Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we are really
strapping in for an exhaustive, detailed look
at a figure whose influence, well, it fundamentally
altered not just tennis, but really the entire
landscape of professional athletics and social
equity. Yeah, we're talking about Billie Jean
King, the champion, the activist, the icon. And
the amount of source material we've worked through
for you today is frankly... It really is. It
covers everything from her amateur start back
in 59, right through her retirement in 1990,
and then all those monumental decades of activism
afterwards. Our mission here is to get beyond
just the stats, you know? Exactly. We want to
show you, the listener, the political fights,
the cultural battles she won off the court. Because
that's what truly defined her legacy. Because
the numbers, I mean, they're incredible. Don't
get me wrong. Oh, absolutely. 39 total Grand
Slam titles. You've got 12 singles, 16 women's
doubles, 11 mixed doubles. It's staggering. But
she wasn't just a dominant player. She was an
architect, really. Founder of the Women's Tennis
Association, the WTA, and the Women's Sports
Foundation. And I think what's absolutely crucial
for you to grasp in this deep dive is the sheer
level of resistance, the institutional pushback
she faced. Yeah. She wasn't just winning titles.
She was building the structures for women to
even be paid professionals while fighting the
very system she was dominating. So we're going
to explore how she dragged tennis, kicking and
screaming sometimes from this exclusive amateur.
almost white glove spectacle into a genuine professional
sport. And that put her directly at odds with
the establishment. OK, so let's unpack this.
Let's start at the beginning. Long Beach, California.
Billie Jean Moffitt, born into this hardworking
Methodist family and athletics. It was definitely
in the genes. Oh, absolutely. Her mom was a great
swimmer. Her dad played basketball and baseball.
Yeah. And then her younger brother, Randy Moffitt.
Yeah, he became a major league baseball pitcher,
played for the Giants, among others. Right. So
you see this natural sort of multi -sport ability
there. And the sources are clear. She wasn't
initially aiming for tennis. No. At age 10, she
was playing shortstop on a champion softball
team, playing with girls four or five years older
than her. Exactly. That competitive fire was
there early, but it was in a team sport, you
know, where aggression was maybe more accepted.
And here's what feels like the first big aha
moment. A detail that just perfectly sums up
the restrictive world she grew up in. She switches
from softball to tennis at 11. Why? Because her
parents suggested it. They thought she should
find, well, a more ladylike sport. Think about
that. The catalyst for arguably the greatest
revolutionary in women's sports history was a
nudge towards traditional femininity. Just wow.
And getting into tennis wasn't easy or cheap
for her family. She had to save her own money.
From odd jobs, right. She scraped together $8
for her first racket. Which, adjusted for inflation,
you're talking about maybe $92 today. So this
wasn't some privileged kid handed the best gear.
No. She was self -made from the start. She understood
the value of a dollar, the value of those free
lessons the city provided. And that background,
that sense of fairness maybe, it immediately
clashed with the sport's inherent elitism. She
hit that wall pretty early on. Yeah, that story
about the youth tournament. She wasn't allowed
in the group photo. Correct, because she was
wearing tennis shorts. Shorts her mother had
sewn for her, not the traditional white tennis
dress. Unbelievable. Well, think about what that
teaches a young athlete. You're excluded. Because
of your clothes, practical clothes made by your
mom. It's a lesson that the rules aren't just
about the game. They're about exclusion, conformity,
social power. And that seemed to just fuel this
incredible ambition in her. It really did. There's
that famous story. She's maybe 13 or 14 talking
to her minister who happened to be Bob Richards,
the Olympic pole vaulter. Right. And she tells
him, Reverend, I'm going to be the best tennis
player in the world. Just lays it out there.
Wow. Before she could even drive a car. And she
started backing it up fast. Made her Grand Slam
debut at the U .S. Championships in 1959. She
was only 15. Her international career really
kicked off a couple of years later, thanks to
people in her community, right? They raised money
to send her to Wimbledon. Yeah, $2 ,000. Which
was a huge amount back then. They saw the potential.
And she certainly didn't waste that chance. 1961,
Wimbledon. She wins the women's doubles title
with Karen Hance. They were the youngest team
ever to win it at that point. Billie Jean was
just 17. An incredible achievement. But the moment
that really put her on the map in singles, that
had to be Wimbledon 1962. Oh, definitely. Second
round, she faces world number one, the top seed,
Margaret Court, and pulls off this massive upset.
And the sources really stress how historic this
was. It was the first time ever at Wimbledon
that the women's top seed lost her opening match.
And it wasn't just luck. It was strategy. She
saw court was a bit vulnerable on her forehand,
and she just exploited it ruthlessly. You see
that early tactical mind at work, always looking
for the weakness, whether in an opponent's game
or later in an unfair system. She knew she needed
to commit fully to reach that number one spot
herself. So 1964, she leaves college. Cal State,
L .A., right? Yeah, takes up an offer from a
businessman, Robert Mitchell, to fund her training
full -time down in Australia with Mervyn Rose,
a top coach. That's a big gamble. Giving up education
for pure athletic pursuit. Classic professional
mindset, even before the sport was truly professional
for women. And even a tough loss became fuel
for her. That 1965 U .S. Championships final,
again against court. She was so close. Agonizingly
close. Leading 5 -3 in both sets, had two set
points in the second. And still lost. But that
didn't break her. No, it forged her. She processed
it, realized, OK, I am good enough. And then
came that famous, almost immediate declaration.
I'm going to win Wimbledon next year. Exactly.
Claiming her destiny. That habit of demanding
her place, well, it translated directly into
demanding fairness for everyone else later on.
And she called her shot. One year later, 1966.
Wimbledon. Prediction comes true. After, what,
13 tries at a Grand Slam singles title, she finally
breaks through, beats Court in the semis, Maria
Brano in the final. And the sources say a big
part of that breakthrough was a new shot she'd
developed. Yeah, a really potent forehand down
the line. That, plus a simple but smart game
plan against Court, basically, just chipped the
ball back at her feet. It shows her ability to
analyze, adapt, and execute under pressure. And
then the floodgates just opened. 1967, she pulls
off the triple singles, women's doubles, mixed
doubles at both Wimbledon and the U .S. Championships.
Which hadn't been done since Alice Marble way
back in 1939, just total dominance. She completed
the career Grand Slam in singles in 72, winning
the French Open without losing a set. I mean,
her record in that era is just mind -blowing.
12 Grand Slam singles titles total. She was ranked
world number one at year end in six of those
10 years. It was truly a golden age for her and
for women's tennis. Okay, but here's something
absolutely crucial, and I think it often gets
overlooked, this dominance. It wasn't achieved
by someone in perfect physical condition. Not
at all. She was constantly battling her body,
major knee issues. She had cartilage repair surgery
on her left knee in September 68. Right. And
then her right knee needed surgery in 1970. And
the prognosis back in 68 was grim, wasn't it?
Yeah. Doctors basically told her she might only
have two more years of competitive tennis left.
Her knees were that bad. So the sheer grit, the
mental toughness, to ignore that. play on for
over a decade more at that level, A &D become
a leading activist at the same time. It's astounding.
It really shows the fight wasn't just physical.
It was a psychological war against limitations,
against expectations. And this physical struggle
was happening right alongside her fight for professional
recognition and pay. Before the open era officially
started in 68, How much was she actually earning?
Barely anything, like $100 a week as a playground
instructor and student when she wasn't playing
majors. Which brings us to this idea of shamaturism.
That's what she was fighting against, right?
Yeah, exactly. In 67, she started calling out
the USLTA, the U .S. Lawn Tennis Association.
The sport was supposedly amateur, but the top
players, mostly the men, were getting paid under
the table. A parent's money. illegal payments.
So it kept the whole thing elitist and economically
restrictive for women and lower ranked players.
Completely. King famously said the status of
a pro tennis player in America back then was
a cross between a panhandler and a visiting in
-law. Just no respect, no financial security.
And the breaking point, the moment that really
ignited the revolution came in 1970. The Pacific
Southwest Open. Ah, yes. The prize money disparity
there was just... blatant. What was it exactly?
The men's top prize was $12 ,500. The women's
top prize, $1 ,500. Wow. Less than 15%. And it
gets worse. The women only got their expenses
covered if they reached the quarterfinals. So
if you lost early, you were literally paying
to play. That wasn't the case for the men. Okay.
So that inequality was the final straw. That's
when she decided enough is enough. Pretty much.
She, along with eight other women, they're now
legendary as the original nine. Gladys Heldman
was key in organizing this too, right? The publisher.
Absolutely, working with her. They basically
said, we're doing our own thing. They risked
immediate suspension expulsion from the USLTA.
They organized their own women -only tournament,
the Houston Virginia Slims Invitational, sponsored
by the cigarette brand. A massive gamble. Huge.
The story goes, they signed these symbolic $1
contracts, maybe on a napkin, to form this new
tour. They knew they could be banned from Wimbledon,
the US Open, everything. Their careers were on
the line. But that act of defiance, that entrepreneurial
spirit, it launched the first dedicated professional
women's tour. And it paid off almost immediately
in terms of legitimacy. By 1971, King becomes
the first female tennis player ever to earn over
$100 ,000 in prize money in a single year. That's
a huge milestone. Got her a congratulatory phone
call from President Nixon, even. Yeah, that recognition
was significant. But the fight for actual equality
wasn't won yet. Right. Because even after winning
the U .S. Open in 1972, she got paid $15 ,000
less than the men's champion, Eileen Nastas.
So she's your line in the sand. She did. publicly
threatened to boycott the 73 U .S. Open unless
they offered equal prize money. And given her
status and the visibility of the tour she'd helped
create, the USTA couldn't afford for her not
to play. Exactly. They blinked. In 1973, the
U .S. Open became the very first major tournament
to offer equal prize money for men and women,
a landmark victory. And King always thinking
strategically, immediately moved to lock in those
games. Yes. That same year, 1973, she formalizes
the power they built by founding the Women's
Tennis Association, the WTA, and serving as its
first president. She knew they needed structure,
governance, a unified voice. It wasn't just about
protests anymore. It was about building a lasting
professional institution. For everyone who came
after her. Not just about winning the next match,
but securing the future. Okay, so all this incredible
work, building the tour, fighting for equal pay,
it all kind of converged in this one massive
high -stakes event in 1973 that became more than
just a tennis match. Oh, absolutely. The Battle
of the Sexes against Bobby Riggs. One of the
defining cultural moments of the 70s, maybe the
century. We need the context here. Riggs, former
world number one back in the 40s, now 55 years
old. And a self -proclaimed male chauvinist pig
and hustler. His whole shtick was that the women's
game was so inferior he could still beat any
top female player. And the alarming thing was
he had kind of already proved part of his point.
He played Margaret Court a few months earlier.
Yes, the infamous Mother's Day Massacre. Riggs
destroyed court 6 -2, 6 -1. It was a disaster
for the perception of women's tennis. And that
loss put enormous pressure on King, didn't it?
She'd turned Riggs down before. Yeah, she initially
saw him as just a clown, a sideshow. But after
court loss so badly, King felt she had to play
him. The credibility of the tour she'd built
was suddenly on the line, so she accepted the
$100 ,000 winner -takes -all challenge. Now,
some people argued then, and maybe still do,
that even playing him validated his premise that
women still had to prove themselves against a
man. That's a fair critique, and the sources
show King wrestled with that. But her calculation,
I think, was that the potential platform outweighed
the risk. It's political theater, basically.
Exactly. And the scale reflected that. The Houston
Astrodome. Over 30 ,000 people live. 30 ,492
was the official number. A tennis attendance
record for years. But the TV audience was the
real story. Estimated 50 million in the U .S.,
maybe 90 million worldwide across 37 countries.
It was a global spectacle. King's entrance carried
in like Cleopatra on that throne. Pure theater.
And the weight she felt must have been immense,
she famously said. I thought 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. That's not just playing tennis.
That's carrying the weight of a movement. And
she delivered. Under that crushing pressure,
she just put on a tactical masterclass, beat
Riggs soundly in straight sets, 6 -4, 6 -3, 6
-3. Made him run all over the court. Didn't play
his game. Exactly. Exposed his age and lack of
mobility. Proved her superiority not just physically,
but strategically. But she always maintained
the win wasn't just about beating an older guy.
No, for her, the real victory was the exposure.
She said the thrill was exposing a lot of new
people to tennis. It legitimized the women's
game for this huge global audience. And even
the fashion was part of the statement, right?
That dress. Oh yeah, the iconic Ted Tinling dress.
Sequin, stylish. It's in the Smithsonian now,
as it should be. It showed women could be fierce
competitors and glamorous and professional athletes.
And right after this huge cultural moment, she
didn't slow down. She went straight back to building
things. Typical King. 1974, she co -founds Women's
Sports Magazine, recognizing the need for dedicated
media coverage for female athletes and starts
the Women's Sports Foundation. Providing resources,
advocating for opportunity. Exactly. And around
the same time, her husband then, Larry King,
co -founded World Team Tennis, the WTT, in 73.
And that was built explicitly on her philosophy,
wasn't it? Absolutely. Mixed gender teams, equal
prize money right from the start. A really progressive
model that still exists today. The single victory,
even one as big as the Battle of the Sexes, needed
infrastructure behind it to have lasting impact.
Okay, let's track the latter part of her playing
career. 1975, she wins her sixth and final Wimbledon
singles title. And it was a dominant performance.
Oh, completely. She beat Yvonne Goulagon -Caulay
6 -0, 6 -1 in the final. She called it a near
-perfect match. And in that moment, she actually
declared she was done, right? Yeah, she said,
I'm never coming back. But she regretted that
pretty quickly. Later said she felt she wasted
1976 by being on the sidelines. So despite the
knee surgery, she'd had several. By then she
comes back. Had a third knee surgery in late
76, this time on the right knee. Doctors are
advising retirement again. Strongly advising
it. But she just wouldn't quit. There's that
great quote capturing her spirit about the pain
in the mornings. I will suffer, but I will be
back. And she did come back, competing in singles
into 1977 and beyond, still reaching Wimbledon
semis in the early 80s. Her longevity, considering
the state of her knees, is just incredible. In
1983, she wins the Edge Baston Cup tournament.
She's 39 years old, nearly 40. Making her the
oldest WTA player ever to win a singles title.
That record still stands, I think. I believe
so, yes. And her doubles career continued even
longer. Her 39th and final Grand Slam title came
in 1980, mixed doubles at the U .S. Open, partnering
with Martina Navratilova. But during these later
playing years, she was dealing with this immense
personal struggle, something that eventually
became very public and had huge professional
consequences. Yeah. She married Larry King back
in 1965. She actually credits him with introducing
her to feminist ideas. But by 1968, she'd realized
she was attracted to women. So she's carrying
this secret, this internal conflict during her
peak years of playing in activism. Exactly. And
the pressure just exploded in 1981 with that
palimony lawsuit. Her former secretary, Marilyn
Barnett, sued her and Larry. Claiming half their
income, the Malibu house. It forced King into
the spotlight in a way she never wanted. It was
incredibly difficult. This was 19... a very different
time, she became the first prominent female professional
athlete to publicly acknowledge a same -sex relationship.
Though initially fearing the backlash against
the tour she'd built, she downplayed it, calling
it a fling. Which speaks volumes about the pressure
she felt, the burden of being the face of women's
tennis. And this is where we hit that second
really profound aha moment, connecting the personal
and professional cost. The fallout from that
lawsuit was devastating. Financially. Absolutely
catastrophic. She lost an estimated $2 million
in endorsements almost overnight. Sponsors just
dropped her. Think about the crushing irony there.
The woman who fought tooth and nail for equal
pay for women to be financially viable professionals
is forced to keep playing tennis longer than
she probably wanted or needed to just to pay
the massive legal bills from this invasion of
her privacy. It's heartbreaking. And the psychological
toll must have been immense, too. Oh, huge. She
later spoke openly about developing an eating
disorder during this period, trying to numb the
feelings, the pressure of hiding her true self
for so long. That honesty is so powerful. She
eventually found peace with it, told her parents
when she was 51, and much later found personal
happiness marrying her longtime partner, Ilana
Kloss, in 2018. A journey that took decades,
really. Her formal playing career wrapped up
around 1990, but her involvement in sports, her
leadership... Never stopped. No way. She captained
the U .S. Fed Cup team, coached the Olympic tennis
team, led the U .S. to the Fed Cup title in 96.
And she's still a major force in sports ownership
today. Minority owner in the L .A. Dodgers, the
L .A. Sparks in the WNBA, Angel City FC in women's
soccer. She's still building. And the honors,
the recognition she's received really cement
her status as this towering cultural figure far
beyond just tennis. Like being named Sports Illustrated
Sports Person of the Year back in 72. jointly
with John Wooden. And crucially, the first female
athlete ever to get that honor, solely or jointly,
another barrier broken. And then the renaming
of the National Tennis Center in 2006. The USTA
Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where
the US Open is played. That's monumental recognition
of her legacy. Followed by the Presidential Medal
of Freedom in 2009. Yeah, for her advocacy for
women and the LGBT community. Again, the first
female athlete to receive it. But maybe the ultimate
acknowledgement of her impact on the of the sport
came just recently in 2020. The renaming of the
Fed Cup the biggest international team competition
in women's tennis to the Billie Jean King Cup.
It's incredibly rare for a major global competition
to be named after a living person. It just underscores
that she's not just an icon. She's the foundation
and then the Congressional Gold Medal in 2024.
Absolutely. Her peers, her rivals, they knew
her greatness. Margaret Court called her the
greatest competitor ever known. High praise from
her biggest rival. And Chris Everett, who came
along a bit later, called her a mentor with vision
people can only dream about. And that reputation
is the ultimate clutch player. There's that great
anecdote from 79. Yeah, asking top players like
Navratilova, Rosie Xales, if you're down 1 -5,
15 -40 in the deciding set of a major, who do
you want playing that point for you? And they
all said... Billie Jean King. They trusted her
mental toughness, her ability to find a way to
innovate under the absolute highest pressure,
a quality she brought to the court, and to the
fight for equality. Hashtag tag tag tag outro.
So when you look back at the whole arc of her
life, you know, from that kid saving $8 for a
racket to having this huge global tournament
named after her, the picture is just so clear.
Yeah, she was this revolutionary competitor,
absolutely brilliant under pressure, but also
constantly innovating off the court. Building
the WTA, forcing the issue on equal pay, dominating
one of tennis's toughest eras, all while navigating
these intense personal struggles that honestly
would have crushed most people. She just refused
to accept the status quo. Whether it was the
old boy network in tennis, the pay gap, or the
societal pressure to conform, she took that fierce
drive she had as a kid. And channeled it into
building something lasting, something equitable
for every single woman athlete who followed her.
Which brings us nicely to our final thought for
you, the listener. Something drawn right from
her own philosophy about performing when it counts.
Yeah. King had this interesting take on what
makes a champion. She said, The cliche is to
say that champions play the big points better.
Yes, but that's only the half of it. The champions
play their weaknesses better. That's counterintuitive.
It's not just about leaning on your strengths.
It's about shoring up your vulnerabilities, understanding
how you might fail, and preventing it. Exactly.
And she also offered this insight into her own
motivation later in life, which kind of reframes
the whole idea of competition. She said, I'm
a perfectionist much more than I'm a super competitor.
And there's a big difference there. A perfectionist
more than a competitor. So think about that in
your own life, whatever you're pursuing. Is your
main drive just to beat the other person? Or
is it this internal, relentless quest for perfection,
for executing flawlessly that really pushes you?
And could it be that really acknowledging and
addressing your weaknesses like... suggests is
actually the key to achieving that kind of perfection
under pressure. Something to definitely mull
over. A deep dive indeed. It certainly is. Thanks
for joining us today. We'll be back next time
with another deep dive into fascinating source
material.