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Billie Jean Remembers
Billie Jean King says she simply "had to win" in her victory romp 25 years ago over Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match that redefined women's role in sports.
In the August issues of Tennis magazine, King reflects on the 1973 match in Houston's Astrodome that drew a worldwide television audience of some 40 million.
The much ballyhooed match was the brainchild of then 55-year-old Bobby Riggs, a former Wimbledon champion and self-proclaimed "king of male chauvinist pigs." Asserting that even the best female tennis pro could not beat him, he goaded Margaret Court into a match that Riggs won handily, 6-2, 6-1. Empowered by his victory, he next challenged then 29-year-old King -- already a powerful voice for women in sports.
After dispensing with the show business portion of the evening , Riggs presented King with a large candy sucker while King countered with a baby pig), King went on to slaughter Riggs, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, striking a victory for women that still resonates both inside and outside the sports arena.
In the August issues of Tennis magazine, King reflects on the 1973 match in Houston's Astrodome that drew a worldwide television audience of some 40 million.
The much ballyhooed match was the brainchild of then 55-year-old Bobby Riggs, a former Wimbledon champion and self-proclaimed "king of male chauvinist pigs." Asserting that even the best female tennis pro could not beat him, he goaded Margaret Court into a match that Riggs won handily, 6-2, 6-1. Empowered by his victory, he next challenged then 29-year-old King -- already a powerful voice for women in sports.
After dispensing with the show business portion of the evening , Riggs presented King with a large candy sucker while King countered with a baby pig), King went on to slaughter Riggs, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, striking a victory for women that still resonates both inside and outside the sports arena.
