Battle Of The Sexes

It was on this date in 1973 that the FIRST so-called “Battle Of The Sexes” took place, between Bobby Riggs and women’s tennis star Margaret Court.

Riggs, a star from the 30’s and 40’s-boasted that he could beat any woman-and that women athletes were inferior to men in every way. Unlike the more famous match with Billie Jean King, Riggs actually won this match, but there is more to the story than meets the eye.

Riggs, 55, had resurfaced the court in order to slow it down---which worked. He defeated a rattled Court 6-2, 6-1. Billie Jean King, who had previously ignored Rigg’s original offer to play-immediately accepted the challenge following Court’s loss in the $10,000 winner-take-all match.

This time, it was a $100,000 purse-in front of a sold-out crowd at the Houston Astrodome and a national TV audience in the millions. Despite all the pre-match trash talk, Riggs was no match for King, who thoroughly disposed of him in straight sets in the September ’73 showdown.

Following Bobby Riggs’ death in 1995, King praised her former rival for his unintended contribution to the cause of equality of the sexes-and the advancement of women’s tennis.

Below is a crude video of Billie Jean King—plus a humorous TV ad featuring both players-enjoy!




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTxh8GwQbQE



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3MygBj8SSs



We may never really know how serious Riggs was about his disparagement of women athletes, but it is clear that he ate his words completely in humiliating fashion after squaring off with King.

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