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A Locker Room of Her OwnCelebrity, Sexuality, and Female Athletes$
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A Locker Room of Her Own: Celebrity, Sexuality, and Female Athletes

David C. Ogden and Joel Nathan Rosen

Print publication date: 2013

Print ISBN-13: 9781617038136

Published to University Press of Mississippi: March 2014

DOI: 10.14325/mississippi/9781617038136.001.0001

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date: 22 May 2019

The Woman Who Should Be King

The Woman Who Should Be King

The Simplification of the Life and Career of Billie Jean King

Chapter:
(p.43) The Woman Who Should Be King
Source:
A Locker Room of Her Own
Author(s):

Elizabeth O’Connell

Publisher:
University Press of Mississippi
DOI:10.14325/mississippi/9781617038136.003.0003

This chapter explores the lasting legacy of the tennis athlete Billie Jean King in advancing gender equality in sports. Her victory over Bobby Riggs in the exhibition match dubbed as the “Battle of the Sexes,” vindicated the cause of the women’s movement, advancing gender equality in tennis and uplifting women’s self-esteem across the world. It adds that despite her enduring legacy, King’s reputation was often marred by questions of sexuality and the parity of prize money. It suggests that Billie Jean King should be remembered in the simplest way possible: as one of the best female players in tennis who advanced gender equality to improve the sport for all.

Keywords:   tennis, Billie Jean King, gender equality, prize money, Bobby Riggs

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