When Billie Jean King trounced Bobby Riggs in tennis's Battle of the
Sexes in 1973, she placed sports squarely at the center of a national
debate about gender equity. In this winning combination of biography and
history, Susan Ware argues that King's challenge to sexism, the
supportive climate of second-wave feminism, and the legislative clout of
Title IX sparked a women's sports revolution in the 1970s that
fundamentally reshaped American society.
While King did not single-handedly cause the revolution in women's
sports, she quickly became one of its most enduring symbols, as did
Title IX, a federal law that was initially passed in 1972 to attack sex
discrimination in educational institutions but had its greatest impact
by opening opportunities for women in sports.
King's place in tennis history is secure, and now, with Game, Set,
Match, she can take her rightful place as a key player in the history
of feminism as well. By linking the stories of King and Title IX, Ware
explains why women's sports took off in the 1970s and demonstrates how
giving women a sporting chance has permanently changed American life on
and off the playing field.
