Billie Jean King has once again been recognized for her irreplaceable impact on women’s sports.
The tennis legend was officially awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on Friday, making her the first individual female athlete to receive this honor. The bill behind her nomination specifically recognizes “her courageous and groundbreaking leadership in advancing equal rights for women in athletics, education and society.”
That bill was first introduced on September 20, 2023, the 50th anniversary of the “Battle of the Sexes,” in which King defeated former men’s No. 1 Bobby Riggs in the most-watched tennis match of all time.
Before King, the only women to win the award were the female members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, who were unable to compete in the Games due to the American-led boycott of the host nation of the Soviet Union.
The complete list of athletes winning the Congressional Gold Medal is:
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Roberto Clemente (1973)
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1980 U.S. Summer Olympic Team (1980)
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JoeLouis (1982)
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Jesse Owens (1988)
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Jackie Robinson (2003)
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Byron Nelson (2006)
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Arnold Palmer (2009)
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Jack Nicklaus (2014)
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Larry Doby (2018)
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Steve Gleason (2019)
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Greg LeMond (2020)
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Willie O’Ree (2022)
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Billie Jean King (2024)
King also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2009. She was the first female athlete to also win that award. Before King, only five other athletes had won both the Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal: Clemente, Owens, Robinson, Palmer and Nicklaus.
Billie Jean King fought for equal pay and won
It’s hard to think of one person who has left a bigger mark on women’s sports than the 80-year-old King. Her legacy goes far beyond her outstanding achievements on the court, including 39 Grand Slam titles (12 in singles, 16 in doubles and 11 in mixed doubles).
The field of women’s sports would be unrecognizable today if King had not founded the Virginia Slims Circuit and later the WTA. Frustrated by the gender pay disparity in tennis, King and eight other athletes formed the breakout tour and found financial success with their own sponsors and television partners. King’s victory in the “Battle of the Sexes” was also a milestone for women’s sports.
Nowadays, all major tennis tournaments award equal prize money to men and women, a departure from other sports.
King is also widely recognized as a pioneer for the LGBTQ community, affirming her identity as a lesbian in 1981 and serving as a symbol for gay rights ever since.
