Dec 14

Billie Jean King

BILLIE JEAN KING
 
 
Billie Jean King  (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former World No. 1 professional tennis player.  King won 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles, 16 women’s doubles, and 11 mixed doubles titles.  King won the singles title at the inaugural WTA Tour Championships.  King often represented the United States in the Federation Cup and the Wightman Cup.  King is an advocate for gender equality and was the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association, World TeamTennis (with former husband Larry King), and the Women’s Sports Foundation.  King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.  The Fed Cup Award of Excellence was bestowed on King in 2010.  In 1972, King was the joint winner, with John Wooden, of the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award and was one of the Time Persons of the Year in 1975.  King has also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year lifetime achievement award.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 

A profile of tennis legend Billie Jean King on Meet the Press this month reminded me that, in 1981, she was publicly “outed” by a former lover; she lost all of her corporate endorsements within 48 hours.  Twenty-five years later, on August 28, 2006, the home of the U. S. Open grand slam tennis tournament was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.  The nation has clearly come a long way; at least as surprising as the rapid march of marriage equality across numerous states is the recent capitulation of the Republican Party on any pushback against gay/lesbian issues, much as the Democratic Party gave up on capital punishment many years back.  
 
(January 2014)
 

Last edited: March 22, 2021