Billie Jean King

Billie Practicing Tennishttps://www.wellesley.edu/news/2017/stories/node/128061Everyone is inspired or drawn to a hero. Whether or not they are familiar to society or not, everyone is inspired by a special person. There is many definitions of a hero, it depends if those traits define your hero. Billie Jean (Moffitt) King is a good example of an inspiring hero. King was born and raised in Long Beach, California. King’s parents were both familiar with sports, her mother being a good swimmer and her father known to be an excellent football player. At about 10 years old, Billie asked her parents if she could pursue softball as her sport (she was known to be an excellent softball player at this age) however, her parents asked her to choose a more “ladylike” sport. She soon played tennis and set herself a high goal of becoming the No.1 player in the world, and she did in 1966. Overcoming adversities, meaning to conquer problems and inspiration, meaning to motivate others to do something Billie Jean King contains the qualities of overcoming adversities and being an inspiration which makes her a hero.

A hero should be in a position to overcome their adversities to prove society wrong, Billie Jean King is an example of a hero who defeated adversities. King is perceived as a good role model by disregarding comments by men chauvinists and for standing up for what she believes. In 1973, Billie Jean accepted Bobby Rigg’s challenge to a tennis match and proved to the world that women should be paid equally in sports,

“The campaign for pay equality gained a worldwide audience of over 90 million when Billie Jean battled tennis player and self-proclaimed chauvinist Bobby Riggs in the ‘Battle of the Sexes.’ Bobby had claimed the women’s game was inferior to the men’s and Billie accepted his challenge to prove him wrong. King beat Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. No tennis match before or since has been seen by so many.” (BillieJeanKingEnterprises)

King has always spoken out for feminism, however she wasn’t exactly admired for speaking out. She did prove to society by winning against Riggs in a tennis match (6-4, 6-3, 6-3) with over 90 million viewers. This proves the fact that she overcame the indecisive comments that were remarked by society and proved that women should be equally paid in sports and that women are just as entertaining in sports as men. King noted that she was earning $10,000 less than what men earned when winning a tournament. Instead of not doing anything, King accepted Riggs’s challenge to a tennis match. While practicing for the match, she was ridiculed by men chauvinists with their feminist comments to King. This further proves that she overcame adversities and proved that women should be seen as equal. As a young tennis player, Billie knew that she would later have to overcome difficulties in her female tennis career. However, that didn’t stop her from speaking up for feminism.

King Shaking Hands With Bobby Riggs After The "Battle Of The Sexes" Matchdeadline.com“King's career coincided with the women's liberation movement of the 1970s. Her working-class upbringing in southern California and the perceived slights she experienced as a professional appeared to make her a natural spokesperson for the movement. Her status as a leader in the feminist cause reached its zenith in September of 1973, when she faced the 1939 men's tennis champion Bobby Riggs in a nationally televised match at the Houston Astrodome. King easily beat the aging Riggs and emerged as the winner of what had been billed as the ‘Battle of the Sexes.’ (Riggs died in October of 1995 at the age of 77.)” (BiographyInContext).

This displays that Billie conquered the adversities by starting a movement. Considering the fact that she defeated Bobby Riggs in a match, King was also speaking out for feminism which furthermore proves that she is defined as a hero. King proved to the men and women of the world that women are capable of not only being great tennis players, but also being able to be equally paid in sports. King didn’t only win the match for her self-esteem, she did it for all the women of all ages who are athletes. She spoke out for all the women who believed in equality. King overcame adversities to prove the aspect of feminism and fought for equality for women, she also spoke out, strengthening women to speak out as well.

A hero should be able to inspire others to do the same. King inspired many women across the world to stand up for themselves other than doing nothing. With her passionate behavior, King encouraged other women to promote feminism as well.

“Added King: ‘They've been through a lot themselves, so they totally understand what's going on. The two of them have transcended sports. The BJKLI is not about sports. It's about every industry. To try to get equal pay for equal work, and that means across the board, from CEOs down to entry level.’ Her group was formed in 2014, and other advisory board members include 2003 U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick, former NBA player Jason Collins, singer Elton John and CNN's Christiane Amanpour.” (Frendrich)

In 2014, King created the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative (BJKLI) which campaigns for equal pay not only in sports but for all women in jobs. Recently, Serena and Venus Williams joined this campaign, inspired to join her movement and to strive for equality, today. Serena Williams, being the No.1 player in the world currently, joined King’s crusade for equality. This demonstrates how King inspires others to not only battle for equal pay in athletics, but to also campaign equal pay in jobs.  King displayed a strong persona, she wanted to the change the minds of people to prove that women should be equally paid in sports and to prove that women can play sports just as good as a man. 

“King helped to found the Women's Tennis Association and served as its president from 1973 to 1975 and again from 1980 to 1981. She retired from professional tennis in 1984. After retiring she served as a tennis commentator, teacher, and coach. King and her husband promoted coed team tennis and King also was active in supporting charitable events. In 1995, she joined the Virginia Slims legends tour along with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova to raise money for the fight against AIDS. King was an investor in Discovery Zone, a chain of children's 'play lands' which promoted the equal athletic abilities of boys and girls.” (BiographyInContext)

King Playing Tennisnpr.orgAfter retiring from tennis, she still wanted to support women’s rights and still inspire people to do the same. So she served as president of the WTA and helped set up tournaments for both boys and girls. She continued to promote feminism by being an investor in the Discovery Zone which supports the athletic abilities of both men and women. This clearly is showing that Billie is an inspiration to not only women but to everyone and anyone. After founding the WTA and for defeating Bobby, she continued to donate to various foundations that support women’s equal pay and equal athletic abilities. She continued to support feminism and inspire women because she has a passion for standing up for what’s right and encourages women to do the same.Billie showing support and defeating Bobby Riggs in the unforgettable tennis match: “The Battle of the Sexes”, she has truly inspired people of both genders that women have equal athletic abilities and should be equally paid.

Because Billie overcame difficulties and she inspired people of both genders, she has made a difference in the world by changing the perspective of men and women, by seeing that women have equal athletic abilities and they should be equally paid. King has proved to the world that women are equally athletic as men by defeating Bobby Riggs in a tennis match and also founded the WTA (Women’s Tennis Foundation) all to prove to the world about feminism. She has played a huge role that equal should happen. After realizing that Billie Jean King crusaded for women’s equal pay really has inspired me as a tennis player to stand up for the same thing. She hasn’t only inspired me as a tennis player, she’s inspired me as a woman in society, some things need to change. She has also inspired other female tennis players, including professionals such as Serena Williams or Simona Halep. She has impacted women’s sports for the good.

Works Cited

“Billie Jean King Accomplishments | Billie Jean King.” Billie Jean King Enterprises, www.billiejeanking.com/biography/.

"Billie Jean King." Encyclopedia of World Biography, Gale, 1998. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1631003619/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=fef23bd9. Accessed 27 Mar. 2018.

Fendrich, Howard. “Venus, Serena Williams Join Billie Jean King Equal Pay Push.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 10 Apr. 2018, abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/venus-serena-williams-join-billie-jean-king-equal-54355537.

Ott, Tim. “Billie Jean King.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 2 Mar. 2018, www.biography.com/people/billie-jean-king-9364876.

Schwartz, Larry. “Billie Jean Won for All Women.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00016060.html.