team tennis league. In 1974,
as a coach of the Philadelphia Freedoms, one of the teams in the
league, she became the first woman to head up a professional co-ed
team.
The "mother of modern sports" retired from tennis with 39 Grand Slam
career titles. She remained active as a coach, commentator and
advocate for women's sports and other causes. In 2006, the USTA
National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open, was renamed in King's
honor. During the dedication ceremony, tennis great John McEnroe
called King "the single most important person in the history of
women's sports."
history.com/tdih.do
1519 : Magellan sets out
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5360
1565 : First European battle on American soil
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5361
1946 : First Cannes Film Festival
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7026
##########################################
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