On Sept. 20, 1973, Billie Jean King competed against the world’s former men’s number-one tennis champion Bobby Riggs in an exhibition match that would define her career. King, an outspoken advocate of equal pay in the sport, saw the “Battle of the Sexes” as more than a publicity stunt. “I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn’t win that match,” she said afterward. “It would affect all women’s self-esteem.”
Half a century after the “Battle of the Sexes,” WWD looks back at the legendary tournament and how it changed the course of women’s tennis.
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What was the “Battle of the Sexes”?
In 1973, Riggs, a self-proclaimed “male chauvinist pig,” vowed that even at the age of 55 he could beat any female pro in the sport. He challenged King to a tennis match, but she declined.
At the time, King was ranked as one of the world’s top female tennis players. She spent much of her career advocating for women’s equality on the court, particularly as it relates to prize money.
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Instead, Australian pro Margaret Court battled Riggs in May 1973. Following Court’s loss, King finally decided to take Riggs up on his offer.
Leading up to the match, Riggs made a series of sexist comments about female players. “Women play about 25 percent as good as men, so they should get about 25 percent of the money men get,” said Riggs in an interview.
That September, Riggs and King competed for a $100,000 prize at the Houston Astrodome. King entered the arena on a litter carried by four shirtless men, while a group of models nicknamed “Bobby’s Bosom Buddies” escorted Riggs into the venue via rickshaw.
Thirty thousand spectators looked on as Riggs and King squared off in three nail-biting rounds, with King defeating Riggs 6-4, 6-3 and 6-3. “To beat a 55-year-old guy was no thrill for me,” King said after the match. “The thrill was exposing a lot of new people to tennis.”
British designer Ted Tingling, who designed many iconic tennis looks for female players, including at Wimbledon, created King’s dress for the Battle of the Sexes. Her white button-up frock featured a pale blue dagger collar and botanical embroidery on the bodice.
How many people watched the Battle of the Sexes?
The Battle of the Sexes is still considered one of the most-watched sports matches in the world. Fifty million people in the United States tuned in, with as many as 90 million watching the game globally.
What was the importance of the match in women’s sports?
In the years leading up to the Battle of the Sexes, King fought for parity not just in tennis, but in women’s sports as a whole. After she threatened to withdraw from the 1973 tournament, the U.S. Open became the first Grand Slam championship to offer equal prize money to all players, regardless of gender.
That year, King successfully lobbied Congress to pass Title IX. The amendment to the Civil Rights Act prohibits the government from discriminating against women in federal programs, including high school and college sports.
King’s Battle of the Sexes victory made women’s tennis mainstream, setting the stage for future star athletes like the Williams sisters, Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff.
Are there any films about the Battle of the Sexes?
The first “Battle of the Sexes” film came out in 2001. ABC’s television movie starred Holly Hunter as King and Ron Silver as Riggs.
Fifteen years later, the “Battle of the Sexes” finally hit the big screen. Emma Stone and Steve Carell costarred in the sports flick, which premiered in 2017. Both Stone and Carell received Golden Globe nominations for their portrayals of King and Riggs, despite the film’s poor performance at the box office.