Battle of the Sexes

 In 1993, for the first time ever, a sporting event was really more than "just a game". A tennis match between two different genders, Billie Jean King at age 29 and Bobby Riggs at 55, that altered the trajectory of women's sports forever. The Battle of the Sexes was not something I could necessarily say I knew a whole lot about, if anything. At first, I would have assumed it had nothing to do with sports, and I think that's the best part about the name, because it was more than just a sports match. 

Bobby Riggs, posing as an arrogant, sexist man, took an unorthodox approach to this match, highlighting the media and taking advantage of the financial benefits. Billie Jean King, a rising tennis phenom, knew that this match didn't have too many positives to it, even claiming that if it wasn't for her competitive drive and ego, she probably would not have played. The ironic thing about the whole match is that actually there were a lot of stereotypes to begin with, like the fact that even if Riggs lost, it would because he didn't try enough, or if King won it would be because Riggs had a fluke game. All of these factors were taken into account for King, but Riggs and his degenerate gambling side saw an opportunity. Now whether the game was fixed or not, it doesn't matter because Riggs found a way to make money through it all.

In the end, King was victorious sweeping Riggs in 3 sets, in the filled Astrodome; But the score wasn't the significance, its the symbolism. The match symbolized that women had the ability to compete just as well as men in sports. Now, many years after the teenis match, battle of the sexes is not just limited to a tennis match, it is talked about in equality, the workforce, laws, and culture. This match has carried waves through history and really has shifted the perception of women in sports. I believe this paved the path to changes in Title IX which has helped catapult womens sports in college. Examples of this are starts like Caitlyn Clark and Angel Reese in collegiate basketball, especially revolving around March Madness, which put up record breaking numbers recently. It is really impressive that a tennis match can make such an impact in gender equality and I am honestly surprised I haven't learned more about this in school. However, I am happy to say that I now know the significance of battle of the sexes and how it has helped shaped elements in my life and my sisters. I am also excited to compare this to my own topic of women discrimination in golf, maybe we will see a "battle of the sexes, golf edition" one day and could be just as influential.