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Billie Jean King: Women
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Billie Jean King is one of the most illustrious and celebrated tennis players in history. A trailblazer, she is famous the world over for spearheading the women's movement in tennis and for her life-long struggle for equality in women's tennis. In 1990, Life magazine named her one of the "100 most Important Americans of the 20th Century." In 1994, she was No. 5 on Sports Illustrated's "Top 40 Athletes" for significantly altering or elevating sports the last four decades. In 1997 she was honored at the white house with the prestigious Flo Hyman Award and ... won the "Player who makes a difference award" from Family Circle.
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Billie Jean King is one of the most illustrious and celebrated tennis players in history. A trailblazer, she is famous the world over for spearheading the women's movement in tennis and for her lifelong struggle for equality in women's tennis. In 1990, Life magazine named her one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century." In 1994, she was ranked No. 5 on Sports Illustrated’s "Top 40 Athletes" list for her role in significantly altering and elevating sports over the last four decades. In 1997, she was honored at the White House with the prestigious Flo Hyman Award, and she ... won the "Player Who Makes a Difference Award" from Family Circle.
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Off the court, Billie Jean King fought for equal prize money for men and women and in 1971 became the first female athlete to win over $100,000. This campaign for equality is most notably remembered by her 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” match against 55-year-old tennis champ Bobby Riggs, who claimed the women’s game to be inferior. The match drew considerable publicity and before a worldwide television audience of some 50 million, King beat Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
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Several years ago, Billie Jean King figured out that sometimes, if you want something to happen, you have to do it yourself. She wanted equality in tennis, so she started a tennis tour: the WTA. She wanted equality in women's sports, so she built her own sports organization for women: the Women's Sports Foundation. And when she wanted to honor women in sports, she created two separate events.
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On another note, the “Battle of the Sexes” match between Billie Jean King is not relevant in this discussion. You cannot take a match between the #1 women’s single player in her prime and place her against an out of shape self-proclaimed chauvenist as a prime example of equal skill.
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Billie Jean King, more than anyone, revolutionized women's tennis. One of the greatest players ever, King was in the Top Ten five times between 1966 and 1972, and has won 20 Wimbledon championships. She founded charitable organizations as well as the Women's Tennis Association and the Women's Sports Foundation, which she established to ensure that females have equal access to participation and leadership opportunities in sports and fitness. King, involved with
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