December 6th, 2017 | Updated on April 6th, 2024
Battle of the Sexes
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Back in 1973, when feminism was starting to conquer the world, Billie Jean, one of the greatest female tennis players in history, challenged a male ex-champion to do something truly epic. The idea was to prove that a woman can and will be able to beat a man in a face-to-face confrontation. It goes without saying that this match broke all kinds of records and is considered to be a truly defining moment for the US. She was a strong believer in sexual equality and wanted women to be respected and paid just as much as men and people admired her for that. Bobby thought that this would be just a walk in the park; Billie proved him wrong.
Movie Review : One thing that Battle of the Sexes points out, interestingly enough, is that had it not been for a handful of diehard chauvinists (chiefly Kramer and Riggs), one of the most iconic moments of the women’s rights movement might never have happened. The movie doesn’t devote time to some of the controversies that surfaced after the famous tennis match. There was a persistent rumor that Bobby Riggs was paid to throw the match to cover gambling debts (which doesn’t make sense mathematically, given the prize money). And, the love story between the real King and Barnett ended in a high- profile palimony suit in 1981 that outed King and caused her to lose important endorsements and sponsorships. ~ Women’s Voices for Change
