If you love tennis, you know Billie Jean King as one of the greats. But her legacy reaches far beyond trophies and center court. King won 39 Grand Slam titles, but some of her most important victories happened off the court.
 
In 1970, she joined the “Original 9,” a group of women who risked their careers to challenge the enormous pay gap in professional tennis. Three years later, she helped found the Women’s Tennis Association and became its first president. That same year, the U.S. Open became the first major tournament to offer equal prize money to women and men.
Then came the Battle of the Sexes.
 
In 1973, an estimated 90 million people around the world watched King defeat Bobby Riggs in straight sets. It became about far more than a tennis match.
 
King’s victory happened during a pivotal moment in the women’s movement, as women were demanding greater equality in sports, education, work and public life.
 
King’s fight for equality was also deeply personal. She spent years hiding her sexuality while living in the public eye.

In 1981, she was publicly outed as a lesbian and lost her endorsement deals. She kept moving forward, eventually becoming an important advocate for LGBTQ+ equality as well as women’s rights.

In 2009, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her advocacy for women and the LGBTQ+ community.

Now We Get to Experience Her Story Together

This October, BTTC is proud to sponsor Give Me the Ball!, a new documentary about Billie Jean King screening during the Pickford Film Center’s Doctober festival and presented by Cascadia International Women’s Film Festival.

The film combines rare archival footage with candid interviews with King and reflections from people including Serena Williams and Elton John. Rather than simply celebrating an icon, it looks at the very human person behind the history—the pressure, sacrifice and determination that came with fighting to change both her sport and the culture around it.

Doctober is the Pickford’s month-long documentary festival and the largest documentary festival in the Northwest, bringing dozens of films and community conversations to Bellingham each October. If you haven’t visited this wonderful local theater before, this is a pretty great reason to go visit.