By Nafeesa Connolly
Staff Writer
The word is out: Tennis legend Billie Jean King will be the 2014 Simmons College undergraduate Commencement speaker on Friday, May 9, at the Bank of America Pavilion. So, who exactly is Billie Jean King? Here are five things you should know about this all-star.
She’s a champion and a pioneer
ESPN.com reports King won six Wimbledon singles championships and four U.S. Open titles. Not to mention, she was ranked no. 1 in the world for five years. With her 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles, however, nothing compares to her famous “Battle of the Sexes” match against Bobby Riggs in 1973, which led to equal prize money amounts for women and men.
On ESPN.com, New York Times writer Neil Amdur said, “She convinced skeptics that a female athlete can survive pressure-filled situations and that men are as susceptible to nerves as women.”
Aside from her tennis titles, King was also named Life magazine’s “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century,” one of four athletes and the only female athlete on the list.
King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987 and also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2009.
She’s an advocate for the LGBTQ community
Following her “Battle of the Sexes” victory, King became one of the first American athletes to come out in 1981, following a lawsuit filed against her from her partner. Despite the hurdles, King bounced back and was most recently named a part of the U.S. Presidential delegation for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, showing her support for those affected by anti-gay acts and violence.
Being a founder is her thing
King founded the Women’s Tennis Association and became the first woman commissioner in professional sports. She also founded The Women’s Sports Foundation, Women’s Sports magazine, and co-founded the World TeamTennis.
This isn’t her first encounter with Simmons
King was the keynote speaker at the 2012 Simmons Leadership Conference (SLC) at the Seaport World Trade Center. Simmons magazine reported she was the final speaker of the day and emphasized, “Real champions in life raise people above themselves.” She also served tennis balls into the crowd.
She’s shy
The SLC website featured a short Q&A with King prior to the 2012 conference. One question asked, “People would be surprised to know that I [blank],” and her response was, “Am shy.”
