Billie Jean King: Tennis Gave Me a Platform for Social Change
Billie Jean King, tennis star and women’s advocate. (Photo: Getty)
I am always in awe of athletes, and one of the most inspiring of all time is tennis legend Billie Jean King. After learning to play tennis on her local public court at age 11, she went on to win an incredible 39 Grand Slam titles. However, for Billie Jean, tennis was about so much more than just the sport. The trailblazing player made it her goal to be number one in the world (which she was ranked five times) because she knew it would help her fight for equality for female athletes.
Billie Jean’s list of pioneering accomplishments is long. In 1973, she threatened to boycott the U.S. Open if they didn’t make the prize money equal for male and female athletes (in 1972 she won $15,000 less than the men’s winner). They agreed. She founded the Women’s Tennis Association, participated in the first women’s-only tennis tournament, and has been key in getting higher prize money for female players. Since being outed in 1981, she has become a vocal voice for LGBT athletes.
Billie Jean might be most famous for crushing former Wimbledon champion Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes.” The experience is being captured in two upcoming movies, one with Paul Giamatti and Elizabeth Banks and another with Steve Carell and Emma Stone. Before their showdown, the then 55-year-old Riggs was very vocal about his opinion that women could never beat men at tennis and Billie Jean made it her mission to prove him wrong. Of the change brought about by that match, Billie Jean told me, “It was about social change, not about winning a game. It was so deep for people, men and women. There was a transformation going on that I can’t explain to young people. But it was amazing.”
Billie Jean King is a pioneering voice in tennis history. (Photo: Getty)
Bobbi Brown: Hey, Billie Jean! I’m so happy to be speaking to you.
Billie Jean King: Hey, Hey! What’s going on?
What isn’t going on?
You’ve got a famous cosmetics person’s name. Are you related?
It’s me! I’m the same person. I did your makeup many years ago.
No way. I saw your name, and I didn’t know. I should have known.
I saw you from afar last night at the Serena and Venus match in your green jacket. That was something else. But I didn’t get a chance to say hi before you left.
I actually took a break from work to go down on the court because they did a thing for World Team Tennis, which is my life. They did our whole 40-year history in one minute.
You’ve been such a pioneer. How does that feel?
But you are too! How did you get there?
I’m interviewing you now!
But I want to interview you too.
[Laughs] You really are one of the ultimate pioneers. Not just for women’s tennis, but for women in general, proving that women can do anything. Do you think about this, or are you too busy doing what you’re doing?
I don’t think about it too much, because my dad wouldn’t allow me to read my press clippings from the time I was 15. He was very big on “What you do today matters to tomorrow, not yesterday.” We have a saying in tennis that you’re only as good as your last match, so it’s a constant challenge to stay motivated every day. But you have to. I fought for equal rights opportunities since I was 12. I had my epiphany [then], so I’ve kind of been on the same course, and tennis has been so good to me because it gave me a platform for social change. It gave me a chance to help make a difference in other people’s lives, and that was very important to me from the time I was 12.
Tennis star Billie Jean King. (Photo: Getty)
Where did you find your confidence?
I think my parents made a big difference. My younger brother was a professional baseball player, so we were both kind of ensconced in sports. My parents believed in us to do whatever we wanted, but they didn’t push us as far as all these stage parents do now. They were the complete opposite. I think that’s why Randy and I were good under pressure — because our parents did not pressure us. They always said, “Are you happy? Are you trying your best? Are you giving it everything you got? Do you want to keep playing? You know you don’t have to keep playing. You know that? You don’t have to play for us.” We got all these messages that released all this pressure, and it really allowed us to have space. It allows you to have space to go up, and it allows you to have space to go down, and it allows you to go sideways. I don’t think a lot of parents understand that if they just calm down, let their child be the child, find himself or herself, and just let them be supported and give them unconditional love, those are the things that really keep someone grounded and give them the chance to be the best they can be in whatever part of their life.
When did you start playing tennis?
I was 11. A fifth-grade student asked me if I wanted to play tennis. I said, “What’s tennis?” and she says, “You get to jump, run, and hit a ball,” and I said, “Those are my three most favorite things in sports! OK I’ll try it.” So she took me out to the country club, and I’m thinking, “Oh, God. The country club.” My dad was a firefighter, so I’m like, OK… I liked it, but I didn’t think I was going to be able to play, because it was country club stuff. Then we were playing on a softball team in the park, and she told the coach, “Billie Jean asked to play tennis,” and she said, “Really? Well, they have free instruction there every Tuesday.” And I went, “Now we’re talking,” because my brother and I were public park rats. So that was pretty exciting. The second time I ever hit a ball, by the end of that day I knew I wanted to be number one in the world. So it only took twice on the tennis court.
Billie Jean King has won 39 Grand Slam titles. (Photo: Getty)
How long did it take you to be number one?
A very excellent question. We have a saying in our sport that it takes 10 years to make a champion. Tracy Austin was number one in the world at 16. She started playing at age 3. So she had 13 years by the time she was 16. I was 11 when I started, and I was number one at 22. So I got 10 years, but I also went to college. I went to California State University at Los Angeles and worked two jobs, because, before 1972, which was when Title IX was enacted, girls did not get athletic scholarships. Arthur Ashe had one. Stan Smith had a scholarship. Arthur, he and I were the same year. He went to UCLA, and Stan Smith went to SC.
Were you part of that change to Title IX? Were you part of that movement?
Yes, I went before the Senate. I testified. I’m very grateful for my heroes. Some of them are: Edith Green who was a congresswoman from Oregon; Patsy Mink, first congresswoman from Hawaii; and then Senator Birch Bayh from Indiana. He got the Senate to pass it. So those three people are very important to me. At the Women’s Sports Foundation dinner, we honored Birch Bayh. Patsy didn’t make it out there, as she had already passed away, and Edith Green had also passed away. But we honored Senator Birch Bayh, who convinced the Senate to pass Title IX. That changed everything for women, and men, really. It says no sex discrimination. It’s only 37 words. Read it! Sports were an afterthought. It says “physical activity.” It says “education and physical activity.” If they hadn’t added “physical activity,” we still wouldn’t have women’s scholarships. So we’re very fortunate, and we stand on their shoulders. I think about them all the time, because we just wouldn’t have had any opportunity. The kids are living the dream, which is good.
It is! It’s amazing how far female athletes have come.
Because I didn’t have the opportunity, I really appreciate it. I would have given anything not to have to work two jobs, go to school, and also want to be number one in the world. I finally had to give up college after three years. I had to go to Australia. I’d sit in the library thinking about tennis balls and how I want to change tennis and society. I was so antsy because I was sitting at school thinking, “I got to get going!” I was so glad because Randy, my brother, was a first draft choice in the winter by the Giants, too.
I also want to ask you about Bobby Riggs. I remember watching the Battle of the Sexes, and he was wearing some weird “Sugar Daddy” jacket?
He did, because he got paid a lot of money for it.
And didn’t he give you a big giant lollipop?
Yeah, well, Don Johnson, who was the CEO of Nabisco, was a chauvinist pig, and he loved Bobby, and he gave him tons of money. All the sponsors gave money to Bobby.
But you beat the crap out of him!
Doesn’t matter. It was all about the guy.
“We have a saying in our sport that it takes 10 years to make a champion.” (Photo: Getty)
Well today it’s not. What I remember was not Bobby — it’s you. Do you remember what you were wearing? Since we know what he was wearing?
I was wearing a Ted Tinling dress that was made just for the match. He made two dresses. One of them was striped with cellophane, which was going to be the Next Big Thing. I put it on, and he said “This is your A dress. I have another B dress.” So I put on the A dress, but it was scratchy. I’m big on the form following function. So I said, “Ted, this is great form but ain’t no function, and I got a big match.” So I asked what the B dress looked like, and I put it on and I loved it. I love blue and green together, and it had a blue bodice, and I had blue shoes from Adidas, which was just what I wanted. I had my jewelry a certain way. I had to convince Adidas to do a blue shoe for me; they did not want to do that. That was a whole other fight. I was the first athlete to actually go to a factory and learn about shoes. I told them, “I wear these shoes. I promote them. I want to understand what it takes to make them.” I wanted to meet the workers who make them. I wanted to understand them and see if I could help make a better shoe. They were in shock. They said, “No athlete has ever called us, ever cared.” I said, “I do.” I went to Lancaster and had a great time. But for that match I wore the Ted Tinling and the blue shoes. The Smithsonian called before the match, and they asked if I could lend it to them. I gave it to them, and I was thrilled that someone had it and wouldn’t lose it. Ted didn’t realize what he’d done for me, because I connected with it in so many ways and for so many reasons. It was soft against my skin and it fit me right, and as you know, that really makes a difference. It was exactly what I wanted. It had mirrors in the bodice, and I wanted mirrors or sequins to pick up the light because we were indoors. All those things are very important.
How did you feel when you beat Bobby Riggs?
I think relief right away. I was so happy because I knew for the rest of my life I’d wake up and not have to deal with people if I lost the match. I thought if I lost it would hurt Title IX. It might put us back a few years. The attention that that match got was phenomenal. The kids these days who didn’t get to see it don’t understand. I try to tell them it was like the Super Bowl but different. It was about social change, not about winning a game. It was so deep for people —men and women. There was a transformation going on that I can’t explain to the young people. But it was amazing.
You’re 71 now. What do you do to stay healthy and strong? I know you’re on the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition.
I am. What I try to do is exercise and eat right. Jerry West and I are joining up with Janssen Pharmaceuticals to talk about AFIB. He and I both have it. AFIB is an irregular heartbeat. September is AFIB Awareness Month — one out of three people are going to have a stroke with permanent damage, so we don’t want that to happen. But if you go to MYAFIBRISK.com, they can calculate your personal stroke risk. It takes a minute or less, eight questions. Jerry and I are on the campaign right now, going all over to talk about AFIB and make sure people with it know there are once-daily blood thinners they can take and that they need to check in with their doctors and do the right thing. I go about four times a year for my heart to make sure it’s in good shape. I ask my doctors if I can exercise with all this, and they say it’s actually important to exercise to keep your heart healthy.
Tennis champion Billie Jean King. (Photo: Getty)
What do you do for exercise?
I do the bike. I do sprints on it. I do 35 minutes or more; I do an hour sometimes. I go to the gym to do weights because I need to keep strong —especially my upper body to keep osteoporosis at bay. I’m actually playing tennis again! I’m so happy — I did it two days in a row. I have a bike at home. I have weights at home. I also have a balancing pad because I have to make sure I’m in control of my balance.
I actually just signed up for weekly tennis lessons. My dream is to learn how to play. So maybe one day, who knows, I’ll teach you how to do eyeliner, and you can teach me to hit a ball.
That’d be great! I need all the help I can get! I’m very big on getting the makeup right, particularly for television.
You got it. Billie Jean, it’s really been an honor.
Thanks so much, Bobbi. See you soon.
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