The Battle of the Sexes – An Analysis, 37 Years On
Tennis great Billie Jean King has a near-unmatched legacy, winning multiple Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed matches across the globe. In addition to that, the most eagerly awaited event in the world of tennis, the US Open 2010, is held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre at Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York City, United States. The complex, formerly called the USTA National Tennis Centre, was renamed to honour the career and achievements of King on 28th August, 2006. It is the most prestigious, largest tennis facility to be named after any woman.
However, Billie Jean King’s popularity does not stem from Grand Slams and tournaments alone. Two defining factors set her apart from the remaining tennis players of her era. For one, she was a pioneer in the advocacy of women’s equality on the court, as well as in society. She is perhaps most popular for her part after winning ‘The Battle of the Sexes’.
The Battle of the Sexes is a phrase commonly used to encompass three matches in 1973 and 1992 between a male and a female player. These matches were held between Bobby Riggs and Margaret Court, Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King, and Jimmy Connors and Martina Navratilova.
In 1973, Bobby Riggs, although retired, recognized an opportunity to elevate his own popularity and that of his favourite sport as well. He was 55 years old at this time at the time when he decided to come out of retirement to challenge the best female player at that time, aiming to prove that women’s tennis was inherently weak when compared to men’s, and that he could beat the reigning champion even at the age of 55. Although he challenged King initially, she declined, at which point Court intervened.
Although Court, at that time 30, was by no means an inferior player, she was easily flustered. Riggs managed to shatter her composure before the match, resulting in a humiliating defeat. Due to these events, Billie Jean King decided to play against Riggs.
The match itself was not only a nationally televised event; it was also preceded by intense publicity and hype. Both King and Riggs made extremely dramatic entrances. King emerged onto the court on a chair held carried by four men dressed as ancient slaves, while Riggs came on the court in a rickshaw pulled by a group of scantily clad models.
King beat Riggs over the best of five sets, winning the first three and eliminating the need for more sets. King beat him by forcing him to change his playing style. He was pushed into returning the shots she hit by running all across the court while she stayed on the baseline, comfortably lobbing his shots back at him.
This victory is surrounded by a number of controversies. For one, many critics believed that Billie Jean King’s success was more a result of the age difference between her and Riggs. She was 26 years old at the time, prompting ABC commentator Jack Kramer to comment that he “didn’t think Billie Jean played all that well. She hit a lot of short balls which Bobby could have taken advantage of had he been in shape.” However, Kramer had been taken off the commentary of this match due to one of King’s demands, since she knew of his infamous chauvinism and refused to play a match where one of the commentators was a man who “didn’t believe in half the match.”
Another argument has been propelled by the fact that Bobby Riggs was a compulsive gambler, and that he had bet massive amounts of money against himself, and hence purposely lost to King in order to collect money on these bets. However, Kramer also refutes this argument by stating that “Billie Jean beat him fair and square.” Had Bobby Riggs defeated Billie Jean King, he would have moved on to challenging more female players to matches, hence resulting in “the act going on indefinitely.”
However, controversy still surrounds the match. This is fuelled more so by the fact that after this 1973 Battle of the Sexes, King was challenged by Pancho Segura, which she declined to accept. Such a decision on her part has raised doubts that the Battle of the Sexes may have been, despite conclusive evidence, fixed.
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