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"Battle of the Sexes"
On September 20, 1973, Billy Jean King met Bobby Riggs in the Houston Astrodome. Riggs, a 55-year-old former men's champion, had made a second career of criticizing women's sports. With a global television audience of 40 million, King trounced Riggs in three straight sets.
Billy Jean King's victory forever changed sports. "I just had to play," she told Newsweek. "Title IX [the ban on gender discrimination in federally-funded educational programs] had just passed, and I could see people looking for an excuse to backtrack. I wanted to change the hearts and minds of people to match the legislation we had just passed."
Amid the media frenzy surrounding the match, King abandoned the traditional white tennis skirt and blouse. She chose instead this sparkling costume by British designer Teddy Tingling -- a clear symbol of the revolution in women's sports.
-- Gift of Billy Jean King |