"I thought that it would set us back 50 years if I didn't win that match... It would ruin the women's tour and affect all women's self esteem"

The Battle of the Sexes was held in Houston, Texas on September 20, 1973 between Billie Jean King and Bobby Rings. It was an intense tennis match with many twist and turns and accusations. This video is the best summary of the match:

"It is very hard to be a female leader. While it is assumed that any man, no matter how tough, has a soft side... a female leader is assumed to be one dimensional."

Billie Jean King is the KING of gender equality!
She is one of the the 20th century most respected women in history.
For a long time, she has been a champion for social equality and change.

Background

Born: Billie Jean Moffitt was born November 22, 1943 in Long Beach, California.

Family: The Moffitts were a very active family. Her father, Bill, was offered a tryout for an NBA team before he became a firefighter. Her mother, Betty, was an excellent swimmer. Her brother, Randy, became a Major League Baseball pitcher. 

Early Life as an Athlete: Billie's first real sport was softball at the age of 10 and played on a steam that won the city championship. After her parents suggesting for her to play a more "ladylike" sport, she took on tennis at the age of 11.

Rise to the Top: Billie first surfaced as true talent in 1958 when she won her age bracket in Southern California championship. The next year she began to receive tennis coaching from Alice Marble. While attending California State University Billie continued to practice and train. After realizing that if she wanted to fully embark in a tennis profession she needed to step up her schedule. Finally her efforts were rewarded in 1966 by winning her first major singles championship in Wimbledon. Billie went through the next few years successfully and then in 1968 she turned professional by claiming the rank of the world's No. 1 in women's tennis. Not backing down she continued to claim titles and award for example three Grand Slams titles in one year.