Billie Jean King Becomes First Female Athlete Awarded Congressional Gold Medal

By Tennis Now | @Tennis_Now | Friday, September 27, 2024
Photo credit: Mike Lawrence/USTA/US Open
 
It’s a golden year for iconic Hall of Famer Billie Jean King.

King has made history as the first female athlete awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. The legislation was signed by President Biden after passing both chambers of Congress.

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Yesterday President Biden signed into law legislation to award Billie Jean King the Congressional Gold Medal, following passage of the bill in the Senate and House of Representatives, making her the first individual female athlete to be awarded this honor.

The legislation (S. 2861) was initially introduced into the House of Representatives (H.R. 1831) in March of 2023 by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Democratic co-lead Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), “To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Billie Jean King, an American icon, in recognition of a remarkable life devoted to championing equal rights for all, in sports and in society.”

The bill passed unanimously in the Senate in May of this year, through the leadership of Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and in the House of Representatives earlier this month.

Prior to Billie Jean King being awarded this distinction, 11 individual athletes (as well as the 1980 U.S. Olympic team) had received the Congressional Gold Medal, but all had been men.

The introduction of the legislation in 2023 coincided with the USTA’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of equal prize money being awarded at the US Open. In 1973, the US Open became the first sporting event in history to offer equal prize money to both men and women competitors, with each competing for total purses of $100,000, including a $25,000 payout to both the men’s and women’s singles champion.

“The passing of the Congressional Gold Medal legislation through Congress and its signing into law by the President represent the culmination of a long building process to recognize and award Billie Jean King for her lifelong fight and push for equality in this country,” said Dr. Brian Hainline, Chairman of the Board and President, USTA. “Billie is one of the greatest athletes and ambassadors the sport of tennis has ever seen, and her impact off the court is even greater than her performance on it.

“The USTA would like to thank the members of Congress for making this a reality, as well as the President for signing this legislation, as Billie Jean King has now broken another barrier to become the first individual female athlete to have been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.”

Billie Jean King became the pioneer for equal prize money when she won the women’s singles title at the 1972 US Open and unequivocally demanded that the following year’s US Open pay men’s and women’s players equally. King’s ultimatum set the tone for a momentous year ahead, which first saw the formation of the Women’s Tennis Association.

After the 1973 US Open milestone of equal pay, King then defeated Bobby Riggs in the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match at Houston’s iconic Astrodome, a match that helped to propel the women’s movement in both sports and in society, and still remains the most-watched tennis match ever.