Battle of the Sexes

 The 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs wasn’t just a game, it was a symbol of the ongoing fight for gender equality. At the time, the world was in the middle of second-wave feminism, a movement focused on workplace equality, reproductive rights, and breaking away from traditional domestic roles. 

Billie Jean King was one of the top female tennis players of her time, alongside Margaret Court, who actually lost to Bobby Riggs earlier in 1973. Riggs, a 55-year-old retired tennis champion and compulsive gambler, saw an opportunity to profit off these women. He was a self proclaimed “chauvinist pig” and bet he could beat any top female player, proving (in his words) that men were inherently better. When King stepped up to the challenge and beat him, she proved that women were able to be the competition and win; yet there was still criticism of her winning against an old man and he might have thrown the game to settle gambling debts.

The match came during a time of significant legal and cultural change. Books like The Feminine Mystique gave voice to suburban women who felt unfulfilled by housework and child-rearing alone. Women were beginning to demand more, both in law and in culture. President Kennedy’s establishment of the Commission on the Status of Women, the passage of Title IX, and court decisions like Griswold v. Connecticut were slowly beginning to break down legal inequalities between the sexes. However, many of these wins benefited white women more than women of color, reflecting ongoing racial disparities within the feminist movement.

As a young female today, it's eye-opening to realize just how recent many of these milestones in gender equality are. I’ve been fortunate to play sports, pursue higher education, and voice my opinions in class without fearing that my gender would limit me. During the Life After Byfield event, I spoke with a Govs alumna who was part of the first female class. Hearing her describe and joke about the challenges of being one of the first women at a previously all-male school made me reflect on how much progress has been made since the 1970s. The Battle of the Sexes wasn’t just about tennis. It was about proving that women belong in sports, in leadership, and anywhere else we choose to show up.