The Turning Point after King’s Victory
This game was not viewed by many as a professional match but rather as a fight by women to raise their status in the sports world. Even the sponsors of this widely celebrated event had different agendas. Some wanted to prove that women were inferior and could not attain the set professional status.
(Original Caption) Tennis pros Billie Jean King, (L), and Bobby Riggs, (R), show there are no hard feelings here with a kiss during a news conference following a $100,000 winner-take-all tennis match in which Mrs. King beat Riggs in 3 straight sets.
The humbled lot who were against male chauvinism wanted recognition at equal attention as men. King’s victory impressed many and to some extent bridged the gap between men and women especially in the world of sports. The women’s liberation movements had drawn a different baseline and saw this as a talking point to push for gender equity. King herself said in an interview that losing that match would take women 50 years back.