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Announcer:
The following is a special
presentation

of the HBO Sports
documentary series

"Legends & Legacies."

Billie Jean King:
I had poor vision
as a youngster

and I just loved it
when I got my glasses

'cause I could
really see clearly.

Everybody at school
would always say,

"Girls with glasses
get no passes."

I didn't like that.

But I was
pretty pragmatic.

Okay?

King:
I'll put those glasses on
to play, that's for sure.

Announcer:
Ladies and gentlemen,
now our special guest.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Announcer:
As player, promoter,
and innovator,

she's done more to advance
the cause of women's sport

than any man or woman
before or since.

A warm Wimbledon welcome,
please, for Billie Jean King.

( applause )

( silent )

( music playing )

King:
12 years old,
I have an epiphany.

If God gave me
this gift,

I was gonna do
everything in my power

to make this world
a better place.

The whole world
was in tumult...

and so was I.

I was just
going through hell.

I was a feminist.
I was proud of it.

( camera shutters click )

King:
I just had to win.
It was just life and death.

We tried again,
but it was a lie.

Little did I know
what was gonna follow
in my lifetime.

A champion has got to
say to themselves,

"I want the ball
no matter what"

and be willing
to be at high risk.

You just gotta do it.

My mother was pregnant with me,
and my dad was in Virginia

training to go to war.

Betty Moffitt:
Well, Bill was in service,

and I just felt I should
name her Billie Jean
after her daddy,

not knowing if he was
going to come home.

King:
So that's how I got called
Billie Jean.

I love my name
'cause it's different.

( laughs )
I've always liked it.

I'm just a basic kid
from Long Beach, California.

Middle America,

family
pretty conservative.

- ( siren blaring )
- King: My dad a firefighter,
my mom a homemaker.

It was fun to go
to the firehouse.

He would grab me
in one arm

and we'd go down the pole

and I'd go, "Daddy, Daddy.
Let's do it again."

He's the one that gives
100 percent in sports.

My dad was very hyper
on the court

and very inappropriate
sometimes,

shall we say,
with his temper.

When I was five,
the guys wouldn't let me

play out in the street
and my dad made them.

And I held my own
just fine.

One of the most exciting days
was when my brother came home
from the hospital.

My mom put Randy down
on the sofa and I'm like,

"Oh, this is the greatest."

Ever since I was a young boy,
she was always just "Sis."

It was a lot easier
to say than "Billie Jean."

( singing )

King:
It was just a typical
blue-collar family.

It was very religious.

Very.

Loved going to church
on Sundays.

Reverend Bob Richards, who was
an Olympic pole vaulter,

had a sports story
in every sermon.

He was just so motivating.

He was unbelievable.

We used to always
play touch football

out in the front yard.

My mother called me in
one day and said,

"You can't play
football anymore.

I want you to be a lady
at all times,

and playing football
is not being a lady."

And I said,
"What does that mean?
What is a lady?"

In fifth grade,
my friend Susan Williams--

who was the best tennis player
in Long Beach--

asked me if I
wanted to play tennis,

and I said,
"What's tennis?"

She says,
"Well, you get to run,

you get to hit a ball,
and you get to jump."

"I'll try that.
I'll try that."

So I think tennis,
being a "sissy" sport--

in the '50s particularly--
my mom could handle that.

To her it was more
of a feminine sport.

My parents
made me earn the money
for my first racket,

so I went around
to neighbors and begged,

and they gave me
these odd jobs.

So we went to this
sporting goods store
in Long Beach.

A guy comes up.
"What are you looking for?"

And I said,
"Whatever $8.29 will buy."

So I got this racket
and I had my first lesson,

and by the end
of that lesson,

I knew I'd found
what I wanted to do
with my life.

She was very definite
about what she wanted to do.

There wasn't
one question.

"I found what I'm gonna do
with my life.

I love this game.

I wanna be the number one
player in the world."

And I'm telling my mother
this as she's driving me home,

and I was jumping up
in the seat.

I just kind of agreed
with her and said,

"That'll be fine,
honey, if that's
what you want to do."

She's more the killjoy
in the family,

so I'm like,
"Mom, you don't get it.

I really wanna do this."

"That's fine, dear."
You know, as she's driving home,

and,
"You've got piano lessons."

I go to the L.A. Tennis Club
for the first time.

Very excited.
My mom has sewn me
these shorts.

And now it's time
for the group photo,

and the czar of tennis,
Perry T. Jones,

looks at me and says,
"Hey, little girl.

You can't be in the photo
because you're wearing shorts.

You have to wear a skirt
or a tennis dress."

Because of our ignorance
and inexperience in the sport,

we hadn't ever seen
a tennis dress until that day,

and I started to understand
what it was to be a girl

and kind of be
on the outside looking in.

I have an epiphany
that I want to change things.

I didn't like the fact
that tennis was so elitist.

I didn't see any
people of color in the game.

It was just snooty,
it was closed, it was rigid,

and it was very clear
that unless I was number one,

I wouldn't be listened to.

But I always had
all these things
bubbling up in me.

If God gave me this gift,

I was gonna do
everything in my power

to make this world
a better place.

That's it.

I would go to tournaments
every weekend,

and I get in the Dudley Cup
in Santa Monica, California.

I end up winning
the 13-and-under,

and I just remember
I had to get up

and thank everybody
for the first time,

and then I realized
if I'm gonna be any good
in tennis,

if I'm gonna be number one
like I want to be,

I'm gonna have
to do this often.

I watched aggressive
players--

Darlene Hard,
Althea Gibson,
Louise Brough.

Alice Marble helped me
when I was 15, which was huge.

She was just
an all-time great.

I'm seeing
all these great champions,

and I want to just be
better than they were.

Every weekend when I would
come back from a tournament,

Randy would actually
count the trophies.

He'd add them up
and keep adding them.

I loved it.
It was tough, though,

because sometimes people
would come up to me and say,

"Oh, there's no way
you can be number one.

Have you ever seen
a number one player
wear glasses?"

Uh-oh, I think
they might be right.

But that didn't
deter me at all.

I used to sleep
with my racket,

and I would dream
about Wimbledon.

I loved Wimbledon.

Gerald Williams,
who was with the "Daily Mail,"

took me up to the top
of Centre Court when I arrived.

And I thought,
"It looks so small,

but it looks intimate,
and I like that."

I belong here.
This is my home.

Frank Deford:
Wimbledon is the beating heart
of the tennis world.

All that tradition,
all that glory,

and, yes,
all that snobbishness.

For Billie Jean,
this was the Mecca.

King:
My biggest thrill was '61.

I won doubles
with Karen Hantze.

We weren't seeded.

She said,
"Billie, we can win this."

I'm 17, she's 18.

We'd only played
two weeks before Wimbledon.

She was right,

and we just giggled our way
through the tournament.

Yes!
( screams, laughs )

Deford:
The British fell for her.

She was
this chubby little thing

with the hideous,
tacky glasses.

It was her energy
and her passion
that they loved.

King:
We were the youngest team
to have ever

won women's doubles
at Wimbledon.

Betty Moffitt:
Oh, we got all kinds
of phone calls.

I was at work
in the fire station.
Remember that?

- Uh-huh.
- And they phoned.

Yes, he did.
Someone did phone them.

- Someone phoned me...
- Mm-hmm.

and told me what
Billie Jean had done.

King:
I'm getting all this attention
when I play at Wimbledon,

and then I'm going back home,
back to my real life.

Tennis, at that time,
was still a part-time gig.

I'd go back to school
every September,

Cal State L.A.

I walk in the library
at school

and I see this guy,
and he is adorable.

He's blond, he's gorgeous.

Marcos Carriedo,
who was on the tennis team,

kept telling me,
"He's really smart

and he plays on the team."

Marcos Carriedo,

for a couple of months,
was saying,

"Larry, I want you to meet
my doubles partner."

I thought she was
the cat's meow

from the first time
I met her.

King:
We just started spending time
together all the time.

I fell in love with him
pretty quickly.

He's the one that
made me into a feminist.

We were walking along,
hand in hand, past
the tennis courts,

and he said, "You know,
you're a second-class citizen."

I said, "What?"

Larry King:
I pointed out that
I had a scholarship

and she didn't.

She was the equal
of the best player
on the men's team,

and she didn't get
her gas money.

And he said,
"Why? Because you're a girl."

All these feelings that had
been bubbling up in me--

he brought
everything into focus.

I really needed
to go follow my dream,

and I couldn't get the training
I needed in college.

I got this offer
to go to Australia.

She went to Australia
for four months to work
on her game,

to be the best player
she could be.

King:
The Australian guys
are the ones who made my game.

If I'd married a guy
who was very different,

ooh, I probably
would've stayed home.

Well, in '65,
we got married.

It was a beautiful
wedding.

Larry King:
We were really young--
I was 20 and she was 21.

We had about $300
to our name.

She worked
for the Parks Department
after school.

King:
Larry was working at night,

and I would take him lunch
at 2:00 in the morning.

Larry King:
It was a great life,
and we helped each other.

King:
Wimbledon, 1966.

I was 22 years old,
and I finally had
the opportunity

to be number one
in the world.

Male commentator:
The ladies' final.

Here come the girls,
coming onto the court.

Female commentator:
Billie Jean King

against Maria Bueno.

The championship match
at Wimbledon in '66 was huge.

King:
I step on the court,
it's total commitment.

It's no putzing around.
I was there.

Female commentator:
Here's the little spunky
Californian

with the spectacles.

Frank Deford:
She was always just
scampering all over the court.

It was just
constant motion,

and I think that was
so different

and so much fun.

( spectators clapping )

King:
I would've liked to have been
a little bit taller,

but I had enough,

and I could get down so well
because of my short legs.

Male commentator:
So, it's the American
number one

serving
for the championship.

I was sitting
in the player's box

chewing my nails
and watching Billie Jean.

- ( screams )
- Male commentator:
That's it, she's won it.

Billie Jean,
who toured Australia

in an effort
to raise her game,

has certainly worked
really hard for this triumph
today.

King:
First year I won singles,

you know, you're just
in a different place.

Your head and your heart,
your gut--

oh, it just
took my breath away.

Reporter:
How does it feel
to be the new champ?

Well, I was very excited
right after,

but right now I can hardly
believe I've won,

and I probably won't realize it
until tomorrow.

I presumed
that she was gonna
pursue her tennis,

but I was pretty naive.

My expectations
were we'd settle down
and have a family.

♪ This is the dawning
of the age of Aquarius... ♪

King:
I was pretty wired
in the '60s.

I was interested
in what was going on.

I think the women's movement
was probably

one of the most
misunderstood movements.

( chanting )
Equal pay for equal work!

When do we want it?
Now!

King:
The media, they
always talked about

burning bras
or something.

And, really, what it was
was about empowering women.

Equality!

Larry King:
The burning of bras
just went right by her,

but once she
got the connect that,

oh, this is about
why she couldn't play football.

This is
trying to move people

toward equal pay
and equal treatment--

then Billie Jean
understood it totally.

Women:
Equality!

( spectators clapping )

King:
By then, I was number one
in the world.

I thought,
"This is ridiculous.

Look at all these people
paying money to come
and watch us.

But we're not getting
any of it."

Larry King:
Of course, being number one
in the world in tennis

wasn't a $14 million career
like it is today.

It was an activity that you did
till you got a real job.

Deford:
Billie Jean grew up
in a system

where you had to pretend
to be an amateur,

and everybody around her,
including her brother,

who was a baseball player,

was paid a dollar
for a dollar's work.

You were supposed
to play tennis for love,

and this didn't work

because the best players
needed to be paid,

so that money came
under the table.

It was called
"shamateurism."

But in 1968, Wimbledon,
among others, said,

"We're gonna go pro.
We're gonna go open."

Suddenly, every amateur
of any consequence

was a professional.

What it means is
we finally started getting
prize money.

But Larry thought,
with open tennis,

that the men
would squeeze the women out.

He was right.

I also had some other things
weighing on my mind.

( shouting, chanting )

King:
During the late '60s,
early '70s,

the whole world
was in tumult...

and so was I.

I was just a lost soul.

Usually, the court
was my sanctuary.

I was just
going through hell.

Larry King:
She always feels grouchy
during Wimbledon.

There's a lot of pressure.

It's not so much
that she takes it
out on me

as that she
leaves me out of it.

Like, she likes to get off
by herself and just think.

King:
And I told Larry, "I don't
know-- things aren't right."

And I didn't want to
get into exactly why.

I'd think you'd
like to be together
and talk things out.

By then, I knew I had
some interest in women.

And I'm going,
"Oh, no.

I don't understand
what's going on."

I felt like
I was betraying him.

I was a mess.

I had no thought
to anything else

other than
being with Billie Jean,

even though our lives
were taking us seriously

more and more
into separate space.

King:
Oh, I think
he was getting inklings,

but I couldn't even
get the words out.

I was so ashamed.
I couldn't even say "gay"

or "homosexual"
or something to that--

or "lesbian" to Larry.
I couldn't even get it out.

I couldn't even get it out
to anybody, let alone him.

I couldn't even get it out
for myself.

To speak about being
gay or lesbian was a no-no,

and if it was talked about
at all publicly,

there was
so much hostility.

Besides all this,
we're in the beginning

of women's professional
tennis.

( applause )

Deford:
Women's tennis
never had the cachet

that men's tennis had.

When it came time
for the guys to make money
in an honest way,

they had no interest
in bringing the women along.

So you take someone
like Jack Kramer,

who ran the big tournament
in Southern California.

In Jack's eyes, the "dames"
didn't put anybody in the seats,

so he said, "All right,
we'll give 'em 10 percent

and they can fill in
a few hours in the afternoon."

The ratio was something like
the men got 12,000,

the women got
about $1,500 for winning,

and for Billie Jean,
that was not right.

Deford:
She decided, "We've gotta
set up our own equivalency

of what the men are doing."

Unless we got together
as a group,

we weren't gonna have
any power or say

as to what prize money
was available for us.

Deford: Gladys Heldman
put together a magazine
called "World Tennis,"

and Gladys derived
a lot of power from this.

She was who
Billie Jean turned to

when it was time
to try to strike out
on their own.

Two other players-- Nancy Richey
and Rosie Casals-- and I

went to Gladys Heldman
and talked to her

about having a tour.

I said, "We've gotta have
a contract with you, Gladys."

And she goes,
"Okay, $1."

So we signed a symbolic
$1 contract with her

just to get started.

Deford:
When Billie Jean
and the eight other players

became pros for $1,

the USLTA could've said,
"You're out of here, ladies."

It's hard to imagine now
that tennis federations

absolutely
controlled players.

So it wasn't just
that they were rebelling,

they were risking
absolute banishment
from tennis.

King:
The women were scared
because the USLTA

told us they weren't
gonna let us play

in any tournaments
anymore.

They said, "Well, we're
gonna lose everything."

I said,
"We've got bupkis.

We've got nothing.
We have nothing to lose."

Deford:
They couldn't just be

these wild nine women
screaming, "We're pros!"

They had to have
some substance,

and the substance
came from Virginia Slims
and Philip Morris.

Of course, it's an irony
that it was a cigarette

which promoted
this athletic venture.

As much as Billie Jean
hated smoking,

she felt this
extraordinary loyalty

and an obligation
to Virginia Slims.

King:
I knew what they could do
for marketing our sport.

I knew they had
the most money.

And bottom line,

we needed the money
for our tour to succeed.

We really stepped it up
after we started

the Virginia Slims Tour.

Deford:
Billie Jean
was the whole act.

She had to do
all the promoting.

She was so clever
about playing up to the press.

Aren't men really better
tennis players than women?

I don't know.
An awful lot of fellas

have been coming out
to our tournaments.

I don't know if it's
to watch the lace panties
or what, but...

There was a certain kind of
flirtation that went on,

trying to make
this crazy act fly.

King: So the USTA reacted
by starting their own
professional tour,

and the Virginia Slims Tour
is a professional tour,

so now we're divided.

And it just came down
to who had the goods
to survive.

Chris Evert was the best thing
that happened to women's tennis.

When she played
at the '71 U.S. Open,

it was unbelievable
the coverage she got.

Reporter:
What's it been like now that
you're a tennis celebrity?

Chris Evert:
I was just a shy little kid.

During the match,
I'd be dreading the interviews

rather than my opponent.

Deford:
Chrissie was adorable.

She was "Miss America Pie."

King:
She has the looks
like the girl next door.

People like that
in America.

Commentator:
This crowd has been
all for Evert,

the little girl.

Now we could learn
to love women's tennis

because Chrissie Evert
was gonna be part of it.

Stage presence
and extremely competitive.

I went, "Whoo-hoo, I think
we have the next champion."

I think Billie Jean
understood me right
from day one.

The other tennis players,

many of them
wouldn't even talk to me.

King:
One of the biggest reasons
that the other players

were having trouble
was because Chris didn't
come on our tour

and she was getting
all the attention

and we're the ones
who paved the way.

Evert:
My dad made that decision.
I had no say.

All I knew was
that Virginia Slims

were sort of
the "rebel circuit,"

and the USTA
had threatened anyone

who joined
the Virginia Slims Tour.

We had this vision,

and if she wasn't gonna
be a part of it,

we probably
weren't gonna make it.

Commentator:
No doubt that this tennis match
has created more excitement

than any match at Forest Hills
in a long time.

When I played Chris in '71,
that was the only time I've
cried before a match.

Commentator:
Billie Jean knows
that if Chrissie

gets into
this match at all,

13,000 people will be
riding right with her.

King:
If she won,

the Virginia Slims Tour
could fail.
I couldn't take a chance
that it could happen.

( spectators cheering )

Commentator:
Billie Jean is not
gonna let go today.

She wants to send this kid
back to school quick.

I'm really glad I won.
( laughs )

Commentator:
That's it. Billie Jean
is the winner.

Deford:
It was perfect because
it built women's tennis up,

but it didn't allow
Chris to run away

with women's tennis
at that time.

She's a personality now,
and I think that's why those
people were there,

and I think that's great
for tennis.

Deford:
Billie Jean had the foresight
to tell the other players,

"Hitch your wagon
to this star

'cause she's gonna
take us forward."

Evert:
When I joined the Slims Circuit
two years later,

it was the right time.

Everybody was ready to form
into one professional circuit.

The bottom line is
we have to be together.

We have to be
together in this.

To the queen of tennis.

I bet you
my head's too big.

( reporters clapping )

In 1971, Billie Jean
was winning $100,000
in prize money.

- Richard Nixon: Hello?
- Hello, Mr. President?

Yes, I just wanted
to congratulate you on the--

I'm glad to see
a fellow Californian
gets over $100,000.

Well, thanks
very much.

Larry King:
I ran eight or nine
tournaments that year,

so I was totally busy.

It's a wonder that I managed
to get Billie Jean pregnant.

King:
Every woman has her reason.

No one ever
takes that lightly.

You signed that
"We had an abortion"
declaration in "Ms."

I knew we'd have to
get into this.

King:
"Ms." magazine was trying to
get as many women as possible

to say they had
an abortion.

I don't think it's
really anybody's business.

Yeah, but on the other hand,
you signed the public
declaration.

Oh, I know.
I had an abortion.

- Yeah.
- But I don't think
the reason--

anyone has to know.
I can say that it was
not because of my career.

Larry's the one
that entered my name,

and he told me
after the fact.

I was not happy.

Larry King:
She was really lukewarm

to having her name
in "Ms." magazine,

even though she wanted
to support them,

and she felt
it was a woman's choice.

I thought the greater good

was to stand
with the other women.

I encouraged her
to do it,

and the only objection
that she had

was that her mother
would find out that
she had an abortion.

I like to tell my parents first.
That's important to me.

Do you want to
have children one day?

Yes, I do.

I wanted children.

I didn't want to be married
to Larry anymore.

I wanted a divorce
in '69.

Larry didn't,

and I didn't want to bring
a child into the world

when our relationship
was, um...

not right.

If she had these thoughts,
she never expressed them to me,

or I never recognized them
if she expressed them.

I didn't hear them, which is,
I guess, a male trait--

you don't hear
what you don't want to hear.

We come here as women
who earn 58 cents

for every dollar
earned by men.

( chanting )
Hey, hey, what do you say?
Ratify the ERA.

King:
I was a feminist.
I was proud of it.

I used to have discussions
with Gloria Steinem and others.

...projects that allow women
to maximize

their chances for change...

King:
Feminism to me--

and I think it meant different
things to everybody--

to me, it just means
equal opportunity for
boys and girls.

And girls are underserved.
It's very easy.

I testified on Capitol Hill

on behalf of Title IX,

and everybody thinks
it's about sports and it isn't.

It was about everything.

Deford:
Title IX is very simple--

if the men get this in school,
the women get this in school.

They gotta have
the same amount of money.

Basically, that's it.

I think it's fair to say
that Title IX

was absolutely
revolutionary.

As far as budgets,
it's 99-to-one

in favor of boys' programs
in the school system.

Deford:
Billie became not only
a leader in tennis,

but a symbol
in the women's movement.

How do you think
that it got that way
to begin with--

that there was such
a discrepancy?

Because men are the ones
who have the control.

And the word "strident"
was applied to her,

I think, in the same way
that any African-American

at that time
who voiced themselves

was being called
"arrogant."

"Billie Jean
was strident."

Commentator:
That's it.

King:
Everybody knew who I was
in 1972, '73.

Those were big years
for the tour, for feminism,
for me.

Deford:
The "Sports Illustrated"
Sportsman of the Year Award

was very much giving
the magazine's

stamp of approval
to someone as a person

and not just a player.

'72 was a tremendous push
from women

who thought that
Billie Jean King deserved it.

A lot of men felt
that John Wooden was
the obvious choice.

It had always
gone to a man.

I don't think a woman
had ever been seriously
considered.

Andre Laguerre, who was
the managing editor, passed me
in the hall and he said,

"What's this I hear
about Billie Jean King
being a lesbian?"

And I said,
"Andre, come on.

You know they say that
about all women athletes."

That's all I said.

Finally, you know,
he "split the baby,"

but someone had broached
the subject with him

and he was prepared
to pull her out.

It's the first time
"Sports Illustrated" has ever
honored a woman athlete,

so, for me,
I feel fantastic about it.

Of course, at this time
in my life--

it comes at
a really great time.

King:
When I first met
Marilyn Barnett,

I met her
as my hairdresser.

I enjoyed talking to her,
but I had no idea

we were gonna
have an affair.

She did travel with me
the year of 1973.

Larry King:
The first time I met Marilyn,
I didn't think much about it.

Billie Jean
had always needed somebody
to tour with her,

carrying her bags
and answering the phones.

Later on, it became obvious
that Marilyn was more than
a bag carrier.

King:
She was a refuge for me.

It was fun just
to have a place

that wasn't
a part of my usual world.

Larry King:
If that's where
her life took her,

then I still loved her.

My love was not conditioned
on her patting my head.

Evert:
When I saw Larry
sitting with Marilyn

watching Billie Jean,

I was just
trying to figure out--
how did it work?

Nobody was making
any judgments,

and everybody
was cool with it.

Larry King:
I never worried about it
as long as it didn't

intrude on my relationship
with Billie Jean.

She was beautiful,
she was sweet,

but I started to see
parts of her that
I didn't like--

being selfish
and extremely controlling--

so I started
getting scared.

I needed to wake up,
but I was right in the throes
of playing tennis.

A lot was happening.
1973 was a real pivotal year.

A few years earlier,
the men had formed the ATP.

I said, "I hope you're
including the women."

They said,
"You must be joking."

Deford:
You know, she came
from a union family,

and I think she understood
that if the men players
had a union,

then it was pretty damn
important for the women, too.

We had this meeting in London,
"Okay, we're gonna vote,"

and lo and behold,
we had the Women's Tennis
Association--

the WTA.

I was thrilled that the women
could truly join each other

and make us
much stronger.

Deford:
She's putting a union
together at night,

and then she'll go out
and play matches during the day.

( spectators applauding )

Commentator:
Billie Jean, of course,

is about to attempt to create
a postwar record,

her fifth Wimbledon final.

Evert:
When I walked on the court
with Billie Jean,

I didn't give myself
much of a chance.

( spectators applauding )

Evert:
She was at the peak
of her game.

Yeah, I was intimidated.

Commentator:
It's out, and there's
the championship

for Billie Jean.

Deford:
She was going out
and winning at Wimbledon--

mixed, doubles
and singles--

and created a union, too.

And on the seventh day,
Billie rested.

King:
That was a thrilling year,
'73, when I won all three.

Yeah, oh, yeah.
I had to play that guy,
Bobby Riggs, also.

Bobby Riggs:
American women are the most
privileged group

of all time in history
and they're still not satisfied.

King:
I used to hear
all the Bobby Riggs stories.

I grew up
in Southern California
where he grew up.

And he--
( laughs )

he was born a hustler.

He was a "PK."
He was a preacher's kid.

Either they follow Daddy
into the ministry

or they go off
in a completely different
direction,

and that was the kind of PK
that Bobby was.

He was a little guy,

and in '39,
he swept Wimbledon.

He won it more up here
than he did anywhere else.

He got into women's tennis,

and this was the supreme
hustle of all time.

King:
He wanted to make
a lot of money.

You know,
when we started the tour,

we started
to get some attention,

and Bobby Riggs
wanted to get in on it.

Deford:
He seemed to get
this ragtag army of men

who rejected
the women's movement.

He became an icon,
and he played it to a hilt.

I'm fighting for the guys.

They're all gonna
get married in the next--

when they get
20, 21 or two,

and we gotta stop
those women right now, see.

Deford:
Riggs, being
a very clever guy,

he wanted
Billie Jean King.

It was assumed that
if he was this loudmouth

speaking out for men,

then that's what
she had to be for women,

which wasn't
the case at all.

I didn't want to get
caught up in this sideshow.

Next challenge, Matt.
Next challenge.

King: He's 55 years old,
and from an athletic
point of view,

it's no big deal
even if I beat him.

If I lose,
people can start using this

as a reason
not to want women

to have equal opportunity.

When Billie wouldn't have
anything to do with him,

the only person who was
on the level with her

was Margaret Court
of Australia.

Commentator:
Margaret Court,
who has won more major

tennis championships
than anyone else.

Deford:
Maybe Margaret was
the marginally better player,

but whatever that meter is
where people's popularity
is known,

Margaret Court was down here
and Billie Jean was up here.

Evert:
You know, Margaret wasn't
a real women's libber, anyway.

She didn't have a clue
what the significance
of this match was.

She thought she was
just playing this old guy
for a lot of money.

King:
Margaret told me,

"Oh, I'm gonna play
Bobby Riggs, by the way."

And I said to her,
"Whatever you do,

promise me
you're gonna beat him."

Deford:
He caught her off guard
by presenting her

the flowers for Mother's Day
at the net at the beginning.

King:
Margaret lost the match
when she curtsied.

Oh-hh. I said,
"How could she do that?"

And after that,
it was just disaster
written all over it.

For having won
more Grand Slam titles
than anybody, she choked.

Commentator: It's over.
Bobby Riggs wins the point,
the set, and the match,

beating the oddsmakers
and Margaret Court.

When she lost--
( smacks armrest )

that was it.
I had to play him.

Margaret, I feel,
had the most to lose.

Now that she went ahead
and lost,

I feel like
I have something to gain.

She's got to make it right now
for women's tennis

because Margaret Court
let all the women down
all over the world.

Reporter:
How are you gonna prepare
for this match?

King:
The contract was September 20th
at the Astrodome.

Primetime television.

$100,000,
winner-take-all.

$100,000 winner-take-all?

I'm known as the greatest
match player of all time.

Any time they play
for big money,

everybody'll tell you,
you gotta go with Bobby Riggs.

I think Bobby enjoyed everything
that led up to the match.

He was basking
in that limelight.

All the ladies
that he got,

all the hype,
all the attention.

He had everybody going.

Billie Jean realized
that Bobby was gonna try
a lot of things.

King:
I knew how
Bobby Riggs played.

He hit a lot of spin
and he hit a lot of lobs.

Ladies just don't
know how to put the ball
where I put 'em

with the stuff
I put on the ball.

I had to be ready

and practiced about
350 overheads a day.

And as each day goes by,
I get calmer and calmer.

- I think I'm better.
- Well, what makes you think
that I won't be able

to psych you out of the match
just like I did Margaret?

Now what makes you
think that?

I'm not Margaret Court.
I love pressure.

You can try to psych me
all you want.

Some people
in professional tennis

are mortified
at the circus atmosphere

surrounding this match.

Deford:
I can't think
of anything like it

in the history of sports.

It was all this
women versus men,

and people are wearing
buttons--

"I'm for Billie Jean,"
"I'm for Bobby."

And it is going to be
the battle of the sexes.

Don't let
anybody tell you
it's any different.

King:
There were a lot of battles
going on behind the scenes.

One of them was
I didn't wanna play this match

if Jack Kramer
was in the booth.

Rosie Casals:
When ABC selected Jack Kramer

to be the commentator
with Howard Cosell and myself,

Billie Jean
definitely said no.

She was still mad
at Jack Kramer

going back several years

when he had run the big
Southern California
tournament

and wanted to give
the women players a pittance.

She never got over that.

King:
He didn't believe
in women's tennis,

so why should he be
a part of this match?

He doesn't believe
in half of the match.

She said, "Larry, call Roone.
Tell him the match is off."

Deford:
Roone Arledge
is the most powerful

and innovative
sports television impresario.

I don't think Roone
had the foggiest idea

that Billie Jean was prepared
to pull out of the whole thing

if he kept Jack
in the booth.

I'm not playing.
Either he goes, I go.

Roone was fit to be tied.

"No athlete's
gonna tell me

who we're gonna have
as a commentator."

King:
This is one time
I had some leverage.

It was kind of exhilarating
and, like...

empowering.

Larry King:
Billie Jean had just
faced him down,

and Roone recognized it
and folded.

Announcer:
Live from the Astrodome
in Houston, Texas,

the Tennis Battle
of the Sexes--

Billie Jean King
vs. Bobby Riggs.

I think probab
Bobby Riggs will win it.

I think Billie Jean King
is an excellent player.

I saw Bobby beat Margaret,

and I think that he's really
a tough player,

so I'd have to give him
the edge over Billie Jean.

Oh, I was such an idiot
in those days.

I laugh when I see myself.
I laugh.

I go, "You know,
I-- I've changed."

Howard Cosell:
What a scene it is--
the Houston Astrodome.

A wild scene almost reminiscent
of college football.

Casals:
I'm up in the booth
with Howard Cosell

realizing how big
this was.

Deford:
It was part circus, it was
part political convention,

it was part spectacular.

Cosell:
More than 30,000 people
are in this arena

for an all-time record
tennis audience anywhere...

King:
My parents were there.
You know how often

my parents came to tennis?
Rarely.

We know that Billie Jean
can take Bobby to camp,

and that's why we're here--
to watch her win this big one.

Deford:
Billie Jean showed up
in this sedan chair

with this glistening
outfit

that looked like
she'd come from Las Vegas.

King:
Jerry Perenchio,
the promoter,

didn't think
I'd get on it.

Well, a feminist
can understand show business.

Deford:
And Riggs comes out

with all kinds of beautiful
women surrounding him,

and Billie Jean
gives him a pig.

Cosell:
Look at that
male chauvinist pig.

The whole thing takes on
almost a surreal atmosphere.

Cosell:
And so the two players
are out on the court.

King:
My plan A was to be
super aggressive--

get the point over with.

And then I thought,
"You know what?

That doesn't feel right.
I think I'm gonna go to plan B."

Cosell:
They have started the match.

I was gonna make him
run...

and run and run and run.

I don't care,
whatever it takes.

I'm gonna beat you.

- Cosell: Look at that.
- Casals: Fabulous shot.

Cosell:
She's got him running.

Larry King:
He hadn't prepared
for Billie Jean,

and she was cold, cool,
and determined,

and Bobby was sweating
like a pig.

And Bobby,
he's in trouble.

Cosell:
He's fighting
for his tennis life now.

He didn't know
how to beat her.

She just manhandled him.

I mean, it was
a complete rout.

( cheering )

Cosell:
Let's watch Bobby Riggs
gracefully accept...

I was just like a washrag,

and it was all
I could do to get up.

I was so happy
for Billie Jean.

Cosell:
Excitement engendered
all over the country...

Larry King:
This is one of those moments
you treasure forever.

There was no security
at this match,

so George Foreman
became one of my bodyguards.

- And $100,000.
- ( laughs )

Randy Moffitt:
I was sitting in my bed

eating chicken wings
and watching my sister.

I did quite well
financially that day, too.

( laughs )

King:
I know people think
it was just fun.

It was not fun for me.

( cheering )

King:
I wanted to get it over with,
have it part of history.

Margaret went
and opened the door,

and I hope
I shut the door.

Deford:
If she'd lost,

it truly would've hurt
women's tennis,

and it would've hurt
Billie Jean King.

I don't think that she
would have remained

as substantive
a character thereafter.

I'm sure
that most people felt

that she couldn't stand
Bobby Riggs.

I think there was
a great part of her
that liked him.

She stayed in touch with him
literally till the day he died.

King:
Near the end,
in a very soft voice,

he said, "We really did
make a difference, didn't we?"

The last thing I ever said
to Bobby was, "I love you."

Larry King:
Beating a man wasn't really
the important thing.

The important thing
was that women professional
athletes

deserved an opportunity
to be as good as they could be

in whatever endeavor
they chose.

That's what won
that night.

Billie Jean King triumphed

over the self-proclaimed
"male chauvinist pig"
Bobby Riggs.

The outcome even drew attention
on the Senate floor.

Democratic leader Mansfield
said he was delighted
and, quote,

"There has to be good news
once in a while."

Minority leader Scott
said Mrs. King's victory, quote,

"ratified
the 26th amendment."

That's the Equal Rights
Amendment.

Deford:
She was absolutely
a symbol at that time.

Everywhere she went,
she was known.

"Seventeen" magazine
polled its readers,

and she was voted
the most respected woman
in the world.

Golda Meir of Israel
was second.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Miss Billie Jean King.

King:
Being a celebrity
was really important,

because if you're gonna
transcend your sport,

you've gotta touch
people's hearts somehow,
or their minds,

and get them
to pay attention.

( audience applauding )

Hi, Billie Jean.
Long time no see.

Who'd you
hustle today?

Well, at least
you're smarter now.
You're only playing men.

She couldn't go anywhere
without women coming up

and wanting
to touch her.

In tennis, she was not only
near the top of her game,

but she also was sort of
running the show.

Commentator:
Look out.

Deford:
She was sort of like
an octopus.

She had her tentacles
everywhere.

I am pleased
to present you
with this award

as Outstanding Woman
Athlete of 1973.

Thank you.

King:
The Women's Sports Foundation
was formed in May of '74.

Well, I'd like this to go
to Women's Sports Foundation...

King:
Got a $5,000 check
from Bob Hope.

We wanted to change
the attitude

towards girls and women
in sports,

and we wanted to give grants
to grassroots programs.

To do this
and be successful,

we're gonna need some
high-profile trustees

to get behind the idea.

And that's how
I met Sparky.

Charles Schulz--
Sparky's his nickname--

I just loved him
from the very first moment.

He became
an immediate trustee

and believed
that we could do anything.

I was so thankful
that he was in my life...

because some people
are really highly skilled

or number one
in their field

and they're not
really nice people

or not really the kind of person
I want to be around.

But I did want to be
around Sparky

and I did want to be
around Elton.

I fell in love
with Elton John in '71.

Elton John:
I first met her
at a party in Hollywood.

We're both
glasses wearers.

I think we both hid behind
our glasses a little bit,

but as soon as I met her,
I warmed to her immediately.

King:
And Elton said, "Okay,
we have to get together."

I called him and he came
right over in his Rolls-Royce.

That's what he had.
28 speakers.

( music playing )

John:
So I blasted her
out of that car.

King:
And a little later on,
I was at one of his concerts.

It's Billie Jean King.

King:
Now I became an immediate BV--
backup vocalist.

( singing )

King:
I did that quite often,
actually,

and I had no idea
what I was doing

and I loved every
minute of it.

John:
She wanted to feel
what I felt onstage.

I could never do that
on court with her

except at
a World Team Tennis Match.

Great shot!

King:
In '74, Larry and I
were involved

in forming
World Team Tennis.

World Team Tennis
was everything Billie Jean
wanted for tennis.

The idea allowed
the men and women
to be totally equal.

King:
And Americans understand
team sports.

They understand
city versus city,

and all those things
were very important to us.

Announcer:
The great Billie Jean King

will be playing
for Philadelphia.

( audience cheering )

Announcer:
Billie Jean King!

Evert:
I loved the concept.

I'm a big fan
of World Team Tennis.

I was cheering on
my teammates

as well as they were
cheering me on,

and it was just totally
a new concept for me.

Evert:
There's so much excitement
in that arena,

and with the different
color court,

it was pure entertainment.

Commentator:
Evert forehand,
King backhand,

volley, backhand,
volley.

Evert backhand, volley,
and a point!

Oh, Mother Freedom,
Billie Jean King delivers.

Martina Navratilova: I loved it.
All the top players played.

It's great as a tennis player
that you can be part of a team.

It makes sense.

Evert:
You get to travel together
and form friendships,

some people more than that,
and it was a ball.

John:
I said to her that
I'd like to write a song

for the Philadelphia
Freedoms.

It's lucky
that they were called
the Philadelphia Freedoms

and not
the Boston Lobsters.

♪ Philadelphia Freedom... ♪

John:
And, you know,
it's lasted quite a long time.

Every time I play it,
I always think of her.

♪ Yes, I do... ♪

Yes!

Commentator:
That's one of them.

At the end of '78,
I ran into Martina,

and she said,
"Let's play Wimbledon next year,

get your 20th."

Commentator:
Mrs. King in search of
this 20th title.

No doubt the pressure's
beginning to bear a bit.

Navratilova:
I knew this was probably
Billie's last chance

at breaking the record
'cause she was past her prime.

I wanted Billie
to win that title
and make history.

I was glad that I was able
to help her.

- Martina: All right!
- Commentator: That's it,
she's done it.

( spectators cheering )

An historic day
and another chapter

now written
by Billie Jean King.

Evert:
I mean, you can
take anything else

away from her
tennis record-wise,

but don't take the Wimbledon
one away from her.

Commentator:
Her 20th title.

One wonders whether
it will ever be beaten.

Six singles, 10 doubles,
and four mixed.

Evert:
Billie Jean is Wimbledon.

King:
I felt safe
on a tennis court.

It's my stage
for whatever time
I was out there.

I'm gonna enjoy
this moment

and escape all the other
problems in my life.

But it didn't last.

A palimony suit has been filed
against Billie Jean King,

the tennis player, by a woman
who lived with her in the 1970s.

Marilyn Barnett alleges
that she and Mrs. King

had a lesbian
relationship.

She is seeking
half the property

Mrs. King acquired
during that time.

I hardly saw Marilyn,
actually,

except for the year
1973.

It was emotional blackmail,
financial blackmail.

Quite frankly,
I was really afraid of her,

and that's when I really
wanted that press conference.

Was I scared to death?
Yes.

But I'd felt truly--
if I was true to myself,

I didn't have a choice.

I did have an affair
with Marilyn Barnett.

It's been over
for quite some time,

but it's
very important to me

to thank Larry
because I love him very much.

He's my lover, my husband,
and my best friend.

Has been for 19 years.

Larry King:
Anybody would support
their wife in this situation--

you know, when they
get stabbed in the back.

I would like to thank
my parents for standing by me.

Randy Moffitt:
It was a really tough time
for our family.

And coming out as she--
well, she didn't come out.

She was kicked in, basically,
I'd call it.

Navratilova:
To be outed in that form--

you wouldn't wish that
on your worst enemy.

Billie Jean,
it's now being said...

King:
The one thing I did say
is that it was a mistake.

I did make a mistake.

I am married,
it is wrong.

King:
And I think the lesbian/
gay/bisexual/

and transgender
community

felt it was a mistake
because I'd been with a woman,

and that's not
what I meant.

It was a mistake
because I believe in monogamy,

and I think people
got confused,

and I'm sorry
there was that confusion.

Can your marriage
survive this?

It can as far
as I'm concerned.

I don't anticipate
that it wouldn't.

Well, for me, it can.
I was--

I told you, you can
divorce me anytime.

King:
We tried again after that,
but it was a lie,

and I tried
to get him to leave.

I'd ask him, but then
he'd always come back,

and I'd let him in.

So that was really
my fault.

Reporter:
It was a decision met
by Billie Jean King

with tearful emotions.

I have to resolve that issue
against Miss Barnett.

King:
The judge ruled that
it was the closest to extortion

that he'd ever seen.

But, you know,
for me personally,

the damage
had already been done.

Deford:
She knew she was
going to lose

all sorts of endorsements
in the process.

Here she was,
the former champion
of the world,

and she's playing
without a clothing contract.

She was just wearing
stuff off the rack.

Navratilova:
To be losing endorsements,

what, because
of your sexual orientation?

She did not deserve
what she got on that one.

Ilana Kloss:
She's getting ready
to retire.

It was a scary time.
I mean, I think--

Billie Jean
was still married,

I was starting
to be in her life.

King:
I hadn't really seen her
or talked to her for years.

I'd say hi to her on the tour,
like, in passing.

I met Ilana
for the first time--
she was a ball girl.

Kloss:
It was 1967,
the South African Open.

She was my idol.

I met her when I
was 11 years old.

Little did I know
what was gonna follow
in my lifetime.

For some reason,
we went out to dinner in '79,

and I hadn't seen her
for all these years

and I thought, "Jeez,
I'd like to see more of Ilana."

At that time,
I didn't think of it
in a romantic way.

I did spend some time
with Billie Jean then
as a friend.

She asked me
to play doubles with her.

I realized that she was
really somebody that I loved.

King:
We really started getting
interested in each other.

It took her a little while
to, you know, be able to say,

"You know what?
I shouldn't be married.

It's not right for me.
It's not right for Larry.

It's not fair to me."

King:
I had wanted this divorce
from Larry for a long time.

I was so paralyzed
for so long,

and I needed to stop it.

Larry King:
I think Billie Jean felt
that she was releasing me

and letting me have
the life I expected.

I wasn't
a Goody Two-Shoes.

I was having
relationships,

and people make
accommodations.

She was helping me
and I was helping her

by being divorced.

I knew this was--
you know, Ilana's the one.

Ilana's much more
grounded.

I'm more the highty-flighty,
expansive one.

When you're around
Billie Jean...

Thanks a lot.

Kloss:
...you really are attracted

by this energy
and this commitment.

You're improving.
Keep working on your game.

Oh, thanks.
I really appreciate that.

Kloss:
You know, I do think
we complete each other.

Okay,
it's been real.

King:
I really feel it took me
till I was 51

to come to peace
with my parents about
my sexuality.

I probably tried to talk
to my mother for the first time

in the early '70s
about it,

and I just...

no guts, no glory,
and I just couldn't do it.

She walked-- my mom
walked out of the room and...

"I don't talk
about things like this.

You're not like that."

But I grew up
in a family where doing

is what we talked about,
not what we're feeling.

Later in life,
my family therapist
really helped.

We really did
try to talk it through.

That was tough.
It was tough on my parents,

and...

my dad was so cute.

"Be patient with your mother.
She'll come around."

( laughs )

So...

my mom took longer,
but she got there.

Most parents dream
of their children

growing up and getting
married and having kids,

but I think it's hard
to argue with the love

that Billie Jean
and I share.

Randy Moffitt:
They have a great relationship,
my parents do, with Ilana.

It's just
a good situation.

King:
I have a great life
with my parents now.

No lies, no secrets.

It's just like--
whew--

I can breathe.

If you ask Billie Jean
where is her favorite place
to go to lunch?

She will tell you
it's Costco with her parents

for a hot dog
and a frozen yogurt.

King:
Everything is reconciled.

Every little thing,
and that's what I wanted.

Woman:
Would you please welcome
Billie Jean King?

( cheering, applause )

King:
What's really interesting
is I finally have gotten paid

because I'm a lesbian.

There's a market
out there now.

Because, I tell ya,
it really helps if you know,

truly, who you are,

and to be dedicated
to your truth is huge.

Dedication
to my truth.

I mean,
that is so contrary

to what I experienced
25 years ago.

I still think
it's a dream.

I'd like everyone
to wish her the best.

- Happy birthday, Billie.
- Thank you.

King:
I feel like
a youngster inside.

In my heart, I feel like
I'm 17 years old still.

I always want to remain
young at heart

'cause that's what
gives me the drive
to keep going.

And I'm really lucky
and very blessed

with the people
and friends in my life.

Betty Moffitt:
I could see the growth
through the years

of what she was trying
to do and accomplish.

To have a dream come true
is very important.

Randy Moffitt:
Billie Jean was never afraid
to voice her opinions.

Made a lot of people angry,
made a lot of people happy,

but that's my sister.

Larry King:
Billie Jean's true
to her character.

She wants to
change the world.

She's inspiring.

Never regretted a day
I spent with Billie Jean.

I don't think
anybody does.

She is somebody
you believe in

when she tells you
you can achieve, you
can accomplish.

As great a tennis champion
as she was,

I don't even think about
what she did on the court

as much as how
she had the vision

to look ahead and see
how far she could take

not only women's tennis,
but women's sports.

Navratilova:
We needed somebody
that could really spearhead

the movement of equality
for women tennis players,

therefore women athletes,
therefore women.

We're all
grateful for that.

Deford:
She and Jackie Robinson

are the two figures
in sports

who stand out
in the culture.

She should be honored
for what she did.

She did a lot.

If there was
a knighthood system
in America,

she'd be Dame
Billie Jean King.

She deserves
that sort of accolade

for what she's done
with her life.

Kloss:
When you are
a Billie Jean King

and you're a pioneer
and you're trying to
crash down doors,

you don't always
feel a lot of love,

and for Billie,
it's about the process,

and that certainly
yields the greatest gift.

King:
I'm having a great time

even though I get
discouraged sometimes.

If you're a girl or woman,
you're supposed to be
really happy

when you get
the crumbs.

I don't want
the crumbs anymore.

I want the cake
and the icing,

and everybody deserves
the cake and the icing.

( music playing )

Announcer:
This has been a presentation
of HBO Sports.