[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 27, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E655-E656]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING BILLIE JEAN KING

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 27, 2004

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Billie Jean King, a true 
American hero. King single-handedly revolutionized women's tennis, 
bringing world attention to the excitement of the women's game and 
fighting to ensure that men and women compete for equal prize money. 
King's brilliant play and unyielding quest for equal opportunities 
opened doors for all women competing in sports.
  A true star in her own right, King won a record 20 Wimbledon titles 
(winning women's singles 6 times, doubles 10 times and mixed doubles 4 
times), 13 U.S. Open titles and 29 Virginia Slims singles titles. King 
is the only woman to win U.S. singles titles on all 4 surfaces on which 
it has been played (grass, clay, carpet and asphalt). She is one of 
only 8 players to hold a singles title in each of the Grand Slam 
events. In 1967, she won the triple crown of singles, doubles and mixed 
doubles championships at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
  In 1968, King became professional and by 1971, she was the first 
woman athlete in any sport to earn more than $100,000 in a single year. 
Over the course of her career, she earned nearly $2 million in prize 
money. By the time she stopped playing competitively in 1984, she had 
won 71 singles championships and had been ranked in the world's top ten 
17 times, number one in the world 5 times and number one in the U.S. 
seven times. Explaining her success, she has said, ``No one changes the 
world who isn't obsessed.''
  King had been a strong advocate of women's tennis and women's rights 
throughout her career. She convinced her colleagues to form a players' 
union in 1973, the Women's Tennis Association. She was then the 1972 
U.S. Open women's singles champion and had been outraged that her prize 
money was $15,000 less than the male champion. She threatened not to 
play unless the prize money was equalized by the following year and she 
persuaded U.S. Open organizers that the other women players would also 
sit out the game. In 1973, the U.S. Open became the first major 
tournament to offer equal prize money for men and women.
  In 1973, she accepted a challenge from Bobby Riggs, former Wimbledon 
champion and self-professed male chauvinist pig. The prize was a 
winner-take-all $100,000. The heavily promoted match drew 30,472 
spectators to the arena and attracted 50 million television viewers 
worldwide, a record for any tennis match. King played along with the 
theatrics: She was carried in on a litter by four men in short togas. 
Riggs was wheeled in on a rickshaw pulled by models he dubbed ``Bobby's 
Bosom Buddies.'' Once the game got underway, however, they were all 
business. King thrilled the crowd with an outstanding game of tennis, 
beating Riggs in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3 and 6-3. She proved that 
women's tennis was at least as exciting as the men's game, and that 
women deserved the same attention and prize money as their male 
counterparts.
  King co-founded the Women's Sports Foundation, dedicated to promoting 
sports opportunities for women. In 1989 she helped found the coed World 
Team Tennis and served as its CEO. She is currently the director and 
official spokesperson for the organization, as well as a TV 
commentator.
  Additionally, King coached the U.S. Olympic team, leading the U.S. 
squad to four Olympic medals. She also coached the U.S. Fed Cup teams 
to victory in 1976, 1996, 1999 and

[[Page E656]]

2000. In 2003, she was awarded the prestigious Philippe Chatrier Award, 
the International Tennis Federation's highest honor. That year she was 
also one of six inaugural inductees in the Court of Champions at the 
USTA National Tennis Center.
  In 1990, Life Magazine named her one of the 100 Most Important 
Americans of the 20th Century--the only female athlete to win the 
honor. She is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the 
National Women's Hall of Fame. She was also named Woman of the Year by 
Time Magazine in 1976. On April 27, 2004, King is the recipient of the 
National Woman's Party's Alice Award, in honor of her groundbreaking 
work on behalf of women in sports.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the 
achievements of Billie Jean King, a sports legend, feminist, and 
champion.

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