What is it like to be an 80-year-old icon who paved the way for equal pay for women in sports? In Being…Billie Jean King, Bash sits down with the champion, trailblazer, and activist to find out. King takes Bash from her first tennis lesson to the epic ‘Battle of the Sexes' match with Bobby Riggs, which catapulted her to the forefront of a feminist social justice movement and provided a platform for her to champion equality. 2023 is a milestone year for King: it marks her 80th birthday, 50 years since the "Battle of the Sexes" match, and 50 years since King forced equal prize money for women at the U.S. Open – a first in tennis and all of sports.
From winning 39 Grand Slam singles and doubles championships, including a record 20 titles at Wimbledon, to being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, King describes the life of a champion – the euphoric highs of victory and the lows of having a private life in the spotlight. During their wide-ranging conversation, King speaks candidly about the ramifications of hiding her sexual orientation for so many years. She even gives Bash a tour of the Billie Jean King Tennis Center during the US Open, where they speak with tennis champion Coco Gauff, one of a new generation of athletes who have benefited from King's groundbreaking efforts on behalf of women's tennis.
Press release for this episode: https://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2023/12/05/being-billie-jean-king-from-cnns-dana-bash/