Summary
Overview
This episode of Stuff You Should Know explores the iconic 1973 'Battle of the Sexes' tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. The hosts discuss the cultural context of the early 1970s women's rights movement, the personalities of both players, and the lasting impact of this historic sporting event that drew 90 million viewers worldwide.
Setting the Stage: Women's Rights in Early 1970s Tennis
The early 1970s marked a pivotal time for women's rights and tennis. Women's participation in tennis tripled between 1970-1974, yet female players earned only one-third of what men did, with wage gaps actually growing as the sport expanded. Billie Jean King emerged as both a dominant player and tireless activist, winning 10 Grand Slam titles by 1973 while fighting for equal treatment in the sport.
- Title IX of the Education Amendments Act in 1972 required equal funding for girls and women in athletics
- Women's tennis participation in America tripled from 1970 to 1974
- Tennis 'opens' became popular starting in 1968, allowing both amateurs and professionals to compete
- Male tennis players earned two to three times as much as women in 1968
- Billie Jean King was making $100 per week as a playground instructor in 1966 despite being the world's number one women's tennis player
" these real philosophical questions that they're digging into and taking opposite sides and debating "
The Original Nine and the Fight for Equal Pay
In 1970, Billie Jean King and eight other women made a bold stand against wage inequality by forming their own tournament circuit. When the Pacific Southwest Open offered men $12,500 and women only $1,500, they boycotted and created a competing event. Despite threats of suspension from the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association, these 'Original Nine' signed $1 contracts and launched the Virginia Slims Circuit, which eventually forced the tennis establishment to negotiate.
- The Pacific Southwest Open paid men's champion $12,500 versus women's champion $1,500
- Nine women signed $1 contracts to form their own professional tour, risking suspension
- Virginia Slims cigarettes became the sponsor, bringing significant marketing power to women's tennis
- In 1971, Billie Jean King became the first female athlete in any sport to earn over $100,000
- In 1973, 64 women tennis players formed the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) in a London hotel room
" if you won't include us, we're just going to go create our own thing, like they worked at it like that and it actually paid off in ACES "
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