Billie Jean King Research Paper

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

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