ipl-logo

Billie Jean King Research Paper

791 Words4 Pages

Billie Jean King was a professional women’s tennis player who fought for equality among women, specifically for equal prize money for all professional women tennis players. She also became one of the first openly gay athletes. Her activism can be traced back to when she played against Bobby Riggs in a matched called the “Battle of the Sexes”. King believed that by “stepping onto the court with Riggs, it was not for entertainment, but it was a step for women in society and in sports” (King’s Impact). Her victory over Riggs proved to be an inspiration among young women, athletes and non-athletes, and showed that they could accomplish the same things as men. King quickly became a strong advocate and voice for women, and proved to the world …show more content…

Athletes throughout history have been protested controversial issues in hopes of making a difference. A well-known and vivid image of a sports protest happened during the 1968 Summer Olympics. Athletes Tommy Smith and John Carlos were African American US medalists, who during the medal ceremony dressed against Olympic code, bowed their heads, and raised their black-gloved fists in response to African American poverty and to show unity for all African Americans. The protest shocked all who watched it, and according to Doug Hartmann, “It was a polarizing moment because it was seen as an example of black power radicalism” (Davis). This illustrates one more area where the results of athlete activism resulted in Americans becoming more aware of the racial inequities that still exist in this country. As Jon Carlos stated, “I felt that my country was traveling at a snail’s pace toward something that should be obvious to all people of good will” (Brown). By drawing attention to poverty of African Americans, Smith and Carolos were able to show once again how change was not coming fast enough. The protest by Smith and Carlos was effective because as Tommy Smith said “We had to be seen because we couldn’t be heard” (Davis). The boldness and courage it took for these men to make their statement on an international stage was so powerful that their actions made it possible for others to follow in their footsteps. They used their moment on the international stage to bring their cause to the

Show More
Related
802 Words | 4 Pages

“Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what is going on, in my opinion you’re wasting your life.” (Robinson) In 1947, America was within a racial crisis. African Americans were forced to sit at the end of the bus with whites ruling all major sports.

Read More
1737 Words | 7 Pages

Enhancing African-Americans’ relevance in the sports industry topic sentence: In America black athletes were still not treated as equally as white athletes, but the athletic performance of African-Americans in the 1936 Berlin Games helped show these inequalities. A. Impact on Americans. These performances helped show white America that just because Jesse Owens and other athletes had more pigment in their skin, they still need to be treated with respect and dignity. 1. The hypocrisy of Americans was made clear when Owens returned home and was praised by both white and black press for proving Hitler’s bigoted views were not true, but he still had to abide by American laws segregating him from the white male (Schaap

Read More
447 Words | 2 Pages

(Topic sentence)Why sports history is America history, by Mark Naison, is an article that provides proof that the racial and gender equality movements also had some more inconspicuous moments of change throughout the years. This can be shown when the author writes (Quote) “ In the first half of the 1900s, Irish, Italian and Jewish Americans were often looked on with suspicion. Yet, boxers John L. Sullivan, Jim Corbett, Benny Leonard and Rocky Marciano and baseball players Joe DiMaggio and Hank Greenberg all became huge stars. They offered hope that immigrant families could find success and become fully accepted as Americans.”

Read More
230 Words | 1 Pages

(Topic Sentence)The central idea of “Why sports history is American History” by Mark Naison, is that women and black athletes had to fight to get the chance in sports. (Quote 1)For example, “We believed that if we got good enough at our sport, we could reach any goal.” (Explain 1) This shows that the women and African American had to get better that the white people to become professional or college player. (Quote 2)Another example of African Americans not getting fair treated fair in sports is, “But for a long time, African American athletes didn’t get a fair chance.”

Read More
421 Words | 2 Pages

For example, conveying the message of nonviolence across the world, she and her husband met with Gandhi, and motivated each

Read More
1126 Words | 5 Pages

A woman, an activist, and a civil rights leader are three attributes that describe Coretta Scott King. Many people know that Coretta Scott King was the wife of Martin Luther King Jr, but she was so much more. As a well known civil rights activist, Coretta Scott King, inspired Americans that they could win the fight for equality. She left a lasting legacy as a civil rights icon.

Read More
1271 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout the progressive era and into the 1940’s, the United States saw many changes socially and culturally, both of which can be observed through the popularity of major sports at the time. Socially, the way race and gender were viewed in sports began to change as women began to make their way into the world of sports, and African Americans were proving their worth amongst their white competitors despite Jim Crow laws and discrimination looming over their heads. Culturally, sports were reaching audiences everywhere with the use of radio to broadcast games to homes all over the country, creating a new celebrity culture amongst the greatest players who would come to be on the same level of popularity as famous movie stars such as Charlie

Read More
722 Words | 3 Pages

One of the most notable times that men and woman have conjoined together was during the civil rights era were white families stood beside African American citizens and fought for equality. But we still consider black athletes for some reason as very un-patriotic for protesting their rights, and it's always been like that. In an article called "Athletes Have Allways Led The Way" the author states "people often forget how black entertainers and athletes have used their fame to break down barriers of discrimination" (Discrimination 2). He then goes on to give many examples how black athletes have been discriminated against and judge for protesting their rights. One of the many examples he stated was during the 1968 summer Olympics were African Americans John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised their fist in the air to protest "injustices black people faced at home".

Read More
880 Words | 4 Pages

The cultural diversity of athletes on a team preaches togetherness and sends a message to sport fans to unite with one another and fight racism. Donald R Vroon’s claim that a parent has failed if their children want to be athletes is very inaccurate because statistics say

Read More
1136 Words | 5 Pages

Robinson took the first step in removing segregation in sports in the United States, but it wasn’t

Read More
661 Words | 3 Pages

Colin Kaepernick is a current professional football player who is using his status as a professional athlete to promote activism for the cause of the mistreatment of minorities. Kaepernick, who while playing in the NFL, made the decision to kneel during the national anthem “[he was] not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color” (Greenwood). This shows how he is trying to make a change to how minorities are viewed and treated in today’s society even after all of the so called progress on civil rights. His actions caused other athletes and teams to follow suit, and he garnered support from them, and together, these athletes and teams showed solidarity for their cause. President Trump called for the firing of athletes who kneeled during the national anthem, which brought in the support of other

Read More
264 Words | 2 Pages

Immense pressure was put on Billie Jean to beat Bobby Riggs by numerous women’s groups, fearing a loss would set back the ERA movement. Although King won the match, the amendment eventually failed to pass (The Equal Rights Amendment). This fight is far from over. Recently a new movement called the “Metoo” movement is giving voice to women in the workplace to speak up against sexual harassment

Read More
676 Words | 3 Pages

In the article, “ The Athlete of Agent of Change” it claims that athletes Tommie Smith, John Carlos, Jackie Robinson, Colin Kaepernick, and even the Phoenix Suns all made either a statement about Racism or rights for

Read More
730 Words | 3 Pages

Because America's view of equality considered race, gender, and class, it's difficult to be viewed on the same level. These three athletes were already at a disadvantage, but they never let those factors get in the way of their competitive ability. All of them redefined equality and transformed society’s outlook on social norms. Johnson, Didrikson, and Ruth proved it was alright to be different, and anyone can be successful if they put in the effort. The three athletes demonstrated that skin color, gender, and money aren’t what defines a person, but more so, what kind of impact and legacy would be left

Read More
615 Words | 3 Pages

This shows that some athletes do things to raise awareness to certain issues that are being ignored. Next, reason is because for support things that they feel passionate about. For example Tommie Smith and John Carlos led a protest at the summer olympics in Mexico. When they were given their medals, they both raised a black-gloved fist in the air. This was known as the black power salute.

Read More

More about Billie Jean King Research Paper

Open Document