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79-Year-Old American Tennis Legend Shares True Feelings as Heartening $50000 News Celebrates Her Decades-Old Triumph

Published 09/20/2023, 2:52 PM EDT

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The legendary Billie Jean King has made a place for herself in history. Not only because of her smashing skills on the court but also because she was one of the first renowned stars to fight for gender equality. King started her journey to get women’s sports a place in the world by laying the foundations for the WTA. Her contribution to sports will never fade away, even for years to come. Not just that, she also founded the Women’s Sports Foundation. And now her foundation is about to complete 50 golden years.

On this auspicious occasion, she deserves to be celebrated. Doesn’t she? Well not just us, others also agree including e.l.f. Cosmetics.

Billie Jean King to be celebrated after 50 years of fighting for equal pay and rights

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In 1973, King beat Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes. He was a veteran of the ATP Tour at the time. For that, she received $25,000 as prize money. It was the first time a woman had been paid the same amount as a man for winning. She brought about the trend for all other tournaments as well, starting from US Open and then other Grand Slams.

 

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An achievement like this is something that needs to be recognized every day. Owing to the same, People and e.l.f. Cosmetics has decided to honor King at the Women Changing the Game event being hosted in Manhattan. Not just that, in the name of the honor, e.l.f. Cosmetics also decided to donate $50,000 to King’s Foundation as it celebrates 50 years.

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It has not been an easy journey for King to fight for all these years for women alone. But her sheer determination and willpower brought about a revolutionary change for every woman around the world. While talking to the interviewers at People, she shared how all those years of fighting have done some good to women’s sports.

Legendary King takes pride in women’s success and feels proud of what she has achieved with her fight

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On the 50 anniversary of her foundation, Billie Jean King engaged in a conversation about how it all started. She shared that the reason that she fought for women 50 years back is now in front of her. King credited Coco Gauff’s recent US Open success and added that when she looks at Coco, she feels this is the reason she fought for.

 

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Further, King also said that it was not easy for her to be heard. She also talked about how winning that match against Riggs made her more confident and even women around her feel more self-confident. The work she did for women globally is truly tremendous. She opened new doors of opportunities for women and this a move that will live in history forever.

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Written by:

Ishmeet Kaur

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Ishmeet Kaur is a tennis writer at EssentiallySports. Although she completed her Masters in Business Administration, her passion for writing motivated her to hone her skills as a Content Writer. After sharpening her skills in writing and managing content, Ishmeet finally stepped into her dream field: sports journalism.
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Edited by:

Tony Thomas