Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King is an American former tennis champion and activist whose achievements on court and advocacy helped advance women’s equality in sports.

Bobby Riggs: Bobby Riggs was an American tennis champion and showman who challenged women players to highly publicized matches. Their 1973 match became a defining public test of claims about women’s athletic ability.
Battle of the Sexes (tennis): The 1973 tennis match in which Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs before a large television audience. The match turned King’s response to sexism into a widely watched sporting event.
Equal Pay for Women in Tennis: Equal pay for women in tennis is the principle that women and men receive the same prize money at tournaments. King’s activism helped make equal prize money a central issue for tennis organizations.
Battle of the Sexes (cultural event): The Battle of the Sexes is a cultural phrase for highly publicized contests over perceived differences between women and men. King’s 1973 victory became the best-known sporting event associated with this phrase.
Margaret Court: Margaret Court is an Australian former tennis player who won a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles. King’s rivalry with Court included their 1973 match, which preceded the Battle of the Sexes.
1973 Virginia Slims Championships: The inaugural year-end championship of the Virginia Slims Circuit, won by Chris Evert. King helped build the professional circuit that made this women’s championship possible.
Women’s Tennis Association: The Women’s Tennis Association is the governing body of professional women’s tennis, founded in 1973. King helped found the WTA so players could collectively shape the women’s tour.
LGBTQ rights movement: The LGBTQ rights movement seeks equal rights and social acceptance for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. King’s experiences as an openly gay public figure connected her legacy to LGBTQ visibility and advocacy.
Gladys Heldman: Gladys Heldman was an American tennis promoter and publisher who helped establish professional opportunities for women players. Heldman organized the Virginia Slims Circuit that gave King and other women a path to paid competition.
World TeamTennis: World TeamTennis is a professional team tennis league founded in 1973 with mixed-gender teams and a team-based format. King co-founded the league to experiment with a more inclusive structure for professional tennis.

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