Now to tennis | @Tennis_Now | Friday, September 27, 2024
Photo credit: Mike Lawrence/USTA/US Open
It’s a Golden Year for the Iconic Hall of Fame Inductee billie jean king.
King made history as the first female athlete to win the Congressional Gold Medal. This bill was signed by President Biden after passing both the House and Senate.
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Yesterday, President Biden signed legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Billie Jean King after the bill passed in the House and Senate, making her the first individual female athlete to receive this honor.
The bill (S. 2861) was first introduced in the House of Representatives (HR 1831) in March 2023 by Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Democratic Co-Leader Representative Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ). “We present the Congressional Gold Medal to American icon Billie Jean King in recognition of her incredible life dedicated to championing equal rights for all people in sports and society.”
The bill passed unanimously in the Senate in May of this year under the leadership of Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and was previously passed in the House of Representatives. This month.
Before Billie Jean King won this award, 11 individual athletes (and members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team) had received the Congressional Gold Medal, but all were men.
The introduction of the bill in 2023 coincides with the USTA celebrating 50 years of awarding equal prize money at the U.S. Open. In 1973, the U.S. Open became the first sporting event in history to offer equal prize money to both male and female competitors, vying for a total prize of $100,000, including $25,000 for both the male and female singles winners.
“The passage of the Gold Medal Act in Congress and the President’s signing into law marks the culmination of a long process to recognize and award Billie Jean King’s lifelong fight and commitment to equality in this country,” said Dr. “Billie is one of the greatest athletes and ambassadors in tennis history, and her impact off the court is far greater than her accomplishments in tennis,” said Brian Hainline, USTA Board of Directors Chairman and President.
“USTA would like to thank the members of Congress for making this a reality and the President for signing this legislation, as Billie Jean King has now broken another barrier and become the first female individual athlete to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. “
Billie Jean King became a pioneer in equalizing prize money when she won the women’s singles title at the 1972 U.S. Open and explicitly called for equal pay for male and female players at the following year’s U.S. Open. King’s ultimatum set the tone for a pivotal year that first saw the formation of the Women’s Tennis Association.
After achieving the milestone of equal pay at the 1973 US Open, King defeated Bobby Riggs in a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match at Houston’s iconic Astrodome. -I have seen a tennis match.
