Billie Jean King spoke about the recent investment in Women’s sport as Tennis approaches a landmark year in equal pay.
This year marks the 50 year anniversary of equal pay at the US Open, an event which saw Billie Jean King advocate for equal pay after recieving $15,000 dollars less than men’s champion Ilie Nastase in 1972.
Financial investment was needed and King was determined to get equal pay as she threatened not to return the following year unless there was equal pay.
As they say the rest of history and King reflected on the landmark moment, “[Then], people probably went, ‘Huh? What? The women are going to make as much as the guys?’ This is a huge event to do that. It starts to change the hearts and minds of people,” the American was quoted by Tennis Majors as saying.
Now other sports are now benefiting from investment as the Women’s sport product keeps getting better.
The evidence is there at the Women’s World Cup with a record number of viewers watching the event in Australia and New Zealand.
Speaking about the recent investment in Women’s sports, Billie Jean King said that sport is a microcosm of society as the push for equality continues, “People think there’s money in women now,” King said.
“That’s why they’re buying soccer teams. That’s why they’re buying basketball teams. That’s why they really are investing now. There’s no question, the values have gone way up. People think it’s a good investment. That never used to happen, at least in women’s sports.
“We’re going to keep pushing [for equality], because you want it for everyone. If they guys were making what we were making, I would’ve been pushing for them. But that’s not the way it is. Sport is a microcosm of society … so we have an amazing opportunity to lead and let people think about things, and maybe they’ll change.
“Sports give women, particularly, a chance to truly define themselves in a big way. With sports as a platform, we can help make the world a better place.”
All four Grand Slams now offer equal prize money but there is still a lot of work to do on the WTA tour to ensure that all events have equal investment than the ATP events.
