In her tennis career during the seventies and eighties, King won 39 Grand Slam titles and a record 20 career victories at Wimbledon. Despite evidently proving herself as an excellent player, in 1973 at the age of 29 she was challenged to a match by the 55-year-old Bobby Riggs. Dubbed the ‘Battle of the Sexes,’ with over 90 million television viewers, King proved sexist opinions wrong by winning the match and taking home an equal prize offered to her male counterpart.
More than defeating Riggs, King exposed the skill of tennis to new audiences while shattering gendered biases against women in sport. She paved the way for increased participation in sport and empowered women across the world to advocate for equal pay to their male counterparts.
Beyond her impressive sporting career, King is the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association which supports female athletes in having more control over their professional lives. She fought for equal pay in tennis and by lobbying the U.S. Open, she achieved this in 1973.
Her fight for equality extended beyond the boundaries of sport as she dedicated time to pass Title IX, a piece of landmark US legislation that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded educational programs. In 1981, King became one of the first high-profile athletes to come out as gay, opening doors for acceptance and representation of the LGBTQ+ community.
King’s contributions to sport, equality, and LGBTQ+ rights have been recognised with awards such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States. Her work continues through the Billie Jean King leadership initiative which promotes workplace diversity and equality.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, it’s important to reflect on the pioneers who fought for justice and rights that are still important today. King is not only an impressive athlete who excelled in tennis, but also a champion of social work who led equality movements in sport and society, not only for women but for the LGBTQ+ community.