All language subtitles for Groundbreakers.2023.1080p.WEBRip.x264-BAE

-I'm so happy to see you.

-[Billie] When women
come together

to share their personal stories
of pain, progress,

and perseverance,
something incredible happens.

-I've had some really
great experiences,

and this is going to be
at the top of the list.

-[Billie] We move from
being isolated to being

in community with one another.

-I went through this,
I struggled

before I became the best
in the world in the heptathlon.

-That's such
a cool thing to say.

[ Both laughing ]
-I know!

-I'm Billie Jean King,

tennis champion
and equal rights activist.

[ Cheering ]

I invited world-class athletes
to team up for a series

of one-on-one conversations
to share their powerful stories

of their individual roads
to success.

-I started at a dust field

because they told us
that we were not allowed

to stand on the field because

it was for the boys.

-[Billie]
Discussing everything from

mental health
to equal pay...

-[Julie] We won that first
World Cup, we won the Olympics.

We were literally still
making $10 a day.

-$10 a day?
-Yes.

-I think the biggest
battles really

have been with myself.

-I got outed,

so I lost all my endorsements
in 24 hours.

-[Jackie]
Your voice gave others

the voice, too,
to stand up.

And I want to say thank you,

because some of us
don't have the strength.

-♪ Don't underestimate me ♪

[ Upbeat music ]

♪ Oh, right here,
right now... ♪

-I competed at the Olympics

with a fractured shin.
-How did you do that?

-[Jackie] If I talked about
my mental health,

I was considered weak.

-These stories must be shared

from one generation
to the next,

so we can keep building on
the progress we've made.

-[Diana] The most amazing thing
has been to see the impact

it has had all over the world.

-They put that medal around
your neck, and I realized,

wow, maybe I really have had
an impact as a woman in sports.

-My role now is I've
gotta mentor you

to carry this over
the line eventually.

You keep running, you sprint.

[ Upbeat music ]

"Groundbreakers" was made
possible, in part,

by The WNET Groups
"Chasing the Dream" initiative,

the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting,

and by contributions
to your PBS station

from viewers like you.
Thank you.

-I'm Billie Jean King.
In my tennis career,

I won 39 Major titles,

and I was the number-one
tennis player

in the world for six years.

But I'm most proud of being
a champion of equality.

Equality isn't only
about the money.

It's also about the message.

It's essential that all genders
are treated as equals

and that we all
have the same amount

of societal respect,
access and power.

More than 50 years ago,
the United States

passed a landmark piece

of legislation called Title IX.

It was a major step towards
guaranteeing the equality

for all that is promised
in the Constitution.

Title IX changed
everyday life

for women in the U.S.

It created educational
opportunities,

access to employment,
sports, scholarships,

and activities that had
previously been denied to women.

It created a path to equality,

the kind of equality
I definitely didn't have

access to as a child growing up
without Title IX protections.

When I was a child,
women were not encouraged

to play sports
or pursue a career.

But more than that,
women couldn't even

get a credit card,
serve on a jury,

fight sexual harassment,

or in some cases,
even fight sexual assault.

Women were treated

as second-class citizens.

This one piece of legislation
gave women legal protections

and made an impact that
has rippled through society,

improving lives
for over 50 years.

The fight for equality
is my enduring legacy,

and I know that sharing
our stories is the only way

we will continue to build on
one another's successes.

I invited Jackie Joyner-Kersee,

Naomi Osaka,
Nancy Lieberman,

Chloe Kim, Diana Flores,

Julie Foudy, and Suni Lee

to team up for a series
of one-on-one conversations.

From one generation
to the next,

these women are leaders
who are continuing the fight,

and their personal experiences
can teach us all

about the ongoing pursuit
of equality.

Let me tell you
about Diana Flores.

I met Diana filming

the 2023 Super Bowl
commercial for the NFL.

-♪ Rock with me,
all my girls with me ♪

♪♪

-[Billie] At 24 years old,

Diana is the face
of flag football.

And with the support of the NFL

and the International Federation
of American Football,

Diana is actively campaigning
for flag football

to be played
at the 2028 Olympics.

[ Upbeat music ]

I asked Diana
to meet with me

because she is doing
for flag football

what we did for tennis,

making space for women in
a sport dominated by men.

[ Upbeat music ]

-Hi!
-Yay! How are you?

-I'm good, how are you?
-It's great to see you.

-I'm so happy to see you.

-Great to see you.
-[ Chuckles ]

-A long trip?

Where are you living?
Are you in Mexico?

-Yes, I live in Mexico City.

So I am happy to be...
-Still?

-To be here with you.

I am working on
some things

in Mexico for my sport.

Um, I'm working with

the International American
Football Federation, also,

to keep growing the sport,
not only in the States but...

-They run the flag
football, right?

-Yes, with the NFL,
IFF, so it has been...

-NFL's doing well, I hope?
-Yes, so...

-They got the power, baby.
-Yes! They are really

pushing the sport forward,

so it is a great time for us.

-That's great, well,
I think what you've done also

is help, you know, get it
going more forward,

getting the interest, you know,
they're interested in you,

then they get interested
in the sport.

-I've received a lot of
messages from girls saying,

"Oh, I didn't know I could
play that sport.

Now I'm gonna try to find
a team nearby my town."

Other girls saying,
"I used to play flag football,

but my parents said that
it was a men's sport,

and now my parents
changed their mind."

-Because you have to see it
to be it sometimes.

-You're right.
For me, the biggest thing

and the most amazing thing
has been to see the impact

it has had, not only
in women and girls

from the States, Mexico,

for all over the world.

-[Billie] With more than
a half a million participants,

flag football is one of
the fastest-growing sports

in the United States --
specifically growing

its popularity with
girls and young women.

-[Diana] I started when
I was really young,

at the age of eight, and...

-With your dad --
got you, right?

-Yes, because of my dad.

My dad used to play
American football

and he introduced me
to this amazing world.

He brought me to my first
flag football practice.

-[Billie] We got very blessed

to have the parents we have,
I think made the difference.

My dad played catch with me
when I was three, four, five.

I wanted him to get me a bat,
and he wouldn't get me a bat.

He was a firefighter,
we didn't have that much money.

It was tight all the time.

And the same thing happened
with my tennis racket.

He wouldn't buy me
a tennis racket.

He said, "You want to play?

Then you find a way
to get your first racket."

And so I went to
the neighbors --

thank you, neighbors.

And they were so sweet to me,
they felt so sorry for me.

Th-They ma--
They made up these jobs,

you know, these pseudo jobs.

-Uh-huh.
-And then I had

my $8.29 in the Mason jar
up in the cupboard.

Got an $8-- $8.29 racket.

I went out to the park,
I'd only been on

the court twice,
and I knew what I wanted.

I wanted to be number one
in the world.

[ Upbeat music ]

I truly believed that if
I was number one in the world,

people in power would listen
to my pleas for equality,

and I could use my voice

to make the world
a better place for everyone.

[ Upbeat music ]

Two-time Olympic
gold medalist

and two-time World Cup
champion Julie Foudy

was co-captain
of the legendary

1990s U.S. soccer team...

-[Announcer] Up inside the box,

and the keeper makes
an error there.

Chastain, missed.

Header goal!
Foudy, 2-0 U.S...

[ Crowd cheering ]

-[Billie] ...making it
a mainstream sport.

I asked Julie to meet
with Olympian Suni Lee,

the gymnastics phenom,
who was also the first

Hmong-American to win
a gold medal at the Olympics.

[ Upbeat music ]

-[Julie] Whoa,
look at this place.

Suni!
-Hi.

[ Both chuckling ]

-Hi!
-Hi, how are you?

-Hi, hi, hi.

Look at you in
your beautiful green.

-Thank you, you look great.

-When you were growing up,

could you have
pictured yourself

in a packed gym of, you know,

15,000 people roaring
for you in college?

Did you even have that vision?

-I always just
envisioned myself,

like, at the Olympics, really.

Like, in a really
big stadium, like,

with the spotlight,
like, on the beam.

-So just watching you guys
do the beam, full disclosure,

I have a lot of anxiety watching
it, I'm like... [ Mock gasping ]

-You know, every time people
say they're scared of it,

I always tell them,
if you can do it on the floor,

you can do it on the beam.
-Oh, really?

-You just gotta get past the...

-Four inches,
and you shouldn't

be on a beam four inches.

Why couldn't they've made it,
like, eight inches?

That would make more sense.
Like, give us a plank--

-Then it wouldn't be as fun.
-It's still a plank,

it's like you're
walking the plank.

It's just a little wider.

-It wouldn't be as fun.
-Safer?

No? Ugh, no,
I couldn't do it.

Suni, I understand you were
the first Hmong-American

to go to the Olympics?

-Mm-hmm.
-Is that right?

-Yes, I was.
-So that means

you're also the first
Hmong-American to win...

-To win in the Olympics.
-Yes!

That's crazy.

-I know, and like, my parents
have been really supportive too,

about it, because normally
in, like, our tradition,

I guess, it's, like,
the girl is, like,

grown to be, like, this wife,

and, like, she's very, like,
put together,

cleans the house, like,
does all of that stuff...

-No competing in Olympics.

-No, and it's
incredible to see,

like, the changes that
have happened since

I've won the Olympics and...

-Really, how so?
-Yes.

I mean, people will
come up to me all the time,

and they're like,
"Because of you, like,

my parents have, like, pushed me
to follow my dreams."

-Aww!
-And I'm like,

th-that's incredible
to see because...

-Yeah.
-When I was, like, younger,

I never really had, like,
any Asian, like, representation,

like, that I could, like,
look up to, and be like,

oh, like, I wanna
be like her.

-Mm-hmm.
-And so for people

to come up to me and say,
"I want to be like you,

and my parents are pushing me
to be in sports

and to follow our dreams,"
like, it's incredible.

-And it makes a difference.

-Speaking of changes,

tell me more about,
like, the fight.

-Oh, you wanna to go
all the way back to the '90s?

-Yeah, I do...
-Oh, gosh, Suni,

you weren't even alive.

-[ Laughs ]
-Um,

when we got on
the national team,

Mia Hamm, you might
have heard of.

-Mm-hmm.
-Kristine Lilly,

Brandy Chastain.

Back then, Mia was 15,
I was 16 years old.

-Wow.
-So, I know for

the gymnastics world
that's pretty common

but not so much for
the soccer world.

-Oh, really?
-So we were that

first generation of
soccer players that

came through that were,

hey, why aren't we
in a World Cup?

And there was no women's
World Cup at the time.

There was no women's soccer
in the Olympics.

Men had been playing
the World Cup since the '30s,

and we had to fight to get

the first ever
Women's World Cup.

And, fun fact, technically,

FIFA didn't want to share

the Men's World Cup name
competition, I guess.

And so it was called
the M&M Cup.

-Wow.
-First World Cup

for women was in 1991.

-[Billie] In November 1991,

18 eager young American women

flew to southern China
to represent the United States

in the inaugural
Women's World Cup.

To everyone's surprise,

the U.S. team kept
winning match after match,

beating powerhouse
soccer countries

like Germany,
Sweden, and Norway.

The Americans started to be
known for their scrappy,

untraditional approach
to the game.

And after playing teams
from 12 different countries,

the United States
emerged victorious,

winning the World Cup,

and establishing themselves

as a force in soccer.

The world celebrated America's
incredible achievement,

but it seemed news
of the success

didn't quite make it home
to America.

-So after all of that,
like, how did things change?

-When we got home --
we won it, mind you,

we got home to the United States

and we were like, "This is
gonna change everything!

Everyone's going to be so
excited about women's soccer,

about soccer in general
in this country,"

and there were literally

three people at the airport
to greet us...

-No!
-And no one knew about it.

It wasn't on TV, it was
pre social media, of course.

I was in college,
and I literally

got back to school,
and the professor was like,

"Where have you been?

You've missed this final
and this final."

I was like, I told you
I was going to this thing

called the World Cup.

So, needless to say,

we did not change soccer
in this country.

No one knew about it,
then the first ever

women's soccer in
the Olympics

actually happened
in Atlanta in 1996.

-Wow, oh, my gosh.
-Yeah.

And the '96 Olympics was amazing

because, one,
you're in the Olympics.

Two, it's the first time
women's soccer's

ever been in the Olympics.

But three, really,

it was ultra amazing because
you were in your home country,

and so, literally, wherever
you went, people went nuts.

Me and my teammates were
on a plane heading to Atlanta,

and this is how America responds

when they know you're
the Olympic team.

The entire plane
literally stood up

and started singing
the national anthem to us.

-That's amazing.

-[Billie]
Nancy Lieberman is a pioneer

in women's basketball
with a career

that has spanned
five decades.

Growing up in Queens, New York,

Nancy fell in love
with basketball

while still in high school.

At only 17,
Lieberman made

the U.S. women's
basketball team,

winning a gold medal
at the Pan American Games

and a silver medal at
the 1976 Olympics.

She went on to play eight years

in the Women's Professional
Basketball League.

-If somebody came up
to me today and said,

you know, "Are you a good
basketball player?"

And I'd say, "No,

I'm a great basketball player."

-[Billie] Then, at age 38,
Nancy was the oldest player

drafted into the inaugural
season of the WNBA.

12 years later,
she broke her own record

when she signed a seven-day
WNBA contract

and played for
the Detroit Shock.

At age 50,
Lieberman coached

in the WNBA before becoming
the second ever woman

to join the coaching staff
of a men's professional team,

the Sacramento Kings.

-[Nancy] We have a mantra.

All the teams that I've ever
coached or been around:

no excuses, no explanations.

Alright, can you guys
get my good side?

-[Billie] I asked
Nancy to meet with Chloe Kim,

a two-time Olympic
gold medalist

and the first athlete,
male or female,

to take home all four
major snowboarding titles,

including the Olympics,

the World Championships,

the Youth Olympics,
and the X Games.

-There you are.

-Hello, we meet again.

-We meet again.
Oh, this outfit is giving.

-How are you?
-Good.

I'm dying to know
what gave you the confidence

to do something that's never
really been done before.

To be the first, I mean,
I feel like I've kind of been

the first at a couple of things,
but you really paved the way

for women in sports,

and you're a pioneer yourself
in so many ways.

So I'm curious to know.

-For me to say, I knew I was
a pioneer and I knew --

I-I had no clue.

I played sports,
I needed it.

I needed it because of what
was going on in my house.

We had no food,

I had no father,
no electricity.

We were one grandparent away
from food stamps.

I was so broken, that I needed
something to occupy my mind.

I was mad because people
were demeaning me,

saying, "What's this little
redheaded little Jewish girl

doing playing in
the schoolyard?"

My grandma used to say to me,

"Walk like a girl.

Your shoulders back," you know?

And then the kids on
the court would say,

"Act like a boy."

And I was so conflicted,
you know what I mean?

Like, my shoulders
were rounded.

I'd walk in,
my grandma would say,

"Act like a girl. Okay."

And it's like,
when people tell your mother,

"What's wrong with
your daughter?

Maybe you should take her
to a psychologist."

You're like,
I mean, are you kidding me?

I'm not robbing people.

I'm not carjacking people.

I'm not in a gang.
I'm playing sports.

-I would be really angry, too,
if I were in your position.

Like, basically being told
to be someone that you're not,

that's very frustrating.

-[Nancy] I didn't play
basketball to be an Olympian.

I didn't play to be
a Hall of Famer

or a groundbreaker

or whatever the heck
they say that I've done.

I needed it.

And all those other things
were a byproduct of hard work

and grind and opportunity.

-That is interesting that,
you know, for you,

that Olympic dream that
a lot of athletes pursue,

that wasn't a goal of yours,
because it wasn't there.

But for me, it was there.

-On the '76 Olympic team,

that was the first time
women's basketball

was ever an Olympic sport.

-Wow.
-I was 14 years old

when I went to my first
U.S. tryout,

and I was like...

Chloe, I swear to God,
I walked in the gym

at Queen's College,
and there were 250 girls.

I don't think I've ever
told this to anybody.

I stood in the gym,
and they pinned

the number on me
and I just went,

I'm not sick.

There's nothing wrong with me.

There's 250 other people
here, girls.

-Wow.
-And I couldn't wait

that night to go home
and tell my mother,

I'm so tired of people
telling me what I'm not.

-That's incredible.

You have had such
a remarkable career.

Like, what does it mean to you
to be the first?

-It changed everything
for everybody.

-Right.
-It had never been done.

A high school player had
never made a USA team,

much less an Olympic team.

I knew I had the pressure,

if you will, of being kind
of the face of my sport.

You had the pressure of being

the face of your sport
at, you know, 13, 14, 15.

Same thing with myself,
and I remember

at the '76 Olympics,
we win the silver.

You know, you get up
on that podium,

you've seen it a million times.

You bend over,
they put that medal

around your neck, you know,
and you're just --

you see the American flag,
and all your family.

And I realized, wow,
maybe I really have had

an impact as a woman in sports.

Like, when I look back and even
talk to my teammates now

is, can you believe
that we were the first?

-First.
-Thefirst.

-Really the first.

Every story you're telling,
I'm like, wow.

Inspiration,
inspiration, inspiration.

-[Billie] Jackie Joyner-Kersee

has been called
the greatest female

all-around athlete
in history.

Her hard work and natural talent

in track & field
earned her

three golds, one silver,

and two bronze Olympic medals.

"Sports Illustrated" even

celebrated her with its cover,

captioned, "Super Woman."

-I'm not trying to tell you
to be Olympic athletes,

but I'm also not telling you
not to dare to dream.

-[Billie] After 30 years,
Joyner-Kersee still

holds the world record
in the heptathlon,

which she set at
the 1988 Olympics.

-You know, if you
work hard in life,

you know, the impossible,
you know, is possible.

-[Billie] I wanted Jackie
to sit with Naomi Osaka,

the Japanese tennis pro

who has been ranked
number one in the world,

and won four Grand Slams --

two Australian Opens,
and two U.S. Opens.

Naomi has not only become
a global fashion icon,

but she has also been a voice

for justice
and social change.

-How you doing?
-Good.

[ Indistinct muttering ]

-How you feeling?

-I'm feeling good.
-Good.

-How are you feeling?

-Love the sunshine,
I'm out here.

I'm feeling good,
though, you know?

-That's good.

Can I ask you a question?
-Mm-hmm.

-When did you realize

you fell in love
with your sport?

-I started running
at the age of nine.

-Mm-hmm.
-And I wasn't

one of the best girls.

-Were you running, like,
for fun or like...

-For fun.
-Oh, okay.

-And I loved it.

I went to my first track meet,
I finished last,

and I said to myself,
if I can improve

a tenth of a second
if I was running,

a half of an inch
if I was jumping,

that meant the work that
we were doing was paying off.

-Mmm.
-I didn't have a track,

didn't even know what
a track looked like.

Ran in the park.

The coach told us that
one lap around was 400 meters,

and I could never complete
one lap, you know?

And I was like,
wow, I must not be good.

But when I got older,
I realized it was 1,200 meters.

That's why I couldn't
go one lap around.

[ Laughter ]

So -- But the biggest thing

was I enjoyed it,
I had fun.

It didn't matter
where I finished.

And even though, like,
fourth place, fifth place,

we got all these different
color ribbons.

And then I realized
the top three got hardware.

And I was like, well,
I gotta learn how to be

in the top three,
not knowing the top three

would make national teams
and Olympic teams.

And that's how
it started with me.

But the most important thing
that I said I could never lose

was not having fun.

I enjoyed it,
I enjoyed showing up.

Living, you know,
in East St. Louis

in the Midwest of the country,

and it's 102 degrees
out there.

I'm out there every summer.

Like, no, I'm not hot.

[ Laughter ]

-For me, I really love
watching track athletes

because I feel like
you guys are like

an athlete,
you know what I mean?

Like, I just remember
being super young

and watching the Olympics
and the track & field athletes

in the Olympics were, like,
the best event.

So I just loved sitting
in front of the TV

and watching you guys run.

-I mean, there's so many
things we could talk

about in your space, tennis.

When you talk about
the equal pay,

and you all have really
been strong leaders

in making sure
that the prize money

is the same for the women
as it is for the men.

You know, because I know what

Billie Jean has done
has done over the years,

and then the Williams sisters,
and then now.

-You know, knowing
the history behind tennis

and the fight for equal pay,

and just seeing how
it's the forefront of it

and, you know, seeing
Billie Jean King

fight for equal pay,
and the fight is never over.

-No.
-Um, and I've learned

so much about Patsy Mink.
-Yeah.

-And how much
incredible work that she did.

There's a lot of people
fighting fights for us

that we don't even know about.

-In the 1960s,

the Civil Rights Movement
was thriving.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964

and the Voting Rights Act
of 1965 were both passed,

expanding government protections

to citizens of
all backgrounds.

But a few brilliant people knew
that more needed to be done

to specifically advance women
in all areas of society.

Back in 1969,

a part-time teacher at
the University of Maryland

kept applying for
a full-time position,

but was told she wasn't
being hired because

she came on too strong
for a woman.

Motivated by this rejection,

Bernice Sandler
researched her rights

and found what she needed --

a 1967 executive order signed by
President Lyndon Johnson

that barred organizations
with federal contracts

from discriminating on
the basis of sex.

With the order in hand

and the help of the Women's
Equity Action League,

she filed a class action
complaint against

all universities and colleges
in the country.

In 1970,
Sandler shared her experience

with the U.S. House
of Representatives'

Edith Green's subcommittee
on higher education.

In these hearings,
the foundation

of Title IX was set,
and a bill was formed.

In the House, the legislation
was championed by Green

and Congresswoman
Patsy Takemoto Mink,

who worked tirelessly to ensure
passage of Title IX.

Mink knew discrimination
firsthand, as well.

-It's always been
my belief that,

so long as any part
of our society,

uh, adheres to a sexist notion

that men should
do certain things

and women should do
certain things,

then we'll never be rid of

the basic causes of
sex discrimination.

-[Billie] As a child,
Mink dreamed of becoming

a medical doctor.

But after earning
her undergraduate degree

from the University of Hawaii,

she was rejected from
20 medical schools

because of her gender.

Mink pivoted and decided

to pursue a law degree instead.

But even after earning
her degree,

Patsy found it
difficult to get work

in the legal profession

because of her status

as a married woman.

-It's very difficult getting
into -- into school,

and getting into
the professions.

I couldn't find a job,

and when all of
my contemporaries

at home say,
"Oh, my goodness,

what you've done to politics
at home," and, you know,

"I wish we had never heard
of Patsy Mink",

I'll say, well, it's because
of all of your attitudes

that drove me into politics.

If you'd given me a job when
I came home from law school,

I would have been very happy

just drawing a paycheck
each month.

-[Billie] Patsy Mink eventually
found her place in politics,

winning a seat in the House
of Representatives in 1964,

becoming the first woman
of color to serve

in the U.S. Congress,

and a central figure in
the Title IX legislation.

Title IX was formally
introduced in Congress

by Senator Birch Bayh
of Indiana,

and was its chief
Senate sponsor

for congressional debate

when it finally became law
in June of 1972.

It's 37 words.
Within those 37 words,

there's the word "activity."

And I knew Senator Birch Bayh
pretty well,

he's one of my heroes,
he said they kept, like,

"Should we leave it in?
Should we take it out?

Should we leave it in?
What does it pertain to?

We really don't know,

but it'll be
a catch-all, maybe."

Maybe, they weren't sure if
it was even necessary.

-Mm-hmm.
-In 1972, he didn't realize

it was gonna open the floodgates
for women's sports,

but it changed the whole world.

And i-it's the one place,
the one law that really

has been -- made us equal.

-It was an amazing thing
for women...

-Yes.
-Not only in sports,

but for women empowerment for --
to open more opportunities

and possibilities.
-Yes.

-As you said,
we still have a lot to work on.

-You know, I remember when
you and I were talking --

what was the question
I asked, do you remember what

I asked you, like...
-Yes.

-I asked, did you
get any money for winning

the World Championships?

And the answer was...

-[Both] No.

-And I'm, like, crazed now,

that's on my brain 24/7.

Because you have to have
money in the game.

If you're playing
flag football for a year,

it means you gave up a year
of university,

it means you gave up
a year of training in a company.

So that is what you want to do.

Th-This is what you want.
-Mm-hmm.

-And you gotta do it
while you're young, too,

because you know when
it's done for you,

you want it for other girls
an-and boys as well, right?

-Mm-hmm.
-All genders, mm-hmm.

-Can you tell me about
the Original 9?

-The Original 9!

I love the Original 9.
We've been celebrating

all over the world,
it's been great.

We're all still alive, which is
the most important thing.

But the Original 9

is the birth of women's
professional tennis.

In 1970, nine of us realized

we had to form our own
professional tour

if we were ever going
to step out of the shadow

of men's professional tennis.

There, we had been
considered the sideshow,

and men's tennis was
the main event.

A point that was driven home
by tennis promoter Jack Kramer,

whose famous Pacific Southwest
tournament boldly offered

the male players eight times
more than the women players.

Gladys Heldman, the publisher
of "World Tennis Magazine,"

led us to start our own tour,

and even secured
a title sponsor.

All nine of us agreed
to a $1 contract

to play in the Virginia Slims
of Houston tournament.

The USTA, the governing body
of tennis in the United States,

was furious, and threatened
to banish us

from all future tournaments.

We were willing to risk
our entire careers

for the hope of equality,

not only financially,

but also in terms
of more tournaments,

more marketing,
and more resources

devoted to women's tennis.

We were committed,

and we were together
in the fight.

And these are the three things
we came up with

that we were willing
to lose our careers forever:

That any girl born
in this world,

if she were good enough,

would have a place to compete.

Number two,
she would be appreciated

for her accomplishments,

not only her looks.

And number three,
to make a living

playing the sport we absolutely

had a passion to play.

So those were the three things
we were willing to do.

So we're willing to give
everything up.

And so we had
this one tournament,

but I kept saying,
this is great,

but what are we gonna do
after the tournament?

So that's when we started.

It took about
two or three months,

we all asked people to
promote tournaments.

"Would you please do it?
We got a series of tournaments."

They said yes, Virginia Slims
came in as the sponsor.

We had our first tour in 1971.

Larry and I were part owners

of the first two tournaments

in San Francisco
and in Long Beach.

I would even take the soap and
the towels to the locker room.

I would do all kinds of stuff
to set up,

put the lines down, I mean,
we'd do whatever it took.

Then in 1972,

I won the U.S. Open
for the third time.

And when I realized
my earnings were $10,000

and the winner of the men's
tournament, Ilie Nastase,

won $25,000,

I said to myself,
this has got to change.

We worked tirelessly
to recruit more players

to join our cause to band
together for equal pay.

And ultimately,
the Women's Tennis Association

was born, and I became
its first president.

The women of tennis

were now organized,

and ready to fight together.

We made it clear
to the U.S. Open

that women would not
be participating

the following year if the pay
was not equal to the men.

Bristol Myers stepped up
to sponsor the pay gap.

Billy Talbert,
the director of the U.S. Open,

made the decision to offer
the same prize money

to the women as the men.

To this day, we don't know

if he made that
decision himself,

or ran it by the board.

We've never been able
to find any proof

that the entire USTA board
voted on this decision.

But starting
the following year,

the U.S. Open led the world

in providing equal
prize money to women.

Equal pay may seem like
an obvious concept,

but the reality is quite
different for women in America.

White women make
$0.83 to the dollar

of their male colleagues,

and women of color
make even less,

at roughly $0.60 on the dollar.

The pay gap is real,

and very problematic
even today.

When I first met Julie Foudy,

she and the world championship
gold medal-winning

U.S. soccer team were
in the fight of their careers

to earn the respect and equality

that had been eluding them
in the 1990s.

They were paid
significantly less

than their male counterparts

who had never won
an Olympics

or a World Cup championship.

-We were trying to establish
the team in the '90s

as kind of the first group
coming through,

and we started
having more success,

we won that first World Cup,
we won the Olympics.

You know, we're gonna be hosting

the first World Cup
in the United States.

And what we quickly realized
is nothing was changing

in terms of the support for us.

Like, we were literally
still making $10 a day.

That was our per diem.
-Oh, my...

-$10 a day.
-$10 a day?

-Yes, with really

no external income
outside of that,

we kept nudging like, hey, yo,
we can't survive on this.

We're no longer in college,
like, we need to either go work,

which means stop playing,

or you need to start
paying us more.

So we're getting more frustrated
and more frustrated each year.

-[Billie] The United States
hosted its first

Women's World Cup in 1999.

It was the summer
that changed everything

for soccer in America.

The three-week-long tournament

packed stadiums with newly
passionate soccer fans and

captivated the nation with
record television ratings.

[ Soft music ]

-[Julie] I think the thing
that made '99 so remarkable

is that no one
expected packed stadiums,

40 million people
watching on TV.

They just didn't expect that,
because everyone said,

do it in small stadiums...
-Mm-hmm.

-Make sure -- maybe you just
want to do it on the East Coast,

you know, make it regional.

But it was a World Cup,
and a World Cup

is like an Olympics.
It's like, no...

-Yeah.
-Why would we go small?

Let's go big.
Let's do big stadiums,

national footprint.

And everyone thought
we were crazy,

and we ended up crushing it.

[ Upbeat music ]

The final of
the 1999 Women's World Cup

ends in penalties,
of course.

Brandi Chastain,
she's the fifth kicker.

If she makes it,

the United States wins.

And she doesn't just
make it, make it,

she side nets it.

Beautiful kick...

[ Crowd cheering ]

And then, she rips off
her jersey.

Flexes, sports bra,

front page of every magazine
across the nation.

You may remember
the iconic photo.

And we won
the World Cup at home

in front of a lot of people
watching on TV

and a packed Rose Bowl stadium,
and it was really cool.

And that's when soccer just...

-That's insane.
-It was really the first time

that people go,
"Oh, this is the potential

for women's sports."

There was that glimpse in '99

where we were like,
oh, my gosh,

this is the potential...
-It had the potential, yeah.

-This is what it should be.

-[Billie] The team won that
World Cup in epic fashion.

The iconic photo of
Brandi Chastain

did spark some controversy.

Although men have been
ripping off their shirts

in celebration of wins
for decades,

some were in an uproar
over Chastain's actions,

revealing that double standards

for men and women
were alive and well.

But despite that criticism,

the World Cup win
was definitive proof

that women's soccer was

a successful commercial
enterprise.

It was the leverage
this team had been waiting for.

-So at about this time,
I meet the Billie Jean King.

Super lucky, I get invited by
the Women's Sports Foundation

to this like,
literally roundtable

of ten awesome, badass women,

Billie Jean being one of them,
sitting around the table.

So, Billie Jean King
is telling her story

about how women's tennis
in the '70s had to break away

from men's tennis because

she felt that they weren't
ever going to grow

and blossom because they just
couldn't separate from men.

They weren't getting
the support.

They weren't
getting the funding.

They weren't getting
the attention.

And so after
she tells this whole story,

I go, "That's us, help us!"

[ Laughter ]

"That's our story!"

And she turns to me
and she goes,

"Foudy, what are you
doing about it?"

I was like, "I don't know.
I mean, we're trying.

We're asking for help,
we've gone to the federation.

We've complained"...

"Foudy, no, you,
you get the players.

What are you as players doing?

Go home,
get the players.

When you meet next time,
you get them on the same page.

You've got the power.
You, the players.

You need to be fighting
for better.

You, you, the players."

And I was like,
"You're damn right we do.

Okay!"

I was like, yeah, okay,
roll my sleeves up.

Let's go.

So literally from that meeting,
Suni, we are flying.

I'm flying in to meet
the national team,

and my mind is going
a million miles an hour.

It was this epiphany,
and I'm like, oh!

Oh, we're not signing
this contract.

So I get in with the players,

and they literally are like,
let's sign this contract.

And I get the players together.

I was like, "Oh, no.

Billie Jean King
just told me" --

And by then, you know,
we had been fighting

for enough that
we were fed up.

And so, of course, it was easy.

The players were like,

"Yeah, why didn't
we think of that?

I -- Yeah, you're right.
She's right.

No, we're not
signing this contract."

So it was the start of us
saying to U.S. Soccer,

uh-uh, that's not good enough.

And the crazy, cool thing is,

is that Billie didn't
just say to me that first day,

"Hey, Julie, it's really hard,
but you have the power."

She said to me that first day,

"Not only do you have
the power,

I'm going to be
right by your side.

I'm gonna tell you what
we learned, how we did it,

what we did, and I'm going
to pass this on to you."

-So did anything change
after you, like, had that...

-Yeah, a lot changed.

We were like, oh, we really
have the power now.

We have leverage.

We have numbers,
we have data

that backs up our argument

that people care
about this team,

people care about this sport.

People care about
women's sports in general.

So let's start acting
on a daily basis

like you care, as well.
-Right.

-And like, show us
that you care

with a contract, and money,
and payment and support,

most importantly
for the program.

And back then,
it was for equitable pay.

We didn't think equal pay
back then, right?

That's too big.
No, let's just go

for better treatment,
more marketing,

better support,
because they would say,

"You just wanna line
your pockets."

No, we wanna
make the game better,

we wanna grow the game.

And Billie was
teaching us all this

as we were going along.

-By sticking together,
the women's soccer team

greatly improved their
financial compensation

and their working conditions.

This history is so important
to revisit and to share

between the generations,
because every single athlete

has had these private struggles

that have taught them
major lessons.

-So for women's
half-pipe snowboarding,

the first Olympics was in 1998,
and so I was prepped.

It was something that was...

possible for me.

I got to watch all of my idols

prep for the Olympics,
I was there.

-I didn't even know
who my idols were.

Isn't that crazy?
-That's what I mean.

Like, I had so many people
I could look up to,

and you, you were the person

you had to look up to,
you know?

-I-It's crazy.

-I was fortunate enough
to witness

so many incredible
female athletes,

and I think the only thing
that was different for me was

that none of them really looked
like me, you know?

There weren't many
Asian-American women in sports,

and so I felt a little bit
of isolation in that regard,

because there were things that
I was struggling with

that no one else seemed
to be struggling with, um,

growing up as a young
Korean-American girl.

But seeing the impact that
I've been able to make

on so many young, young girls,

especially young
Asian-American girls,

has been incredible.

And I'm -- I'm grateful
to be in this position.

But I definitely did struggle

because, one,

snowboarding is
a very male-dominated sport.

When I was 13, that's when
I first downloaded Instagram,

and it was cool because
I was like,

whoa, I got, you know,
200 likes on this photo.

200 people think I'm cool!

But also, it opened this door
for people to be mean.

-Mm-hmm.
-Racist comments, like,

I won my first X Games medal
at 13,

and I went to bed crying
myself to sleep that night.

And that was very painful.

And I went through it alone.

I got really upset, you know?

I became angry.

I hated the world,
I hated myself.

I hated...

you know, that I was Asian.

Like, it was terrible,
you know?

Nobody knew, because,
again, when I'm outside,

smiles on, happy me,

'cause that's my image,
that's what people see me as

is this happy, young,
bubbly girl

who kills it
on a snowboard.

So if I wasn't any
of those things,

then I thought
nobody would like me,

or, like, I wasn't lovable,
because everyone was saying

the most terrible things
to me online,

and I let it affect me.

Nobody really
prepped me for that.

And that wasn't something
that I expected at all.

-After winning
the gold in 2018,

Chloe Kim struggled with
the newfound fame

and even threw her first
gold medal in the trash.

She worked through
the intense period

and came out the other side

stronger and more focused
on her goals.

The path to becoming
a champion athlete

is riddled with unexpected
complications and obstacles.

And every athlete I know has
these personal stories.

[ Intense music ]

-I wanna hear more about
the lead-up to the Olympics.

And, yeah, 'cause I--

obviously, that's a hard time
in itself with COVID

and everything happening but...

-Well, it was really
difficult because,

in 2019, right before
the championship,

my dad had an accident
which caused him to be

paralyzed from the waist down.

Basically got his whole life
taken away from him,

and it was very difficult.

The two days that I was trying
to prepare for the championship,

I spent in the hospital
with my dad.

And he like
could barely talk at the time,

but when he did, he was like,
"No, you have to go."

And I was like, Dad, I'm not
going to the championship

when you are in
critical condition.

And he was like,
"Tell Jess to come here" --

Jess is my coach --
and so my coach

came to the hospital,
and he was telling my coach

that I had to go to the meet
and I had to compete.

Like, I had no other choice.

And I didn't tell anybody
that that happened to my dad

because I didn't want
any attention.

And I just didn't feel
like people should know.

But I ended up competing,

and I actually placed second
for my first senior competition,

which is a really big deal.

But after all of that
was COVID.

I wasn't able to train
for a while because,

obviously, like,
everything was shut down.

So I was out of the gym for
like a couple months,

and I was really like,
do I even want this anymore?

Like, there were times
where I was like,

I just don't think that

the Olympics
is gonna happen.

Like, it got postponed...

-Yeah, it was so crazy,
that time...

-It was, yeah, insane.

-That was a little fork
in the road where

you could've
easily gotten off.

-No, yeah, because like,

once I started
training in the gym, too,

like, the first day back,
I broke my foot.

Since I was so weak
already, like, it just

progressively got worse,

and went into the Olympics --
I mean, I competed

at the Olympics
with a fractured shin.

-What?
-Not a lot of people know that.

[ Laughing ] I just --
-How did you do that?

-I mean, well, the adrenaline
definitely helped.

I'm like, okay,
a fractured shin,

or the Olympics, like,
Olympics, of course.

-Oh, my word.

Wow.

-Yeah, crazy ride.

-[Diana] When I started,
I started playing at a club.

We had this amazing stadium,

the football field,
you know, with lights on.

Amazing.

That wasn't where
I started to play flag.

I started at a dust field

right in the back,
full of rocks,

literally, and trash.

Because they told us

that we were not allowed

to stand on the field

because it was for the boys.

Every time before a practice,

my coach, he asked us
to start like,

um, cleaning t--
the field from rocks

so I could bring my bag,
my trash bag, to every practice.

-It's terrible.
So you went from

this dust field,
rocks, trash bags,

all this, and then
how old were you

when you played
on a men's team...

-14.
-14.

-Yes, so...
-But the boys let you

or the coach let you?
-At that moment in time,

there was a rule in
the league...

-Ah, there was a rule.
-That if they had a girl

on the team, they were allowed
to have one more boy.

-Oh, good, alright --
-So it is like, mmm...

-So they're not losing out,
basically?

-Yes. It was hard
at the beginning because

I remember boys,
and even the coaches,

didn't get to trust a lot in me

because, as you said,
it was not their fault.

I understood it
like, later on.

-It's culture.
-Because -- Yes, because

they were used to that
kind of mind-set.

-Yes.
-And the mind-set of, "Okay,

the girls, she's the weak one
of the team.

Okay, we're gonna
protect her, okay..."

-So how did you -- did you
change their minds?

-Yes.
-And how did you do that?

-It was all about like,
my -- my work...

-It was your skill, right?
-My passion, my skills.

They saw, and they realized

that I was not competing
against them,

I was competing with them...

-Right, you're on their team,
to win, right?!

-We have the same passion,
we have the same vision.

We have more things
that connect us

than what we would've thought.

-[Billie]
When Jackie Joyner-Kersee

accepted her invitation to UCLA,

she achieved her dream
of following in the footsteps

of Evelyn Ashford,

Annie Meyers,
and Anita Ortega.

There, she astounded people

by playing on
two NCAA teams --

basketball and track & field.

Jackie's specialty in track
was the heptathlon,

which is a grueling contest

comprised of seven events,

which include the shot put,

long jump, 60-meter run,
1,000-meter run,

100-meter hurdles,

high jump, and javelin throw.

In 1984, Jackie participated
in her first Olympics,

and was considered
the favorite to win,

until she suffered an injury.

-It was very challenging
because I was dealing

with patellar tendonitis
in my left knee,

and it played on me mentally.

So I doubted my coaches,
I doubted myself.

And when I went into the Games,

my first Olympic Games,
even though they were saying

that I was okay, I didn't
believe I was okay.

And I performed like that.

-[Billie] Even with
a debilitating injury,

Jackie still competed
in her Olympic events

and took home
the silver medal.

But the experience deeply
shook her confidence

and plagued her for years.

-I said, when I left
Los Angeles in 1984,

my first Olympic Games,
I said I wanted to be

the toughest athlete
out there mentally --

-Mm-hmm.
-Because physically,

I had the ability.

But for me,
I never forget that

before I became that,
I went through this struggle

before I became, you know,

the best in the world
in the heptathlon.

-That's such
a cool thing to say.

-I know.

[ Laughter ]

-[Billie] By the time
the 1988 Olympics rolled around,

Jackie Joyner-Kersee
was stronger physically

and mentally
than she'd ever been.

And she dominated the events,

setting a heptathlon
world record

that has not been broken
in more than 35 years.

-Did I think it would still
last this long?

No.

I'm happy for it, but that's
just a part of what I did,

but not to the point where it
leads my life or run my life.

-Like, it doesn't define you?

-No, right, exactly,
you know?

So it's like -- And then
when people tell me 35 years,

you know, I'm like, wow,
that means I'm old, you know?

[ Laughter ]

You know, because most people

don't see our struggles,
you know?

-Yeah.
-They just see the successes.

But tell me about the 2018,

the U.S. Open.

-It was a lot of mixed,
mixed emotions, yeah.

-I remember sitting
in my bedroom,

oh, gosh, just to see
you and Serena battle it out,

and I just felt

for both of you
at that moment.

Oh, you brought me to tears,

because you were
so grateful, you know?

And I know that she was like

a role model and, you know,

and -- and so,

could you just share
a little bit of that moment?

-It felt like a dream to me
to be playing against her

because I did, like,
a report on her,

maybe fourth grade
or something,

and I was just like,
if I ever managed to get

to the finals of a Slam,
I would love to play Serena.

Um, and then it
actually happened.

So it was definitely
a really surreal feeling.

[ Tense music ]
[ Crowd cheering ]

I always thought about what
would happen if I won a Slam,

but just everything
that occurred

was outside of my imagination.

I wasn't really prepared for it.

There was a lot of people saying
that I didn't, like,

deserve to win,
or that win didn't count,

but it also really brought
my ambitions very high.

Like, that just motivated me
a lot to win,

like, the Australian Open
right after that.

So, but, yeah,
I just remember feeling

in that moment very happy
to have won.

But also I felt very sad because

I knew how much it
meant to her.

-[Billie] Naomi's 2018
U.S. Open win against

her childhood hero,
Serena Williams,

was an historic night in tennis,

and Naomi's first
Grand Slam win.

At the awards ceremony,
the stadium erupted in boos.

It was an emotional,
intense moment.

As Naomi hid behind her visor,

Serena stepped in closer

and placed her arm
around Naomi's shoulder

in a sign of solidarity.

It was one of the most powerful
illustrations of support

that I've ever seen
in our sport.

-In your space, in tennis,

how were you able to
really adapt and adjust?

-I think, for me, it's just
more about being grateful.

I have to always
pat myself on the back,

like, even if I feel like
other people don't.

What's most important
is how I feel on the inside.

-When I was competing, if I had
talked about my mental health,

I was considered weak.

-Mm-hmm.
-But for you

to open that door for
so many people

that didn't even know they
can have that conversation...

-[Billie] In 2021, Naomi caused

quite a stir
when she decided

not to interact with the media,

and decided to focus on

her mental health instead.

After skipping
the first press conference

following her opening-round win,

organizers fined her
and threatened to suspend her

from the tournament

and all other
grand slams that year.

Naomi shocked the world
and pulled out altogether,

and revealed that she had been
struggling with depression

and anxiety for years,

becoming one of the first
international sports stars

to raise awareness
and talk about

her mental health
struggles publicly.

-In the beginning, I remember
feeling a bit ashamed about it

because there is always
that stigma of, like,

you are weak
if you talk about it,

and you're giving your
opponents like a...

like, an edge or something?

Um, but then
I think I realized,

and just interacting
with other athletes,

and them saying that me
talking about it

helped them out a lot,
it's when I realized, like,

I'm not the only one
that feels this way.

-Right.
-And it's better for everyone

to just talk about it 'cause
then it'll become more,

I don't want to say normal,
but less stigmatized.

-I don't know if you ever
lived through, you know,

the idea of this
impostor syndrome where

you're always like,
I'm not good enough...

-Wow, I definitely had that.

-A lot of women
go through that.

I mean, I had that
especially in my early days

with the national team...

-Yeah.
-Of, why am I here?

[ Whispering ] Like, does anyone
know I shouldn't be here?

I think they made a mistake.

[ Normal ] So how did you
get through that?

-Well, it was really difficult

because I had a hard time
talking about it.

I think I was more, like,
embarrassed than anything

because I'm like, I don't think
I should have won the Olympics.

-[Billie] In 2020,
Suni Lee found herself

in a situation no one could
have predicted.

One day before the all-around
gymnastic Olympic event,

gold medal favorite
Simone Biles withdrew.

Biles experienced
a dangerous phenomena

known as "the twisties."

It's when a gymnast's mind
and body are out of sync

and the athlete cannot
accurately assess where to land.

Simone admitted that she needed
a mental health break,

and months later,
when testifying

in front of the U.S. Senate,

on the FBI's mishandling
of the USA gymnastics'

sexual abuse investigation,

Biles bravely admitted
that her mental health issues

in Tokyo were directly tied
to the longtime abuse

she suffered at the hands of
the team doctor, Larry Nasser.

-To be clear,
I blame Larry Nasser.

And I also blame...

an entire system

that enabled and perpetrated
his abuse.

-[Billie] But in Tokyo,
with only 24 hours

before the event,
Suni Lee was thrust

into the spotlight and into
a chance to win the gold.

-When Simone is going
through all of that.

-Yes.
-A-And obviously,

you didn't know what
your role was gonna be

coming into this Olympics...

-No, I mean,
going into the Olympics,

like, me and my coach,
we were set on like,

okay, we're just gonna go,
compete for second,

win a team medal, and you're
going to win a bars medal.

And I was like, okay, like,
I'm competing for second.

I've been competing
for second my whole career --

or not my whole career,
but since Simone's...

-Is that because you think
Simone's gonna get first?

-Yeah, we just know,
it's like, Simone's

always gonna be first,
my coach is like,

"You're never gonna beat her."
And I was like, "Yeah, I know,

so we're competing for second."

-Okay.
-And so once

that happened with her, like,

it was like,
what do we do now?

And, like, especially
with the team,

we were all just
sitting there panicking.

Like, we were crying
on the floor,

and we were like,
we don't even know,

like, what to do.

But then she, like,
came over and talked to us.

And Simone has always
inspired me,

so obviously,
I'm gonna listen to her.

Like, she's the GOAT,

like, a legend,
and so whenever

she says anything to me,
I'm like, yep, okay.

Take it from Simone like, she --
-What'd she say?

-She was just like,
go out there, like --

She's, first of all,
she was like,

"I'm sorry that
I can't compete."

And she was like, "You guys
just got to go out there.

I'll be your biggest
cheerleader."

And we all just
kind of huddled up,

and we were just like,
we have to do this for Simone.

We have to do this for Team USA,

and we have to do this
for ourselves.

-[Billie] Suni Lee went on
to win the gold medal

in the all-around event
at the Olympics.

But the experience
played on her insecurities.

-First Olympics...

-And like, especially when
it didn't go, like,

the way that you thought
that your Olympics was gonna go,

like, I just envisioned it,
like, completely different.

That whole year,
I was like...

-Really?
-I don't think I should've won.

Like, if Simone was there,
I definitely wouldn't have won.

I was constantly telling myself,
like, I'm not good enough.

I shouldn't have won
the Olympics.

Like, I was
really mean to myself.

-Oh, my word, wow.

-But then it was, like,
at the end of the day,

like, it's a competition,
and whoever shows up, shows up,

and whoever doesn't, doesn't.

And that's what
I had to learn.

And so, it was really difficult.

-It's hard,
and that's very normal.

-How did you get through it?
Like, how did you, like --

like, during, like,
the World Cups and stuff

like that, like, what was, like,
your mental,

like, going into it?

-I had this amazing woman
who worked on the national team,

Dr. Colleen Hacker,
she was like

a mental skills expert
on the team.

She would always have
these fantastic exercises

we could do for
our mental health.

And one time I came to her
and I said,

"I -- I'm just
really struggling."

And then I go into this downward
spiral, and these butterflies.

And Dr. Hacker said to me,

"No, never wish
the butterflies to go away."

And I said, "Oh, no, I want
the butterflies to go away

because when the butterflies
come, like, I know it's bad."

And she's like, "No.

Do you get butterflies
doing the dishes?"

I'm like, "No."

"Do you get butterflies
vacuuming?"

I'm like, "Nope."

She goes, "Exactly!

The butterflies mean
that you care."

-Yes.
-"So you always

want the butterflies,
now just teach them

to fly in formation."
-Mm-hmm.

-And I was like,
oh, okay, I get it.

So how do I do that?

So she said, you know,
"You wear a hairband?"

And I said, "Yes."

And she goes,
"Okay, anytime you start

to get those negative
thoughts in your brain

of, like, I don't belong here,

I stink, I'm terrible,"

she's like,
"you have a physical reminder."

So she goes, "Snap that hairband
on your wrist to remind you

to snap out of it and
replace it with a positive."

And I was like, I can do that.

And the crazy thing,
so that physical reminder

means I make a mental change,
and it actually worked.

So I literally would
be on the field

in the middle of a game,
and I'd be like, snapping.

-I ne-- I need to do that.

-Yeah, or it was like,

roll up your sleeves,
fix your ponytail, whatever --

pull your socks up,
like, whatever

your physical reminder is
to go, no, I'm good, actually,

I'm gonna crush it,
and you train your brain.

And the -- Honestly, it works.

-Today, athletes have really
normalized talking about

mental health,
which is going to make

the sports community
and society stronger.

I know it takes a few people

to inspire a new way
of thinking,

but it takes patience,

commitment, and the cooperation
of millions

to enforce and enact
any kind of real change.

-Title IX.

It was an amazing thing
for women,

not only in sports,
but for women empowerment

to open more opportunities
and possibilities.

-Yes, what it's really about,

it's an educational
amendment.

It was about classroom quotas.

For instance, if you wanted
to go to Harvard

and get a medical degree,

they only allowed 5%
of the classroom to be women.

-Mm-hmm.
-So what happened in '72

is the federal government said,

"We're gonna send you monies,
all of you get monies,

all the schools,
but for the first time,

you're gonna have to spend it
equally on boys and girls.

Not just boys."

Even today, boys in
high school...

-Have more opportunities.
-...have more opportunities

than we do,
and that's not right either.

-Mm-hmm.
-It has been

a slow, arduous...

you gotta be in it
for the long game.

If you care about change,

you gotta be in it
for the long haul.

So it's better,

but we still have
a long way to go.

Title IX revolutionized
opportunities for women

and girls, but over
50 years later,

there are still issues with
implementation and enforcement.

Funding for women's sports
is still nowhere equal to men's,

and the number of

college women athletes

is still not proportional

to the ratio of

enrolled women in college.

Continuing the conversation
between generations

is key to Title IX's
continued impact

for generations to come.

-I'm curious,
athletes your age,

what is their impression
of Title IX,

and how aware are they
even of what Title IX is?

-I think we're aware
that it's, like,

obviously about eq--
creating equality for women.

Not a lot of people talk about
it as much as we want them to.

-Yeah, they don't
fully understand it.

-Yes.
-Well, and that's the thing.

I don't blame young girls
or young boys because

we're not taught it in school.

It should be part of our
standard curriculum,

I think, it's one
of the most profound

civil rights laws in
this country.

I didn't learn about it
until I met Billie Jean King

and the Women's Sports
Foundation.

-Speaking of Title IX,
like, I heard that

you were at Stanford and they
didn't offer scholarships.

Like, were you on scholarship?

-You know, I started on
the national team really young,

16 years old,
so I was already

on the national team
in high school.

So you would think, like,
okay, by today's standards,

if you're a national teamer...

-Scholarship, ready.
-...you would have -- yeah,

you would have probably
300 universities.

-Yeah.
-I only had, like,

two or three options
for scholarships.

-Wow.
-But Stanford,

I had always wanted to go to,
but at the time,

they didn't have
any scholarships yet.

But as a kid, I had loved
the academics of Stanford

combined with the athletics,

and had always wanted
to go there.

And so the coach said,
you know, "We don't have

any scholarships yet,
but by your sophomore year,

I think we'll have
a scholarship."

And so I turned down a full ride

to University of
North Carolina

and a couple of
other universities,

and not only did the scholarship
not happen my sophomore year,

it didn't happen
my junior year either.

So it wasn't until
my senior year,

Title IX passes in 1972,

I got the first women's soccer
scholarship at Stanford in 1992.

-Oh, my gosh.
-Yeah.

-That's insane.
-My senior year.

-No, you know, it's crazy
to think about it like,

from your perspective,
because it's like,

I was offered a scholarship
in eighth grade.

-See, eighth grade!
-Yeah.

In eighth grade was
when I committed to Auburn.

You committed to Auburn in...
-Yes.

-See, that in itself, too,
is the power of Title IX.

-You know, for me
to be here with you,

and you weren't even born

when I was doing what
I was trying to do,

and then I look at Title IX

and the difference it made
in my life.

The law was passed when
I was ten years of age,

and to be -- we called it
a "Title IX baby."

And I wanted to go to UCLA

because I thought it
was a great school for girls,

knowing that my parents
couldn't afford

to send me out to California.

So what do you think of
when Title IX is mentioned?

-I feel like I didn't know
about it at first,

which was shocking to me,
because I realized how much

of an effect it has on
so many people's lives

and of course,
the sporting world.

-And what impact did it have
on your life?

-For me, I realize where
I am right now, um, is because

of a lot of other women
that came before me,

and they fought the fight
that I didn't have to.

So for me, I feel like
I will also have to fight

a lot of fights for the kids
and the women after me.

And to me, that's what
Title IX stands for.

It's women that I didn't know,

but they fought
the fight for me,

and we'll just keep continuing
to do the same thing.

-I didn't know that there was
Title IX when I was in college

at Old Dominion.

I thought everybody
got scholarships.

At what point did you realize

you were doing
something special,

but it might be connected
to Title IX?

-I never lived in
the world without Title IX.

We have been discriminated
against for so long,

and for me to not know
for such a long period

of time was honestly
heartbreaking.

I don't think
we talk about it enough.

-Like, you knew something
was wrong.

I knew something was wrong
when I found out my teammates

had slivers of scholarships,

but all the guys on
the men's team

had full scholarships.
-Yeah.

-And that's when
I started hearing that word,

Title IX, and what it was.
-Mm-hmm.

-And here we are,
you know, so many decades apart,

you and I, squarely, we're in
the foxhole together...

-Yeah.
-For Title IX,

and to continuing to change

the lives of young people,
but educate.

-By 1972, the women's
rights movement was making

significant progress,
including Roe v. Wade

and Title IX's access to
education equality.

But there was still
a prominent cultural attitude

that men were better
than women.

Then the American tennis legend
Bobby Riggs called me.

[ Film reel whirring ]

-Billie, you mean to say you
think I put women down?

Is that what you're saying
that I'm doing all the time?

-Yes, I do,
I don't think

you give us credit for
having any brains at all.

-[Billie] I agreed
to play Bobby Riggs

in a made-for-primetime
television spectacle

with the largest in-person
audience tennis had ever seen,

plus 90 million people
watching from home.

Make no mistake, this match
was a public challenge

to the advancement
of the feminist movement

by a man who publicly bragged

that women belonged in
the bedroom and the kitchen.

You know, that's fine, because
if that's where you're at,

then that's okay...

-Well, I get along very well
with a lot of girls...

-Bobby had been following me
around for two years,

I kept saying no,
then he called

Chris Evert, Nancy Richey,
everybody.

"Would you play me?
Would you play me?

We'll make lots of money."

And everybody said,
no, but Margaret said yes.

Margaret Court,
the Australian tennis player,

was one of the best tennis
players of all time.

She accepted
Bobby's offer first...

but the match did not
go well for her.

And I had told Larry,
if Margaret should lose,

I have to play.

Well, she lost, badly.

This is what it's
really all about,

because Bobby challenged me
in the first place,

and I didn't wanna
start an issue.

But now that Margaret went ahead

and opened the door,
I can beat Bobby.

-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.

You know, he's my dad's age.
I kept telling, you guys,

this is no athletic feat for me.

It means nothing from
an athletic point of view,

but from a psychological...
-That's it.

-And changing culture.
-Mm-hmm.

-I mean, women could not
even get a credit card

on our own when I played him...

-Mm-hmm.
-Without having a guy sign.

I mean, it's just these little,
like, stupid things.

And then the chaos started.

-[Announcer]
A wild scene almost reminiscent

of college football.

And it's hard to believe,

but probably more than
30,000 people are in

this arena for an all-time
record tennis audience

anywhere in the world.

-Howard Cosell
was horrible to me.

He talked about
my looks only.

-[Howard] Billie Jean King,
a very attractive young lady...

-[ Groans ]
-And sometimes,

you get the feeling that,
if she ever let her hair

grow down to her shoulders,
took her glasses off,

you'd have somebody vying
for a Hollywood screen test.

-[ Sighing ]
-There she is...

-[Billie]
Only looks, he talked about.

Bobby comes out, he talks
about, "Oh, Hall of Famer,"

you know, about his
accomplishments.

-[Howard] There was,
would you believe, a problem

about one of our announcers
to be, Jack Kramer,

the famed tennis promoter,

the famed tennis player
of the past.

Jack was to have been
part of our team,

but it seems that
Billie Jean King didn't

want him to be part of
our announcing team.

-Correct.

ABC hired former tennis promoter

Jack Kramer to announce
the match with Howard Cosell.

You might remember Jack Kramer

from the Pacific Southwest
Tournament,

where he offered
the male players eight times

the pay that he offered
the women.

Jack's tournament offer
was the final catalyst

for the Original 9
joining forces.

So Jack and I,
we had real history.

I knew audiences deserved
to see this match

through the commentating
of an expert who believed in

what we women could do.

And I knew it was the right time
for me to use the leverage I had

earned as the number-one player
in the world.

So I told ABC that
Jack Kramer was a dealbreaker.

ABC agreed, but actually
gave Jack Kramer airtime

to address his being replaced.

-But apparently Billie Jean

wa
\h
s very serious, and she feels

that I'm completely opposed

to what she's trying
to do in tennis.

-Correct.
-And I have to say

that Billie Jean's right,
to ABC's credit, they said,

"You call the shots, Jack,
we'll go along with you"

but I'm withdrawing
voluntarily,

and I'm wishing 100% good luck
to my pal Bobby Riggs.

-When I look back at this,
I have to laugh.

This commentating
is the best historical record

of what the male establishment
thought about women.

-Camera, and this is
our female expert tonight.

Recognize her?
Little Rosie Casals.

-Ugh, God almighty.

Rosie Casals was one of the top
players of her generation,

and my doubles
tennis partner.

I just wanna point out that
this is truly what it was like

for women in 1973.

Look how Howard Cosell

drapes his arm around
Rosie's neck,

how he refers to her
as "little Rosie Casals."

Can you imagine how many
people saw this behavior

from the control room and
laughed it off and said nothing?

This is just
business as usual.

I am so glad I didn't see this
commentating at the time.

On that day,
all I was focused on

was my match

and my strategy to win.

When I was playing,
everybody thought

I'd just serve and volley,
which is my game.

Just go forward, forward,
forward, forward.

And as I got to the baseline,

which is right before you go
up to the umpire's chair,

I switched.

I could just feel it,

Something very intuitive
came to me

that I was not gonna do that,

I was gonna hit the ball
as softly as I could.

I was gonna stay back
most of the time,

drop shot a lot, and also
make him run, run, run.

He is really tired.

My job is to get
the ball in play

to give him a chance to miss.

I made him just
run and run.

-[Rosie] I knew this
would come to this.

And I knew Bobby
would have to, uh,

come down to something
like injuries...

-[Howard] Well, let me say
this about Bobby Riggs, Rosie,

you've gotten in all your licks
tonight at the guy...

-So I go like this on
the shot, I go hit up.

I mean, he should just
be able to put it away

on an easy volley,
he hit it right in the net.

He was so tired, he couldn't
get his arm up.

-[Howard] It is over.
Let's watch Bobby Riggs.

Three straight...

-When he jumped over the net,

he said, "I underestimated you."

I didn't underestimate him.

He was one of my heroes.

He was a Hall of Famer,
I looked at tapes.

I understood him a lot better
than he understood me.

And I think that helped me
win the match, too.

[ Triumphant music ]

I bet a lot of
male chauvinists

aren't really proud of
Bobby Riggs representing them,

but I'm sure
I've only heard from

the ones that aren't
proud of him.

The ones who are proud of him,

I'm sure would go talk to him
instead of talk to me.

For the women,
it gave more self-confidence.

You know, I went and met some --
with some women.

They said, "We've been wanting
to ask for a raise for ten years

and we never had the guts."

I said, "Well, what happened?"

They go, "We asked."

I said, "No, more importantly,
did you get the raise?"

And they said, "Yes!"

And so they were so happy.

The men come up to me,
and they're crying, usually.

They're actually crying,
tears in their eyes.

And they said,
"I never thought about

my wife, my daughters,
my nieces,

I never really
thought about it."

Even when I met President Obama
in the Oval Office,

one of the first things
he says to me,

"I saw that match when
I was 12 years old.

It changed how I thought.

And now I have two daughters,
so I know it helped me

raise my two daughters
to be strong."

And I'm thinking, whoa.

-Yes, the impact --
-He was 12.

You don't know, right?
-Yes.

-[Woman] Through her
example and advocacy,

Billie Jean Moffitt King

has advanced the struggle

for greater gender equality
around the world.

Her athletic acumen
is matched only

by her unwavering defense
of equal rights.

With Billie Jean King
pushing us,

the road ahead will
be smoother for women,

the future will be brighter
for LGBT Americans,

and our nation's
commitment to equality

will be stronger for all.

[ Applause ]

[ Soft music ]

-It has been
a long, long journey,

and as you said, like,
a lot of things

have changed, um,
during the past years.

Like a lot of things,
not only for women,

but only in terms of
inclusion, like...

-Everybody's aware of it now.

-How that journey was for you?

-What, to be outed?

I was trying to figure out
my sexuality during the tour

in the '70s when
Larry and I were married

and going through hell.

And then the people
on the tour told me

if I talk about anything,
what I'm feeling,

that there'd be no tour.

So that was
a real easy decision.

Okay, I won't, then.

But I was going to retire
and I was finally

gonna make some money,

and I got outed.

So I lost all my endorsements
in 24 hours, except one.

They lowered it,
which was even worse.

And then I was called "slut."
I mean, I was called --

you cannot imagine
what I was called.

And I'm so happy today
that doesn't happen.

You know, people say,
"Oh, Billie, we came out

and I did this,"
and they're so happy.

And I'm like, yes!

But then it makes me
think, sometimes,

I go back and how sad I was
and how tough it was...

and that made me
even more sensitive

than ever to others.
-Mm-hmm.

-And that I just think
everybody belongs.

I don't care if they're gay,
I don't care if they're trans,

I don't care, as long
as they're okay, you know?

But they're human beings first,
that's what I care about.

It goes back to
my 12-year-old epiphany

about inclusion, if you think
about what I thought about then,

that I think everybody belongs,
everybody is important.

-Mm-hmm.
-Every human being

is absolutely important.

-Yes, I feel that, as society,

we're going to make
a big change

when you got to understand
that what matters is not where

you're from, or who you are...
-No, it's not.

-Or if you're a man, woman.

If you -- Nothing matters.

-It doesn't.
-The only thing that matters

is what you have to bring
to life.

-Inclusion has mattered
to me since I was a child.

We can never
understand inclusion

until we have been excluded.

Prioritizing inclusion

is about wanting more
for those who are

often left behind
or forgotten.

We cannot talk about inclusion
without celebrating

Para athletes
and the Paralympics.

Since the first Paralympics
was held in 1960,

the Games have uniquely
created a space for athletes

of all abilities to participate

and compete in
the thrill of sports.

As pioneers for inclusion,

Para athletes and
the Paralympics challenge

stereotypes and break down
discrimination

towards people
with disabilities.

Vision, courage,
and imagination.

That is what it takes
to create a world

that includes and welcomes
all people in all spaces.

That includes everyone,
all people.

Women who have wanted
to become mothers

also have had to push
to create a world where

they can pursue their dreams,

both professionally
and personally.

[ Soft music ]

-So how did you like, balance,

like, motherhood with
your career?

-Mmm...

How many days do we have
for this one?

-[ Laughs ]

-Well, one, I didn't have kids

while I was playing,
although,

the really cool thing
was I was surrounded by

a lot of teammates who did.
-Mm-hmm.

-And so it was fantastic to see

the evolution of people
thinking as athletes.

You know, before we used
to think as female athletes,

oh, we can't have kids
and compete, you know?

I gotta retire, I gotta go
and then be a mom.

And, you know,
going back to Joy Fawcett,

who was a teammate of mine,
she was the first one

to have kids on
the national team,

and she was like, "Why not?
I'm going to have kids."

And she literally would
pop out a kid,

and then be back practicing
like a month later.

-Oh, my God.
-I was like, what?

-And would their kids
come, like...

-Yeah, kids on the road.

And it was so fun because
it was perspective, you know?

They didn't care if
we'd won or lost,

they just wanted to be fed
or loved or hugged.

And so they're playing,
so we'd be, you know,

walking off the field
and they'd be there

hugging you, and it
was like, aww!

So it truly was like

a big family
when we would travel.

So when Joy had kids,

then she gave the rest
of the national team, really,

the courage to go,
"Oh, I can do this."

And now, of course, we see
all these fantastic examples

of women having kids
and competing,

and not just in sports,
but the idea of

you're going to be a mom,
and you're going to stay home,

and you're gonna take care
of the house.

And we're seeing the evolution
in society as a whole

about women's roles

and sharing that equally
with their partner.

-Yeah.
-And also,

you're seeing it
in women's sports,

which is fantastic to see.

-Yeah, that's incredible.

-You're going to be
a mother soon...

[ Both laughing ]
You know?

So how do you feel about

this transition
that you're in?

-It's definitely
very interesting.

I would feel like, for me,

I started to think
certain things

that I cared a lot about before,

they don't matter as much.
-Mmm.

-And not to say, like,
they were trivial things.

But at the end of the day,

what matters most
is my friends and my family.

And just being able
to be around them

and knowing that there's like,
so many things that can happen

in a day, and just
feeling grateful

and being appreciative
to be here, I think,

is really important for me.

And I've actually started
talking to my mom a lot

because she kind of went through
a really rough time

with me and my sister.

Not like we were bad kids...

-No, no...
-But like, just,

we didn't have
the most money,

so she was like, working,
and also taking care of us.

So just being very grateful
for her, I think it made me

appreciate my mom a lot,
and her journey

and just seeing things
from a different eye

that I never expected.

-All of us are role models
for different people,

and then sometimes,
our role model

is right in front of us
who give us strength.

-I wanted to ask you if you had
any people that inspire you.

-Yeah, I would say,
when you start talking about

maternal rights, Allyson Felix
is the quiet storm.

-[Billie] Allyson Felix
is a role model

who challenged
the accepted norms

in professional sports
to make space for

the inclusion of women
who want to become mothers.

By 2019, she was one of
the most decorated Americans

in Olympic history
and the most decorated

Track & Field
World Championship winner,

male or female, of all time.

But her influence extends

way beyond her contributions
to sports.

Allyson used her voice
to demand more from mothers

in the workplace everywhere.

In 2018, she became pregnant
with her daughter

and kept it a secret
because she was afraid

of what might happen
to her career.

After Allyson delivered
her daughter,

it was time to renegotiate her
contract with her sponsor, Nike.

She was shocked to discover

the company proposed
a 70% pay cut.

After all of her achievements

and a decade of partnership,
Nike was penalizing her

for choosing
to become a mother.

Allyson pushed back
and asked Nike to provide her

with protection against
financial penalties

tied to performance
that had no regard

for the realities of childbirth
and new motherhood.

She took a stand and went public
with her fight in the press.

-I know my own experience when
I decided to start a family

and not being supported,
ultimately,

how it made me feel
that I wasn't valued.

And so many women who came
before me who struggled.

-[Billie] She realized if
this was happening to her,

one of the most decorated

Olympic athletes
in American history,

it was likely happening
to other women, too.

-[Allyson] I don't think you
should have to choose

between your profession
and having a family, you know,

to be able to do both and be
able to do both very well.

-[Billie] As a direct result
of her activism

and after months
of negotiations,

Nike and other major sponsors
changed their corporate policies

around maternity protection,
now guaranteeing athletes'

pay through and after pregnancy.

Allyson Felix continues to
advocate for maternal rights.

Her willingness to speak up
illustrates the continued fight

for equality and
fair treatment for all.

-[Diana] I know that we still
have a lot of things

to work on
and need to fight for.

This vision you had from
since you were little,

where do you feel like
where we are right now?

-Well, people are starting
to invest in us.

-Right.
-Okay, it's about money.

And men can be
unbelievable allies.

When they care,
'cause they have --

usually have more money,
and they're powerful,

that's what happened to us.

We had many men,
most of them were white,

allies for us.

Most of the time, in fact,
every time we got a sponsor,

they also had daughters.

-Right.
-So the first thing I always do

with a C.E.O. when we went
for sponsorship is ask him,

"Tell me about your family."

And if he came from
a family of all boys, like,

"Oh, I have four brothers,
I have three boys,"

I'm thinking, "Uh-oh,
we're in trouble."

And we would be.

Usually, when
we got a sponsorship,

the C.E.O. had a daughter.

-Right.
-Because he understands.

He wakes up -- I can't tell you
how many guys go,

"I didn't have a daughter,

and I saw you play
Bobby Riggs or whatever,

and then I had a daughter,
and you woke me up."

It's like, "You woke me up.

I started to think about,
'God, my daughter --

what am I going to do w--'"
He hadn't thought about her.

He thought a lot,
he said, about his son

and how he's going to raise him
and take him, you know, fishing

and doing this
and playing ball with him.

But he never thought about
playing catch with his daughter.

Male allies can be found
in the boardroom

or the living room.

Some of the most powerful
stories of allyship

have started with
the fathers and mothers

found in our own homes.

-I understand that maybe
you had a balance beam

in your backyard...
-Yeah.

-...at a young age.
Is that true?

-Yep, when I was younger,
I was always flipping around,

like, on the floor
and on the bed and stuff.

So my dad decided to build me
a beam out of wood,

and that was the one thing that
I used every single day.

-Was it padded, the beam?
It was just, like, a wood beam?

-Yeah, it was literally --
It was just wood.

-Maybe that's
why I wasn't a gymnast.

My parents never built me
a balance beam in my backyard.

I'm gonna talk to them
about that.

-[ Laughs ] I definitely --
It's, like, so weird.

I don't think I actually

could have done anything
without that beam.

-Men don't realize
how important they are

to their daughters
a lot of times.

-Right.
-They really don't.

And I've talked to so many men

that have daughters
and how it changed their life

and how they had to rearrange
their thinking because

they want their daughter
to have as much as their son.

It's like,
it's a no-brainer to them

once they have a daughter.

They go, "Of course!"

But before that, they said,

"You know, I never
thought about it."

-I used to stay after practice,
like, every day with my dad

at night, like,
throwing the ball.

And I remember he told me
like, "Okay, now farther."

-And then your mother also
has to play a role in that.

My mother is the reason we got

to a tournament
or a baseball game.

She was like a saint.

-I got a lot of my inspiration
from my mother.

Her and my dad were teenagers
when they had my brother.

They were
14 and 16 years of age.

My mother wasn't able to finish
high school.

And myself, the oldest girl,

a lot of responsibility
was put on me.

But I got inspiration
from my mother

because she had
the strength to not give up.

And when people said that,
"Your kids

and you're not going
to amount to anything,"

she still found a way.

And then, being able to see
my mother go through that,

but then also being able
to watch stories of

Babe Zaharias,
you know, Wilma Rudolph --

You know, you talk about
Billie Jean King,

Althea Gibson.

You know,
Zina Garrison was someone

that I really
worked with, as well.

And to know that, uh,
these women who inspire me --

My sister-in-law, FloJo,
which sometimes when

you among what
we might consider greatness,

that they right --
our own peers,

that we don't recognize that.

[ Soft music ]

-My dad was dope,
like, 100%, you know?

I remember,
when I was 7 years old,

my dad watched
a former Olympian, like,

train, as well,
in the same half-pipe.

And my dad was like,
"Chloe could do that.

She could be an Olympian."

So many people are,

like, telling me
I shouldn't snowboard.

Family members like,
"You shouldn't do it.

You should do a..."
-Why?

-..."girly sport," like...

-Cooking?
-...golf, tennis.

My dad was like,
"No, my daughter's gonna be

the best snowboarder
in the world."

-Look at that.
This is my daughter.

[ Triumphant music ]

-I think the basis
of, you know, like,

wanting to help others
is really important.

Sometimes, the kids will, like,

ask me for advice,
and, um, I hope

they don't have to go through,
like, some of the tough times

that I had to go through.

So I think that is

what I really would want.

I was playing tennis
since I was 3

and I was just always
with my dad and my sister,

playing on the courts,
and we would literally

pack lunch and eat lunch
on the courts.

That's how long
we'd be out there.

But there was never
a point in my life

that I never had
a tennis racket in my hand.

When I was a kid,
I remember seeing my dad,

uh, like, coaching us,

and then, randomly, like, the
police would get called on him,

and just seeing how
he had to figure that out

and also just have
the enthusiasm

to tell us like, "It's all
okay," and stuff like that.

-Wow. So, what do you
think about people saying

"shut up and dribble"
or "athletes shouldn't be

involved in politics"?

What are your thoughts?

-I think, to me, it doesn't
really make that much sense.

I feel like maybe the people
that say that type of stuff

kind of forget that
we're human, too,

with our own opinions
and our own thoughts.

And some of the most memorable
athletic moments to me are --

I don't want to say political,
but, like,

they have a deeper meaning
than just playing the sport.

-I agree with Naomi that
some moments in sports history

do have a deeper meaning than
just playing the sport.

In 1936, American track star
Jesse Owens' mere presence

at the Berlin Olympics
in Nazi Germany

brought headlines
around the world.

Wyomia Tyus quietly
honored the Black women

in Jim Crow-era America

when, at the 1968 Olympics,
she wore dark running shorts

instead of the official
white U.S. team uniform.

Just days later,
Tommie Smith and John Carlos

proudly displayed
the Black Power symbol

to illustrate solidarity with
the Civil Rights Movement,

resulting in them being
dropped from the team

and sent back to the U.S.

The United States itself led
the boycott of the 1980 Olympics

in Moscow as a protest

against the Russian invasion
of Afghanistan.

-And I have notified
the Olympic Committee

that, with Soviet invading
forces in Afghanistan,

neither the American people
nor I will support

sending an Olympic team
to Moscow.

[ Applause ]

-[Billie] And, of course,
American football player

Colin Kaepernick,
who took a knee to protest

police violence.

Athletes have often
merged their humanity

with their public position to
massive influence and effect.

-What gave you the idea,
at the U.S. Open, you know,

to come up with the mask

and to really bring attention
to the violence?

What gave you that strength
to be able to do that?

-I just remember thinking,
like, my first experience

watching Trayvon Martin,

just because I grew up
in Florida,

so that really hit home a lot.

I just wanted to use my voice.

Like, there was a lot
that happened,

it felt like,
all at one time.

At the height of
everything happening,

I remember watching
the basketball games,

and all of the guys
had stopped playing

and they had, like,
these huge slogans on the court.

And I remember looking at tennis
and thinking, like,

"Wow, we're not really doing
as much as we should."

At the time,
I didn't know I had a voice,

I didn't know
what was gonna happen,

but if one person
could see it, then --

-[ Laughs ] Millions.
-Yeah.

-[Billie] Naomi broadcasted
that Black Lives Matter

as she pursued her
third Grand Slam victory

at the 2020 U.S. Open.

Throughout the tournament,
she sported custom black masks,

each bearing the name of someone

who was killed in
a racist attack --

Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain,

Ahmaud Arbery,

Trayvon Martin,

George Floyd,

Philando Castile,
and Tamir Rice.

She wore seven masks
with seven names

over seven matches
to raise awareness

and start conversations.

And that's exactly what she did
when she won that year.

-I was inspired by it
and I want to say thank you,

because some of us don't
have the strength.

-Aww, thank you.
-Yeah, amazing.

-After all these years
of advocating for equality,

if there is one thing I know

is that real people
drive change

and one person can
inspire thousands.

A lot of athletes discover
they have to be willing

to become the vehicle for change
or improve conditions,

and that is leadership.

-The thing that makes me
a bit crazy is that

it still has to be the players

that initiate this in
anything, right?

For women's soccer,
it's still the players

having to fight for it.

For WNBA,
it's still the players.

For whatever sport you're in,

the players are having
to say, "Come on."

-I mean, even for us, like...
-Yeah.

-That's something that, like,
a lot of athletes don't realize,

is, like, you're the ones
actually doing the sport

and, like, you're the one
that has to, like, speak up.

-Yeah, which is hard, though.
-Yeah.

-Because y-- one, you're
afraid of getting cut, right?

-Yes, I'm terrified.
-Yeah, you're terrified.

Like, "Well, I don't wanna
miss out on an Olympics

or a World Championship
or a World Cup."

And that's where that moment

of Billie Jean saying,
"No, you have the power,

and if you get
the whole team together,

they're not gonna cut you."

-[Naomi] I know that
Venus did a lot, as well,

in the fight for equal pay,

and that's something that I'll
always be grateful for her to,

because I don't think people
know that, necessarily,

but she'll always want
to fight for the players,

and I think that that's
really incredible.

-The road to equal pay
in women's tennis

continues to be a rocky one.

In 1973, I helped push
the U.S. Open to award

equal prize money to women.

But it would take 11 more years

for the Australian Open
to get on board

and 34 more years

before Wimbledon and
the French Open followed suit.

Ultimately, it was
Venus Williams who said,

"Enough is enough."

In 2000, Venus won Wimbledon
women's championship title,

and just one day later,

Pete Sampras won
the men's title.

But Pete earned $20,000 more.

The pay discrepancy
for the same title

at the same event
made no sense to Venus.

She was determined,
and nothing less than

full equality would do.

In 2005, the night before
she played and won

that year's Wimbledon,
Venus spoke before

the Grand Slam Committee

and laid out her case for
equal prize money.

But when nothing changed,

in 2006, Venus wrote a column

in the U.K. newspaper
The Times.

Williams wrote, "Wimbledon
has sent me a message.

I am only
a second-class champion.

The message I'd like to convey
to women and girls across

the globe is that there
is no glass ceiling.

My fear is that Wimbledon

is loudly and clearly
sending the opposite message."

Venus' words finally
broke through,

and the following February,
Wimbledon announced it

would offer equal prize money

for the first time in
its 130-year history.

And in 2007, when Williams
won Wimbledon again,

she became the first woman
to collect an equal-sized check

as her male counterpart.

Responding to
the changing times,

the French Open joined
Wimbledon the same year

and offered equal prize money.

But they were the last
Grand Slam tennis tournament

to do so.

Equal prize money may seem
simple, logical, and fair now,

but it took 34 years to achieve
that parity in women's tennis.

And it took Venus'
persistent efforts

to finally make it happen.

-To me, I'm always thinking,
like, "Wow.

I hope, like, you know,
maybe one day,

I can help
other players like that, too."

-But your voice give others
the voice, too, to stand up.

When you're talking about
a sport that is privileged,

you know, and you all
are standing up

and fighting for those
who can't fight for themselves.

-[Julie] I think our success
came from a place of

we just want what's
better for the sport,

not for what you're
gonna gain out of this,

because in the end,
it's really for the next group.

What do you want for them?

-Like, one thing I, like,
stand by is, like,

leaving it better than
I found it.

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

-You know, we actually made it
a team rule that

when the captains
would go in for meetings,

so me and Carla Overbeck
at the time,

we would bring in
a middle generation

and a younger generation,
as well.

So if we were the veterans,

we'd always bring in,
like, younger people.

-Mm-hmm.

-So, my role now is, I've gotta

mentor you to carry this over
the line, eventually.

-Yes.

-And what's great is,
you know, we say, "Keep running.

You keep running. You sprint."

And they just took off, right?

-[Nancy]
I'm really super proud of you.

I've watched you,
I've seen you perform,

I've seen you on the podium,
and, like, I didn't know you,

but I was really,
really proud of you.

Like, I hope you make
a billion dollars.

-Thank you.
-I really do.

If you make a billion,
somebody else is gonna

make $2 billion.

-Yes.

-There's a 3-year-old
who's gonna do what you do

because you set the plate
for greatness,

for endorsements,
for opportunities.

-It's really cool
seeing it happen.

I'm not competing this season,
but there's three young girls,

all of them watched me
growing up,

and they are killing it.

And they have
so many opportunities.

Like, all these brands
are sponsoring them.

And, you know, I've already
gotten so many questions,

like, "Oh, are you nervous?

Are you scared that you're
gonna get overthrown?"

I hope so!

-Right, it's --
-I hope these young girls

surpass me one day, and they
probably will very soon.

But it's not --
I'm not angry about it.

I'm not nervous about it.
This is what I want.

This is what I worked for.

I wanted young girls to see

that anything was possible
for them.

-So, you know
you're a pioneer, right?

A pioneer doesn't
have to be 64.

A pioneer can be 22,

because it's the evolution
of where the game is now,

where the sport is now.

So you're setting the plate

for the next generation
and the next generation.

-[Billie] Each generation
builds on the progress

of the previous generation,

and the U.S. soccer team is
living proof of that progress.

Their determination
and perseverance

changed the game
for soccer in America

from an unknown,
unrecognized 1991 team

to the strategic powerhouse
of the 2017 team.

The women of soccer
worked together

to finally demand equal pay.

On International Women's Day
in March 2019,

the United States Women's
National Soccer Team

shocked the world when they
announced that they were suing

their employers for
gender discrimination.

It was a bold, history-making
move that set off a firestorm

in the wider world of sports

and drew international
attention,

prompting fans
to chant "Equal pay!"

when the U.S. team won
the Women's World Cup final

in France that year.

-The strength of unequal pay

rests on the notion
of unequal value.

-[Billie] Players were
asking to be paid the same

as their male counterparts,
even though their team

was performing
better than the men's.

The women's soccer team
had better success

at the World Cup
and at the Olympics,

another event they'd
won four times

to the men's team's zero times.

-[Megan Rapinoe] I've helped,
along with all my teammates,

win four World Cup championships

and four Olympic gold medals
for the United States.

And despite those wins,
I've been devalued,

I've been disrespected,

and dismissed because
I am a woman.

And I've been told that I
don't deserve any more

than less because I am a woman.

-[Billie] The team generated
more revenue than the men.

They played in worse conditions,
but ultimately won more games.

But the men's side got more
money to show up for games,

more money when they'd win,

more money when they qualified
for the World Cup,

and even more money
once they got there.

The men also received
five-star hotels,

charter flights,
marketing, training,

and better fields.

Finally, in February 2022,

the two sides settled
the lawsuit,

and U.S. Soccer
agreed to pay the women

a record $22 million
in back pay.

The new agreement ensures
that, for the first time,

true pay equity has been
achieved in the sport

on a national level.

-Equal work deserves
equal pay.

-[Billie] The men and women's
sides will receive

equal appearance fees
and match bonuses,

equal revenue from

the ticket sales
and merchandise,

equal playing conditions,
travel arrangements,

training facilities,

and, most notably,
they'll split their

FIFA World Cup
prize money equally.

They are the first national team
to achieve this

in the history of the sport,

and it is inspiring
other athletes

in other sports
to know their worth

and fight for it.

Boys are taught to be brave,

and girls are taught
to be perfect.

-Right.

-And that's where a lot
of our self-confidence --

lack of self confidence --
comes from,

because nobody can be perfect.

And to the men and boys,

you can't be brave
all the time,

and that's not right either.

So it's -- We've gotta be
socialized differently.

But women's sports
is allowing girls

to be socialized differently.

Girls are taught not to ask
for what we want and need.

-Mm-hmm.

-Ask for what you
want and need.

-Show up.
-Show up, right.

Gotta show up and speak up.

[ Upbeat music ]

-When I talk to my son, TJ,

who's 28, and he's
a professional athlete,

he'll say to me, "Mom,
sometimes you're so aggressive."

And I said, "TJ,
I had to be aggressive

for the next generation of women

so they could be
at peace to do their job."

My personality is strong,

and I don't think,
in many cases,

I should be told not
to have a strong personality

or strong belief system,

because men who have
a strong belief system

are shining stars.

They're silver bullets.

And we women who are strong or
say, "I'm gonna win the gold,"

"Oh, my gosh, she's --
What an egomaniac."

No, you feel that you're
going to win the gold.

-Mm-hmm.

-I feel that I can win
a championship.

If somebody said,
"Chloe, Nancy,

are you guys great at what
you did or what you do?",

and I would say "yes."

Why would I say "no"?

But some people
take offense to that.

Like, "How arrogant are they?"
And that's what bothers me.

Accomplished women
in business, in sports,

in life, they're so arrogant.

Why can't we just be
we're such achievers

because we work so hard?

-[Chloe] It didn't
come easy to me.

I put in the blood,
sweat, and tears to get there.

-[Nancy] And sacrifice.
-And sacrifice.

I sacrificed
most of my childhood.

I didn't go to school.
I was homeschooled.

I finished high school in
two and a half, three years

so that I could focus on
the Olympics.

I hustled, so, yeah,
I'm going to be confident.

I'm going to think I'm...
I'm the best because I am.

I worked to be the best.

And that's why
we're here today.

[ Upbeat music ]

-[Billie] For this generation,
working to be the best in

the world is starting
to pay off financially,

and the media
is finally catching on

to just how popular women's
sports can be.

The thing where all the money
is today is media rights,

and men have
all the media rights,

not women's sports.

Women's basketball at the NCAA
they used to throw in as free.

This year, for the first time,
they're gonna start really

trying to get media rights,

and the interest is just going
through the roof.

They have never really gone out
and tried to sell media rights

for the women's basketball
on its own.

-Forever, we have said

that you're missing out on
all this potential.

There's all these fans out there

that would consume it if you
actually put it out there.

And I know I'm not the only
athlete that's said that.

Every sport
has said that, right?

Going back to my generation of,
"Why aren't we covering this?

Why aren't you
showing this on TV?

Put it on a, you know, a slot
where people will watch it.

Put it on a network
where people will watch it."

And, you know,
the '99 World Cup

showed when you actually
put it on TV and

you go to big stadiums
and you market it

and you water the garden,
it actually blooms, right?

People will show up.
-Yes.

-It's this amazing effect
of when you market it

and pay attention to something,
people come.

I saw a video of you, um,
performing a perfect 10,

and you, like,
stuck this landing.

-[Announcer] She has
the technique,

the difficulty,
the superb amplitude.

What does she not have?

-[Announcer 2]
She has more difficulty

than everybody put together.

In a class all by itself.

[ Crowd cheering ]

-[Announcer]
Put your pencils down, Judges.

-[Julie] It's a huge gym.
How many can you fit there?

-I think it holds about
like 10,000?

-Yeah, it was packed,
and the place just roared.

-[ Laughs ]

-So that potential we've known
for so long is there.

It's interesting to me that it's
now exploding in every sport.

As you were saying, Auburn --
packed stadiums, right?

WNBA, we're seeing
large numbers.

NWSL ownership
going through the roof

in terms of numbers
and attendance.

Women's soccer, I mean,
all these different sports.

March Madness,
their basketball numbers.

-Yeah.
-9.9 million. It's crazy.

-It's really incredible
to see, like,

the evolution of all of it.

And I think I'm more excited
because it's only going to

continue to get better.
-Oh, yeah.

It's gonna be changed in
so many different fronts

in terms of support
and attendance

and viewership,
and all those numbers

are all toggling in this, like,
skyrocketing fashion.

It's going to be fun
for you guys.

I'm fascinated,
all of the NIL stuff,

name, image, and likeness,
that's happening

with college athletes
and their ability, finally,

to make money, men and women,
and how that affects you.

-It definitely
has impacted a lot,

because I wouldn't be in college
right now if it wasn't for NIL.

-[Billie] In the simplest
of terms, NIL,

name, image, and likeness,
describes how college athletes

are allowed to receive financial
compensation.

It is the workaround
for athletes to get paid

without technically
being considered

"professional athletes."

NCAA rules still prevent schools
from paying players directly,

but they can receive
gifts from boosters,

make deals with companies,
and endorse products.

The new guidelines provide
a loose gray area

that is still being interpreted
by lawyers and athletes alike.

As of now, the NCAA has stated

that the current rules
are temporary

until Congress
creates national laws

and regulations around NIL.

Although NIL was initially
thought to mostly benefit

male athletes,
the female athletes have

benefited even more,
with Olivia Dunne,

an LSU gymnast, topping the list
of highest-paid NIL earners.

These new rules have created
a modern-day Wild West situation

with everyone looking to find

where exactly the line
in the sand is

and what might happen
when they cross it.

It's no longer
a question ofshould

college athletes be paid,
buthow.

-With the NIL exploding...

-Mm-hmm.
-...the flip side of it

is some will say, "Oh, it's
the Wild Wild West," right?

Like, some athletes are just
choosing universities

because they're
paying them more.

-Yeah.
-Do you agree with that?

Disagree with that? And do you
think that's a downside of it?

Because you do see some
instances with, for example,

a male quarterback who,
you know, whatever school

he's kind of toggling between
is, like, this bidding war,

which I think takes away some of

the authenticity around
collegiate sports.

-Yeah, I definitely think so,
because it's, like, unfair,

and it can be biased.

And that's the one thing
I don't like about NIL.

But, I mean, I wouldn't be
where I am without it.

-Yeah. I do like that

that it's given
a lot of -- of women

the ability to make
a little bit more money,

especially, you know,
because you have a lot of

female athletes who are like,
"Should I go pro?"

And you're seeing that --
You know, before, it was like,

"Oh, I need to go make
some money.

If I can get a big deal,
I'm going to leave school,"

which I never think
is a good idea.

I would want my kid to finish
school if they could, right?

You're actually seeing
some athletes stay in longer...

-Yeah.
-...because they can now make...

-More money than
even being pro.

-Yeah, than even being pro.

And so they stay in
school longer,

which I -- I don't think there's
a downside to that, right?

-No.
-And enjoying your...

-It's actually really
exciting, too, and I think

it just shines a lot more light
on women's sports in general,

which is incredible.

[ Upbeat music ]

-So, talking about,
like, the progress.

-Yes?
-Where do you think, like,

we are standing right now in
terms of what's missing to do?

What still we have to work on?

-I think it's gonna take over
150 to 200 years to get equal,

but every generation has to,

you know, push
the envelope forward

and pass the baton forward,
like a relay race.

Just keep passing
that baton, each generation.

I always think about that
when I watch a relay.

That's what they're doing.

It's like each player that

gets the baton is
a different generation,

and the last one's
the last generation,

but they usually
are the quickest one.

So we just have to keep pushing.

-What do you think
the world would look like

without Title IX?
Scary thought.

-The world without Title IX

would not have Chloe Kim

and Nancy Lieberman sitting in
the same room together.

It is amazing how many people

still don't know what
Title IX is.

Title IX has given us
a chance to shine

and affect the world.

Because we're inseparable
in what we're supposed to do,

it's in your hands.

-You know, in Mexico,
we do not have yet

something like Title IX.

I am so honored and happy

to be part of a big movement

of amazing women in Mexico
that truly believes this, too.

And we haven't had, like,
an opportunity, until now.

And I received this, uh,

notice like
three days ago, actually,

that we're going to have
the opportunity this month

to present the initiative...

-You are?
-...to the congress in Mexico.

-So you or the team or what?

-It is me, as an ambassador,

working with amazing women

involved in sports
also as ambassadors.

So we are pushing
forward that.

-Well, congratulations.
That's great.

What you're doing in Mexico now

is exactly what we have
to keep doing,

because you're going to change
the lives of people alive,

but the babies that
haven't been born yet,

just think what that's gonna --

I mean, they'll
just expect it.

They go, "Oh, yeah, of course."

Well, somebody
had to pay the price,

but everybody does that.

And that's why history's
so important to learn,

because I stand on
their shoulders,

and when I learn about
these different women, you know,

of all colors and religions,

you know, you really realize
how important what you're doing

in Mexico is part
of that progress

and that progression
of getting there.

-I wanted to give you...

-Uh-oh.
-...like, a...

-[ Gasps ]
-...little gift to you.

-Oh, this is so precious.
-This comes from Mexico.

It is handmade with our...
-Oh, I love this.

-Oh, this is great.
And it's a heart.

-[ Laughs ] It is a heart.
-This is beautiful.

Thank you so much.
It's so precious.

Guess what I brought with me.
Remember this?

-Oh!
-It's flag.

This is the flag you gave me
from the football.

You were so sweet.

Now I've got two gifts,
and I didn't give her anything.

This is not good.

Anyway, this --
Remember when you brought this?

-Yeah.
-And then --

Because it says "Inspire."

You said, "Thanks for being
an inspiration,"

which I was so touched.

[ Inspiring music ]

-For me, Title IX is
a step forward

in the right path,
and I feel like

we just want to keep
taking steps forward

for progress.

-With your platform,
with your voice,

you leading the way, you know,
our future is in great hands.

Opportunities like this,
talking about Title IX,

allow me to be able to meet you,

and I am so grateful
and so honored.

[ Inspiring music ]

-[Nancy] This has been
delightful for me.

I've had some really great
experiences in my life

with amazing people,
and this is gonna be

at the top of the list.

-I can't wait to hear
about Mexico now.

That is gonna be so awesome.

-Great things are yet to come.

-Oh, you're just
getting started.

When I first met you,
I could tell within

one second that you accept
and embrace leadership.

Your life is just beginning.

You h-- You're just going to
have the best life, I can tell.

-I already told you this, but...

[ Deep breath ]

...you are truly
an inspiration to me.

-Thank you.
-You have empowered me.

You have filled my heart
with this fire and power

to keep going
and to be aware that

what we do has a bigger impact
than ourselves.

-Yes.

-That is everything
is for the future

and the ones
that are coming behind us.

So I want to thank you for that.

-I appreciate that.
-Thank you for everything

you have done
for women in sports,

but for women in general
and for people.

-Thank you.

-♪ Hold on just
one more day ♪

♪ Hold on... ♪

-[Billie] Title IX
and the pursuit of equality

is my enduring legacy.

It's not only
athletes or legislators

who are the guardians
of Title IX.

It's all of us
who share this country.

While, at times, it's been slow,

we have, indeed, made progress

and we have, indeed,
broken down barriers,

on the court and off.

[ Upbeat music ]

That's how you make change.

And we'll keep doing it
for generations to come.

[ Upbeat music ]

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on DVD,

visit Shop PBS or call
1-800-PLAY-PBS.

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