Billie Jean King, 50 years of the tennis equality revolution

the Californian He will be 80 years old in Novemberowner 12 grand singles and 16 doublesnot only gives its name to the New York national tennis center. At the same time myth and legend, pioneer Fifty years ago, he struggled and succeeded to get the United States Tennis Federation (USTA) to break new ground. glass roof And 1973 equalized the prize pool for the first time For men and women at the US Open.

was it one turning point Something that no sport has seen before and that other major tennis tournaments would take more than three decades to complete (Australia did not implement this equality until 2001; Roland Garros until 2006 and Wimbledonthe last, until 2007). King’s determined and strategic struggle to achieve this cemented his iconic status.

the story of a fight

This fight didn’t start in New York. When he won the first Wimbledon of the Open era as early as 1968, King saw:totally unfair” He will receive 750 pounds instead of the 2,000 pounds that Rod Laver received. He decided to get organized. Allied with tennis players Rosie Casals and Nancy Richeyand with the help of ‘Word Tennis Magazine’ editor and the tennis player’s mother, Gladys Heldman Julie Heldman. And they took the step beyond boycott threats competitions where men will receive 12 times more compensation than women, It organizes its own tournament in 1970.

despite threats It dissuaded many tennis players of the era, as well as King, Casals, Richey and Heldman from the USTA and international organizations from participating. Valerie Ziegenfuss, Judy Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Peaches Bartlowicz and Kristy Pigeonstarted the race in Houston with a one dollar compensation. And circuit who started the band known as “las” original nine”, Virginia Slims, planted the seeds WTA.

The revolution had undoubtedly begun, and one of its greatest victories would be won in New York in 1973. A year ago, when the US Congress passed Title IX, which outlawed gender discrimination in schools, King was outraged that the winner was male: Ilie Nastase received $25,000, which is $15,000 more than she, also champion. And when the cup of patience is full, the King threatened to boycott the next edition. Once, worked behind the scenes to find sponsors this will equalize the compensation. And that’s how he got his open prize at the premiere of the equality award 50 years ago.

“Much bigger than check”

This fight and this victory helped King win his prize. the deserved place in the annals of the struggle for equalityIt is a space that it has continued to cement since its establishment in 1974. Women’s Sports Foundationfor himactivism for LGBT rights Since his homosexuality was made public in 1981 (which caused him to lose most of his sponsors at the time), or now investing in women’s teams. And in New York, what is going on right now, as King remembered in her introductory speech to Michelle Obama? honor “is-is much larger than the check for champions” at the Open this year three million dollars for both the winner and the winner.

In her speech, the former First Lady recalled the “war of the sexes”, the historic game King played (and won) in 1973. Bobby RiggsA man who dares to say, as Obama made ugly: “women’s place is in the bedroom and kitchen, respectively”. And so he framed King’s achievements in a broader context of struggle. “It’s about how women are seen and valued in this world.said Obama. “We saw how fast it was” progress like this can be lost if we are unaware and vigilant, if we do not continue to remember, defend, organize, raise our voices and vote yes”.

“Billie Jean teaches us: intersectionwe all have one decision To get,” said Obama, “to be. wait and accept what is given to us or what we can do defend our rightsuse platforms we need to talk about and fight protect the progress we have made and even the field a game for all our girls and their girls”.

King himself was the predecessor of other fighters, such as Venus Williams or Megan Rapinoe, who fought for equality in American sports. Celebrating victory in the last World Cup with the Spanish women’s team, left his own message, always belligerent. “Today we celebrate but we’re not done yet”, King declared, realizing that there was still a long way to go to bridge the gaps, on and beyond women’s tennis courts. Before singer Sara Bareilles dedicated a version of the song ‘Brave’ to herself, King chose to end her applause with a quote from Coretta Scott King, widow of civil rights legend Martin Luther King: “The struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom never ends with winning. This is achieved and earned in every generation.