Tennis star Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in the so-called 'Battle of the Sexes' on Sept. 20, 1973, in an event that helped elevate the profile of female athletes.
beat former men's champ, Bobby Riggs, in a highly publicized match, the so-called"Battle of the Sexes," on this day in history, Sept. 20, 1973 — 50 years ago today.
"King made a Cleopatra-style entrance on a gold litter carried by men dressed as ancient slaves," writes History.com,"while Riggs arrived in a rickshaw pulled by female models." Riggs, who died in 1995, was also an overt and self-proclaimed male chauvinist who had publicly belittled female athletes. His coarse reputation made King's victory taste much sweeter for her supporters around the world.
"This event was like none other before," longtime Sports Illustrated photographer Neil Leifer said in the magazine's July retrospective of the event. Despite the overt showmanship, the matched served to legitimize the skill of female competitors. , which opened up athletic opportunities for females in college. Billie Jean King talks to the media on Day 14 at Roland Garros on June 4, 2022, in Paris, France.
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