Bobby Rigg Research Paper

When a men’s teams win a game, they receive so much money per game for their program, but the women’s team do not make any money when they win games in tournaments. Andrew Zimbalist admits, “The total value of a victory in the men’s tournament is approximately $1.56 million. By contrast, a win in the women’s tournament brings a reward of exactly zero dollars” (1). If the male athletes are going to give money to the winner of the men’s tournament, there should as well be money given to the winner in the women’s tournament as well. It does not make sense that one would receive so much money for their program when the other can also win and bring no money back for their program. To me, this shows that people think the women’s tournament is not as important as the men’s tournament. People tend to think that the men’s team is better because the men are stronger and faster, but women’s games can be just as entertaining as the men’s

“Once you accept that everyone is different, you can change the face of inequality.” Billie Jean “Moffitt” King was from Long Beach, California. *She was born on November 22, 1943, and started playing tennis based on her parents’ suggestion at age 11*, when she was looking for a more “ladylike” sport (Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2014). Billy Jean King created a forward standard movement towards inequality in women’s tennis, was a women’s rights activist, and proved that women have the same capabilities as men. (Great Women in Sports, 2009).

A tennis match known as the “Battle of the Sexes” began Billie Jean’s King influence in finding equality for men and women in sports. This was a match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Riggs was the top male tennis player when he was in his prime, and he believed that he would have no problem winning the match, because he deemed that a woman could not beat a man. Through this match, Billie Jean King challenged the fact that men and women could not play against each other in sports.

“The US Open was the first major Grand Slam to offer equal pay for men and women in 1973, after women’s champion Billie Jean King threatened to organize a boycott of the tournament” (Shuster). Billie Jean King has been an advocate for equality from a young age due, in part, to the fact that growing up she was discriminated against at tennis clubs because her parents did not have a great deal of money. Even though many people at the clubs disliked King, she excelled, started to play in major tournaments and quickly earned her place in women’s professional tennis. King’s most famous match was titled the “Battle of the Sexes” because she played the outspoken male chauvinist, Bobby Riggs. When King beat Riggs, she created a defining moment in

Despite the pressure, King destroyed Riggs, winning 6-4, then 6-3 and 6-3. This public event introduced many Americans to tennis, but also introduced them to the idea that a woman could play a sport just as competitively as a man, and if men and women could be equals on the court, there was no reason for them not to be equals in the workplace as well. No such social changes are ever immediately, but in 1989, tennis player Steffi Graf earned nearly two million dollars for her play, whereas King earned about the same throughout her entire decade long career (Calabria). In addition, by 1990, the number of females involved in sports at the high school level grew 1057% and 614% at the college level (Impact of Title IX). None of this would have been possible without King, as she generated enormous respect for women’s non-domestic abilities nationwide by means of her athletic

“Equal play. Equal pay.” –U.S. Women’s National Team (Reiher). The gender pay gap is surprisingly still a large problem today. Not only in soccer, but in every sport women exert the most effort, yet they do not receive the credit. The U.S. Woman’s National Team should receive an equal amount of pay as the men’s team because they have won more titles, they are better soccer players, and they bring in more income.

One reason why women deserve equal pay in sports is because they work just as hard as men, but don’t get the same recognition. In the article “Chasing Equity: The Triumphs, Challenges, and Opportunities in Sports for Girls and Women” it claims, KABC had a long segment over NBA’s

Lopiano complains that there’s too much of a salaries gap between man and women playing the same sports. “The right to play has been established. However, the issue that has been confronted is the barrier to being treated equally when it comes to money” (Lopiano 1). Most people will say women’s tennis matches are more exciting than men’s matches; men’s victory purses are still considerably higher than women’s victory purses. Top women tennis players earned 59 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. The average total purse was $63,031,000.00 for top men players and $41,000,000.00 for top women players (Daniel Frankl 2). In soccer, the Women’s World Cup soccer team was promised $12,500 if they won compared to the $300,000 male players were to receive. The payout for women players was increased to $50,000 because fans protested the unfair payout gap between the male and female players (Lopiano 1); it’s still 1/6 the payout

Research indicates that lower prize money for female tennis players may discourage young girls from going into the sport. When young athletes see a significant pay gap between male and female players, they might think tennis is a less viable career choice for women, which would reduce the amount of talented women playing the sport. For the sake of current players, the sport's future, and the opportunities it presents to aspirational female athletes, it is critical to solve the gender pay

There is no denying that the U.S. women’s soccer team was discriminated. From our secondary research, it was noted that the pay disparity between women players and men players is unjustified (Futterman, 2016). We observed that the U.S. Women’s National Team has achieved a lot in comparison to their male counterparts in international tournaments in the recent past (Das, 2016). In addition, the women’s soccer team draws in a greater following than the U.S. Men’s National Team. Subsequently, there is no justification for the inequality salary to the U.S. women soccer players. We found it intriguing that despite the fact that they bring a lot of revenue to the country, it still occurred. Cases like this have been common across the world, and the

On September 20, 1973 Billie- Jean King took on men’s champion Bobby Riggs in a battle of the sexes tennis match. Riggs was known for criticizing women’s sports and female athletes. King stated, “I just had to play, Title IX [the ban on gender discrimination in federally funded educational programs] had just passed, and I wanted to change the hearts and minds of people to match the legislation” (Smithsonian). King beat Riggs in three straight sets, inspiring female athletes across the globe to break gender barriers.

Another athlete who took a political stance was Billie-Jean King, who fought for equal gender rights in sport. On September 20, 1973 Billie- Jean King took on men’s champion Bobby Riggs in a battle of the sexes tennis match. Riggs was known for criticizing women’s sports and female athletes . King stated, “I just had to play, Title IX (the ban on gender discrimination in federally funded educational program) had just passed, and I wanted to change the hearts and minds of people to match the legislation” . King beat Riggs in three straight sets, inspiring female athletes across the globe to break gender barriers.

Gender inequality in professional tennis is a real and alarming issue, from the pay gap between mens' and womens' tennis players to the low media coverage of women's professional tennis. This issue even goes as far as how differently tennis commentators discuss and analyze mens tennis as opposed to how they discuss and analyze womens tennis. When commentators discuss men's tennis they solely focus on the skill of the players, but when they discuss women's tennis they place more importance on the appearance of the female players, rather than their skill. This instance of gender inequality in professional tennis is further exacerbated by the differences in advertisements for male tennis players and female tennis players. The advertisements involving male tennis players display their athleticism and tennis abilities, whereas the advertisements including female tennis players are appearance-focused, with the females often wearing little clothing. This is corroborated by the popular belief that focusing on the physical appearance of female athletes is the only way in which generating money from women's professional sports is distinctly possible (Fink, 2015, p. 338). Female professional tennis players train just as hard as the men do, thus the gender inequality that exists in the sport is not necessarily a result of how women perform on the court. It is rather a result of how society perceives women playing in professional sports overall, which the mass media is partially to blame

That same year, Roger Federer won the men’s championship game against American Andy Roddick in straight sets, collecting $1.13 million in prize money. But, his female counterpart, Williams won only $1.08 million. After Venus speech at the All England Club, the women’s championship prize money was increased, according to ESPN W, but still did not match the men’s award. A question was asked in the year 2006 of why the pay gap persisted in the face of increasing criticism, the club chairman , Tim Phillips, justified the prize discrepancy saying the physical demands of the men’s best of five matches are much higher than those of the women’s best of three. The club didn’t view the prize as an “equal rights issue”. The top ten ladies last year earned more from Wimbledon than the top 10 men did by playing in the double tournaments. Venus is a superior athlete, a legend but she is also an activist who revolutionized her sport off the court with her fight for prize equality. People thought this story shouldn’t be regulated to dusty history books and British newspapers. People in the United States should know of her true professional bravery and personal tenacity in making sure women athletes are regarded and rewarded on par with their male counterparts. This was Williams’s mission.

A huge injustice happening in the workplace is how differently men and women are treated. Women have always been obstructed in society, but as of late that has changed right? Many of us have been taught to believe that women are now treated as equals, but in reality that is not how it works. Women are still oppressed at every corner. They are getting paid less to do the same job as men, getting lower starting positions, and getting promoted less. A great example of this pay deduction for women is how Serena Williams, the greatest women’s professional tennis player of all time gets paid significantly less than Roger Federer when they were both number one in the world. Even though in 2015 while they were both rank one, Serena won almost double the amount of tournaments and has the same sponsorship