"Battle of the Sexes" - A topic for (at least) 48 years: women against men
Today marks the 48th anniversary of the "Battle of the Sexes" between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. The comparison between women's and men's tennis is appealing. But pointless.
by SID / red
last edit: Sep 20, 2021, 03:57 pm
Billie Jean King's revenge was sweet and ice cold. After her friend Margaret Court had lost a tennis exhibition match against former Wimbledon winner Bobby Riggs a few months earlier, King gave the chauvinist from California a lesson on September 20, 1973, which was recognized worldwide.
In the "Battle of the Sexes" in front of 30,472 viewers in Houston / Texas and 50 million people on TV, the 29-year-old number one in the world defeated "Macho" Riggs (55) 6: 4, 6: 3, 6: 3. More importantly, it taught him a lesson and helped women gain more recognition in the sport. "This match was an ideal platform for me to fight for equality. It was a moment steeped in history," said the exceptional player, who was born on November 22, 1943 in Long Beach as Billie Jean Moffitt.
The gender battle in the Astrodome was also followed by Elton John - in a hotel in Los Angeles in front of the television. "All the men I knew wanted Billie Jean to win because Riggs was so arrogant," said the British rock singer, who is King's close friend. Among other things, both are committed to helping AIDS. At the birthday party in Las Vegas Elton John dedicated a number of songs to the "unique Billie". The story of the "Battle of the Sexes" is so great that it made it to the Hollywood silver screen in 2017.
Raducanu and Fernandez beat Medvedev and Djokovic - on TV ratings
So why not aim for a repetition? Maybe even between two current greats in tennis like the reigning US Open champions Emma Raducanu and Daniil Medvedev? That would be pointless, the difference in the pace of the game is too big, not just when serving. A long time ago, Karsten Braasch challenged the Williams sisters, who were still very young at the time - and had few problems with the then aspiring American young stars. It should also be noted: Braasch's unorthodox way of playing certainly didn't help Serena and Venus.
On the other hand: The race for greater attention in the USA this year was won by women. The final between Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez was able to attract significantly more fans in front of the TV sets than the one between Medvedev and Novak Djokovic. And when it comes to entertainment, there are hardly any arguments to suggest that the women's finale would not have offered the greater entertainment value in terms of play.