I always found the historic Battle of the Sexes match to be
fascinating. I was shocked when I learned about the allegations about the
classic tennis match being thrown by Bobby Riggs. I sincerely hope that these
allegations are false because this event forever changed history for both women
and men. Today, some women's sports are just as prominent as men's sports.
Women's sports such as swimming and gymnastics were heavily covered in the last
Olympics and just about everyone in the United States was heavily interested in
these events. All of this was made possible because of the legendary Billie
Jean King. She paved the way for the celebrity status that some female athletes
have attained such as Danica Patrick, Venus and Serena Williams, Alex Morgan,
and Hope Solo. The outcome of the Battle of the Sexes match was not even the
thing that impressed me the most. The thing that I was most impressed with was
that Billie Jean King fearlessly took the court against a sexist male
competitor and did it in front of millions of people watching at home. She also
took the court with the odds heavily stacked against her and she represented
millions of women in this one match, in a time where women were still treated
like second class citizens. At the end of the match, she helped women earn more
respect worldwide because of her admirable actions. This one match is still
being talked about 40 years later and this shows just how much of an impact she
had on society. Because of her, the world is a different and fairer place for
women in sports.
-Corey Krupa
Corey,
ReplyDeleteThe allegations surrounding the Battle of the Sexes match are certainly very shocking. If the allegations prove to be true, there could potentially be some questions regarding what should be written in the books from here on out. That being said, I still firmly believe that it is imperative we find out the truth of the matter. Regardless of whether or not Riggs threw the match, the impact King made at the time, combined with the strides women have made in sport since the match, have almost made the overall legitimacy of the claims irrelevant. So, if it is learned that Riggs did, in fact, throw the match, lying to future generations would not only be morally wrong, but it would also be completely unnecessary.
Evan Sechler