A necessary spectacle
On September 20, 1973, Billie Jean King, the premier female tennis player of her era, defeated aging male former Wimbledon champion and self-promoting hustler Bobby Riggs in a nationally televised match ballyhooed as the 'Battle of the Sexes.' There were many issues at stake, some understood only by King and a handful of supporters. Roberts explores the events leading up to the match as well as the consequences. Riggs had created a context for the match by proclaiming women players so inferior to men that the best woman couldn't beat an over-the-hill hustler. Roberts explores the match in terms of its cultural significance, its impact on Title IX legislation, and the rise of feminism in the last quarter of the twentieth century. She also profiles the personalities involved, particularly the principals, King, Riggs, and Court.
- Creator
- Roberts, Selena