How big was the “Battle of the Sexes”? Ninety million people tuned in worldwide and 30,000 came to the Houston Astrodome to watch 29-year-old and 1972 World No. 1 Billie Jean King face 55-year-old and former World No. 1 Bobby Riggs in a best-of-five exhibition.
Four months earlier, Riggs had beaten Margaret Court, who would go on to be the year-end World No. 1 in 1973. Riggs then embraced the role of male chauvinist to hype up the match against King. There were plenty of boxing-style antics and insults going back and forth in the lead-up to the match, and the publicity produced as big a spotlight as tennis had seen. And while King appreciated the exhibition and somewhat outrageous prelude, she also understood the importance the match held for the Women’s Rights Movement and the fight for equal pay on the women’s tour and at the U.S. Open.
When it came to the match, Riggs was no match. King cruised to a dominating 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win. Her dress from that day is celebrated in the Smithsonian Museum. She finished her career with 12 grand slam singles titles, a spot in the Hall of Fame and has her name on the USTA’s Tennis Center that hosts the U.S. Open in New York.
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