We started off the month of May with Wonder Woman. Not only does she fit the year’s anniversary theme of superheroes, but also as the traditional Queen of May.
So for the first of the Friday Hall of Famers, let’s continue with another Wonder Woman. The last one was a princess, but this one is a King!
BILLIE JEAN KING
Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former World No.1 professional tennis player. King won 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. She won the singles title at the inaugural WTA Tour Championships. She often represented the United States in the Federation Cup and the Wightman Cup. She was a member of the victorious United States team in seven Federation Cups and nine Wightman Cups. For three years, she was the United States' captain in the Federation Cup.
King is an advocate for gender equality and has long been a pioneer for equality and social justice. In 1973, at age 29, she won the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match against the 55-year-old Bobby Riggs. She was also the founder of the Women's Tennis Association and the Women's Sports Foundation. She was also instrumental in persuading cigarette brand Virginia Slims to sponsor women's tennis in the 1970s and went on to serve on the board of their parent company Philip Morris in the 2000s.
Regarded by many in the sport as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987. The Fed Cup Award of Excellence was bestowed on her in 2010. In 1972, she was the joint winner, with John Wooden, of the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award and was one of the Time Persons of the Year in 1975. She has also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year lifetime achievement award. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1990, and in 2006, the USTA National Tennis Center in New York City was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. In 2018, she won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.
For more on Ms. King, click here.
Because that “Battle of the Sexes” was so iconic in mid-70s pop culture, both Ms. King and Bobby Riggs were able to ride the wave for a while to get their fifteen minutes of fame on various TV shows. Since this is a celebration of Billie Jean, here’s her list of appearances as a member of the League of Themselves in fictional realities. (All of the descriptions are from either the IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes.)
- The Pig Who Came to Dinner (1973)
Bobbie Riggs hustles Oscar out of everything he owns and then even loses Felix. Felix then has a plan to beat him playing ping-pong.
- Our Past, Our Present, Our Future (1999)
Arliss represents a young ice-skater whose parents are spending all of her money with Charles Barkley; Billie Jean King.
Kirby sees his dream die when his namesake car wash becomes a washout; Arliss helps a teen skater with money-hungry parents; and Billie Jean King refuses to help Rita sort out a romantic mistake. Charles Barkley also appears.
O'Bservation - I wish I had a picture of Ms. King from this episode, but finding frame grabs from this show is tough!
- Light My Fire (2006)
|While Tina and Helena attend a documentary screening of up-and-coming film maker Dylan Moreland, Bette travels to Washington D.C. to speak at a Senate hearing about asking for increased funding for left-wing artwork and afterwords, she meets with Senator Barbara Grisham who makes a move on her. Back in Los Angeles, Jenny, in an attempt to provide for both herself and Moira, puts her dreams of becoming a writer on hold and starts working as a waitress at The Planet. Jenny and Moira are also invited to a party hosted by Billie Blaikie where Moira meets like-minded people. Meanwhile, Carmen has to decide whether to give up Shane's opening party at WAX in exchange for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to DJ at an exclusive VIP party that Russell Simmons is throwing. Alice has an emotional meltdown on-the-air during her radio show and giving her boss, Ruth, a migraine. Also, Dana plays at a tennis tournament and declares her love for Lara in front of TV cameras.
O’Bservation – I’m assuming that Billie Jean King was at that tennis tournament. It seems like an easy bet.
- Curveball (2009)
The sudden death of a Mode editor leaves Betty and Marc competing for the same job. Meanwhile, Matt lets his jealousy over Henry get the best of him.
- Michael Chang Fever (2016)
- Sugar And Spice (2017)
During the course of the episode, characters watched “the Battle of the Sexes” on TV. (The series took place during that time.)
Rescue Me
Carrot
Tommy Gavin(?):
We bill it as like a Bobby Riggs-Billie Jean kind of thing, a “Battle of the Sexes” for the modern world, only instead of swatting around a faggy little yellow ball, these two are beating the piss out of each other.
O’Bservation: I can’t be certain – the site where I found that quote doesn’t give credit as to who is speaking in the episode – but I’m going to guess that it was Denis Leary’s character, Tommy Gavin.
Ray Donovan
Goodbye, Beautiful
Ray Donovan:
Do you remember the battle of the sexes?
Unknown:
Tennis? Yeah.
Ray Donovan:
Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King?
Unknown:
Yes.
That was 1973.
Ray Donovan:
My father threw his low-ball, Scotch and all, right across the room after that match.
He had a huge wager on it.
I was four years old and I remember being in our great room, and my father saying to me that no woman could ever beat a man, not in a game of strength and strategy.
There was a lot of laughing.
Until there wasn't.
She beat him.
Annihilated him.
And my father and my uncle and all those men, they were so furious that this woman had lost him all that money.
O’Bservation: I don’t know who Ray was talking to. But that’s definitely Ray with the reminiscence about his father.
Banacek
The Vanishing Chalice
There was a reference to Billie Jean King in this episode, but I can’t find proof of that.
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