Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King's first glimpse at her destiny was in, of all places, the family kitchen. At the age of five, washing dishes with her mother, Billie Jean shared a dream. As she recalls, "I had this flash come over me that I'd do something great with my life. I told my mom, and she just said, 'Okay, that's fine, dear, just keep washing.' And I said, in the way a five-year-old would say it, 'No Mom, you don't get it, I mean it.'"More than anyone, King was the role model for the 1972 passage of Title IX, a piece of legislation designed to ensure women equal opportunities in sports. In 1971, one in 27 girls participated in high school sports. By 1997, that figure was one in three. Studies reveal that women who play sports enjoy a wide range of benefits, from increased self-esteem to greater academic achievement. The sport of tennis burst into a movement known as "Women's Lob." Life magazine would subsequently honor King as one of the 100 most important Americans of the 20th century.Yet for all her battle scars, in conversation King comes across, more eager to discuss the latest book on the best-seller list. "As a tennis player, I was a hothead. I'm pretty soft elsewhere."Billie Jean Moffitt was born on Novem
Millions more were watching on network television, with countless wagers suddenly making tennis the subject of gossip and front-page headlines. ""It was a step forward," says King, "and tennis just happened to be the medium. Bobby Riggs, a 55-year-old who'd once been the number-one player in the world, believed women belonged in the kitchen and the bedroom, not on the playing fields. On September 20, 1973, Billie Jean King played a tennis match whose impact went far beyond the lines. "Our opinion on Billie Jean King is that she was a great leader and had a very good influence on woman's rights and she influenced many women athletes to go for what they love the most. Singer Elton John, then dominating the charts, loved tennis. Swimming wasn't fun, so she decided to try tennis. For a brief time in the early '70s, Billie Jean had had an affair with her secretary, Marilyn Barnett. "Are you kidding? Don't you think he stood to gain even more if he'd won? No, he lost because Billie Jean beat him. "I'm probably still getting over that," she says. She believed that she could be the best woman tennis player in the world. To prove his point, Riggs vowed he could beat any woman tennis player, and in 1971 challenged King.
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