Billie Jean King: ‘Sports Helps Women To Love And Trust Their Bodies’
Billie Jean King: ‘Sports Helps Women To Love And Trust Their Bodies’
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Billie Jean King darts across a makeshift stage at the El Museo del Automóvil y la Moda de Málaga, where she's hosting the first-ever Power of Women's Sports Summit. She's launching tennis balls into the audience, or I should say, serving facts.
Each tennis ball represents a little-known statistic about women's representation in the workplace—the subject of Billie Jean King Enterprises and Elf Beauty's latest campaign, which calls on businesses to increase diversity on corporate boards.
Alongside her, Kory Marchisotto, the Chief Marketing Officer at Elf Beauty, reads aloud one such fact: “Women in leadership roles lead to higher return on investment.” Cue Billie serving another tennis ball into the crowd, shredding her racket like it's an electric guitar when someone makes a particularly impressive catch. Billie Jean King is a rock star, alright.
And her latest (international) stage is the Billie Jean King Cup, the world's largest annual women's tennis team competition, taking place in Malaga over the same week as the Power of Women's Sport Summit. In 2020, the tournament, then known as the Federation Cup, was renamed in her honor. When it comes to Billie Jean King's legacy, we're just getting started.
Christiane Amanpour and Billie Jean King at the Power of Women's Sport Summit in Malaga.
Ignasi Tarrazona
Ask any young person to name a tennis player; you'll soon hear the words Serena, Venus, or even Tashi–thank you, Zendaya, for that last one. Women get to be superstars in the world of tennis, but only thanks to the dogged efforts of Billie.
Arriving at court for the Battle of the Sexes tennis match against Bobby Riggs, 1973Bettmann/Getty Images
In 1970, at great personal risk, she persuaded eight other female tennis players at the top of their game to form their own professional tour, the Virginia Slims Circuit, which later evolved into the Women's Tennis Association—still the most successful women’s pro tour in any sport.
As well as winning 39 Grand Slam titles, Billie went on to be the first female athlete to make 100k during a professional competition, defeated Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” a.K.A. The most famous tennis match in history, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
With Bobby Riggs, 1973Bettmann/Getty Images
At the tail-end of 2024, I flew to Malaga to interview King during the Billie Jean King Cup finals as part of Glamour's ongoing mission to change the record on women's sports, asking elite athletes and changemakers alike what needs to be done to level the playing field. The morning I'm due to meet Billie, I wrangle an interview with her wife, the South African tennis legend and CEO of Billie Jean King Enterprises, Ilana Kloss.
“Billie was always very smart,” she tells me. “She knew that when you go into the men's arena, they pay attention […] It started when she played Bobby Riggs in 1973. He was as old as her father, but the fact that she was playing a man, all of the men got interested.”
Women can sweat, we can have kids, we can do anything we want to do.
Ilana Kloss
While men's attention (and investment) is still vital to the growth of women's sports, there's a bigger appetite than ever. Ilana says, “Everybody knows that women can sweat, we can have kids, we can do anything we want to do. And it's not defined by gender, but we do still have a long way to go.”
“Billie always says that when you live history, it's slow, but when you read it back, it feels very quick. You have to fight every single day. I mean, if you're not alert, you go backwards.”
Billie Jean King with wife Ilana Kloss.
Tim Clayton - Corbis/Getty Images
Later that day, when I meet Billie—trademark red Tory Burch blazer and all—backstage at the Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena in Malaga, we talk a little about Ilana. “No one ever realises how good she was,” Billie starts. “She was ranked No. 1 in the world in doubles.”
Every generation's got to keep it moving forward.
Billie Jean King
Billie and Ilana have long pushed for equality in women's sports. But, in a world where women's rights are constantly under threat, what's being done to safeguard their progress? “Every generation's got to keep it moving forward,” says Billie. “There's no question; the only way you can do that is to learn the business. That's one of our biggest weaknesses in women's sports. I'm sure men's sports didn't have to worry about this as much as we do.”
“And I think the question should always be, 'If I'm a company or somebody, do I spend as much money on women's sports as men's?'”
Glamour's Purpose Editor Lucy Morgan meets Billie Jean King
It's an important question—and one that Elf Beauty, as a long-time corporate partner of Billie Jean King Enterprises and the exclusive skin and cosmetic partner of the Billie Jean King Cup, is well-placed to answer.
“Billie Jean King's been fighting for equality for over 70 years, and she's not going to stop ever,” says Kory Marchisotto, the Chief Marketing Officer at Elf Beauty. “There's a fire that you get when you're with her. It's like she's passing a torch and saying, ‘Carry this fire with me.’ And it's exceptional to be part of something like that.”
Discussing the brand's partnership with Billie Jean King Enterprises, Kory says, “Billie talks a lot about allyship. She also talks about never stopping. You can't ever be satisfied. Those two things are really important.
"When you think about the gap right now that we have in women in sports, for us, we always go where the community is… 84% of sports fans (of which 51% are men) say that they want to see more women in sports, and yet only 15% of broadcast goes to women in sports. And less than 10% of sponsorship deals and marketing dollars go to women in sports. That's a huge gap, but we know the interest is there.”
Kory Marchisotto, the Chief Marketing Officer at Elf Beauty
Ignasi Tarrazona
For Billie's part, she's obsessed with the partnership. “They are hilarious, and they just get behind everything. I love them. They're crazy. But I like that. I like their energy.”
Billie Jean King Enterprises and Elf Beauty clearly share values of empowering women, but this is something Billie feels on a deeply personal level, too. We discuss how body image can potentially deter women and girls from participating in sports.
We believe in our bodies. We believe in our connection to our mind, body, and soul. Because of sports, we are more resilient.
Billie Jean King
“Actually,” Billie starts, “sports help girls to like and love their bodies, to trust their bodies. But we were always taught not to trust our bodies.” At this point, she clarifies this was the case when she was growing up and asks me if this is still true (“you have to tell me because I'm too old now”). I confirm that this is still very much the case.
“We know much more about men's bodies in every way,” Billie continues. “But sports have proven—we've done all kinds of research now—that we learn to trust our bodies better than other women. We believe in our bodies. We believe in our connection to our mind, body, and soul. Because of sports, we are more resilient.”
Competing in the Battle of the Sexes against Bobby Riggs, 1973Bettmann/Getty Images
As our interview comes to an end—no one is busier than Billie Jean King during the Billie Jean King Cup—I ask her about the best advice she has for young women. “Just keep going,” she says. "Do you honestly think we would have everything we have in women's tennis if I'd taken things personally or some of the other women had taken things personally? We would've been flattened.
“You just keep going, and if they don't believe in you, okay, it's all right. Keep going. Find people who do.”
A version of this story was originally published in Glamour UK.
Billie Jean King Pays Tribute To Late Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali On His 83rd Birthday With Emotional 'queen' Anecdote
Tennis legend Billie Jean King commemorated what would have been the 83rd birthday of late boxing great Muhammad Ali. King recalled a cherished memory of Ali’s enduring respect for her, underscoring the profound connection between two of history’s most influential athletes.
Muhammad Ali, originally named Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1942. His boxing career is marked by numerous accolades, including three world heavyweight championships and an Olympic gold medal. Ali was not just a sports figure; he became a global icon for his activism and outspoken nature.
His conversion to Islam and his bold stance against the Vietnam War added layers to his legacy. Tragically, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's syndrome in 1984, which gradually took a toll on his health until his death on June 3, 2016.
On January 17, 2025, Billie Jean King posted a touching tribute on X (formerly Twitter) to honor her friend Ali's 83rd birthday. She fondly remembered their encounters and shared a personal anecdote, revealing how Ali, would often whisper in her ear, "Billie Jean, you're the queen."
"When Muhammad Ali and I would run into each other, he would whisper in my ear, "Billie Jean, you're the queen." Today, he would have turned 83. Remembering him today and always," King wrote.
Billie Jean King received the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award at the 2021 Sports Illustrated Awards, held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on December 7, 2021.
First introduced in 2008 as the Sportsman Legacy Award, the honor was renamed as the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award in 2015. According to Sports Illustrated, the award recognizes a person whose commitment to the values of sportsmanship has endured over many years and whose athletic career has left a significant mark on the world.
King expressed that she was deeply honored to be selected as the recipient of the award.
"He (Muhammad Ali) really cared about people," she told SI.Com. "And so, this is really an honor."
Reflecting on Ali's influence on her journey, King recalled how they often discussed this very topic whenever they crossed paths.
"Everyone's gotta do their part every single day," she said. "You never know how you are going to touch another person's life or how they are going to touch yours. So pay attention."
Past recipients of the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award include Allyson Felix (2022), LeBron James (2020), Warrick Dunn (2019), and John Cena (2018). Report this page