Billie Jean King will go down in historical past as one of many biggest tennis gamers of all time, and now, she’ll go down as the primary female athlete to receive the Congressional Gold Medal.
On Tuesday, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey introduced the bipartisan invoice they launched in Sept. 2023 — on the fiftieth anniversary of King’s “Battle of the Sexes” victory in opposition to Bobby Riggs — had handed the House of Representatives overwhelmingly. Since it is already unanimously handed within the Senate, the invoice now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.
Sherrill, a Democrat, mentioned it has been “an absolute honor” main the trouble to “add one other ‘first'” to King’s resume. Both he and Fitzpatrick, a Republican, famous the 80-year-old’s “lifetime of advocacy” on and off the courtroom in sharing the information concerning the invoice.
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“From preventing for Title IX and equal pay, to her ongoing advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, Billie Jean King has really impacted the lives of so many. I’m thrilled that we’re lastly recognizing her with Congress’ highest honor,” Sherrill mentioned.
“Throughout her extraordinary life, Billie Jean has damaged obstacles, led uncharted paths, and impressed numerous individuals to stand proudly with braveness and conviction within the battle for what is true,” Fitzpatrick mentioned. “With this invoice getting signed into regulation, we’re cementing Billie Jean’s legacy as each a champion of tennis and equality whose affect will proceed to encourage and empower future generations.”
In replies to Fitzpatrick and Sherrill on X, King mentioned she was “humbled and honored” to receive the award.
King’s legendary tennis profession included 39 Grand Slam titles, with a document 20 victories at Wimbledon. This helped put her on the world’s No. 1 rating in girls’s tennis for six years within the body of 1966 to 1975, her web site states.
At 29 years previous, she infamously gained the “Battle of the Sexes” match in opposition to 55-year-old Riggs. She had accepted the problem after the previous No. 1 males’s participant claimed the ladies’s sport was inferior to males’s and that he may beat any of the highest female gamers, even at his age. With 90 million viewers, it is nonetheless the most-watched tennis match of all time.
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Accepting the match was a show of King’s advocacy for gender equality, which she’s continued to work towards. She’s additionally based the Women’s Tennis Association and Women’s Sports Foundation, helped safe sponsors and pay for girls in all 4 Grand Slams, led the implementation of Title IX nationally and extra.
Her efforts on and off the courtroom has led King to receive quite a few accolades, from being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame to being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. The distinction between that and her future Congressional Gold Medal is the previous is awarded on the discretion of the president, whereas the latter is an act of Congress and turns into regulation. There are usually fewer gold medals than presidential medals.
Other athletes who’ve acquired the Congressional Gold Medal, which is the best civilian award within the U.S., embrace baseball participant Jackie Robinson, golfer Arnold Palmer and NFL participant Steve Gleason.
