Billie Jean King is a Feminist Queen
The legendary tennis player and advocate will be honored with the Congressional Gold Medal
Billie Jean - Queen - AP
Women's sports have made significant strides in recent years. From increased broadcasting of female sporting events to achieving pay parity for athletes regardless of gender, women have made steady progress in their uphill battle. Legendary tennis player Billie Jean King is among the female icons who have contributed to this positive change, advocating for women's rights in sports.
Fifty-one years ago, then-ranked No. 2 Billie defeated Bobby Riggs in the famous "Battle of the Sexes." The win was an incredible milestone for Billie and her feminist advocacy, as Riggs was a retired 55-year-old tennis player who self-identified as a chauvinist and claimed he could still beat any woman in a tennis match as they were "inferior to him."
Billie Jean & Bobby Riggs - ABC Photo Archives
Billie commemorated the moment by sharing on 'X': "This match was about much more than tennis. It was about social change." At the time, she had also been pushing for equal pay prizes in tournaments, with the U.S. Open becoming the first to do so a few months prior. The sum of these two achievements gave King the momentum she needed to keep going. After those wins, her fight was just getting started.
Since then, Billie Jean King has been a leading advocate for girls and women in sports. In 1973, her efforts and the support of other female players led to the establishment of the Women's Tennis Association. This was a significant milestone, providing a platform for women to support each other and protect their rights. King's role in this movement was pivotal, and she was elected as the first president of the WTA. The following year, she used her $5,000 prize from winning the "Sportswoman of the Year" award to launch the Women's Sports Foundation. This non-profit has since invested over $100 million towards achieving equity for girls and women in sports.
Billie Jean Congress - AP Photo
Besides pay parity and equal treatment, her causes have also included better scheduling for women to allow proper preparation times between tournaments, being an investor in several organizations and women's teams, and using her platform to voice her concerns and contributions to different causes, including the approval of Title IX, continuing to bring attention to women in sports and their much deserved equal treatment. While the job is far from done, great strides have been accomplished, and Billie has been essential to it.
Knowing her valuable contributions throughout her career, the 39-time Grand Slam winner is set to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest civilian honors one can receive in the U.S. The decoration will be another trailblazing moment for King, as she will be the first individual female athlete to receive this award.
Billie Jean PWHL - Canadian Press
While it is similar to the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which Billie received in 2009, this honor has a different process. A bill has to be proposed in Congress and later passed with at least two-thirds of the votes from the House of Representatives and the Senate. One year ago, on the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Sexes, three U.S. Senators introduced the bill to award this title to Billie Jean. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, one of the bill's leaders, praised her success both on and off the field.
“She’s both a role model for women and girls everywhere, but she’s also a battle-tested warrior for women’s rights and equality.”
A year after its proposal, the bill passed the House of Representatives and is now set to be signed by President Joe Biden. It also passed the Senate with a unanimous vote.
The fact that she'll be the first individual female athlete to be awarded this recognition further confirms that the issues she's been advocating for throughout the years are far from being resolved. Her unwavering support for women in sports, starting with her own rights and continuing the fight after all these years, has been one of the greatest aids to combat them and has allowed girls and women all over the world and in every sport to keep aiming for success, as she is living proof that any dream we have is our right as well.