Billie Jean KingThe Grand Chelem champion at 12 times and a founding leader of the WTA tour, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles for her contributions to sports entertainment.
The 81 -year -old man is the first woman to receive the distinction in this category, which includes the temple of renowned NFL Michael Strahan and the late actor and former NFL Weathers player. King received the star on April 7, during a ceremony led by Jamie Lee Curtis, winner of an Oscar, and the NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
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“I may be the first woman to have obtained a star in this category, but I will certainly not be the last,” King wrote in an article on X.
A Hollywood Walk of Fame star is delivered with attached sponsorship fees. The attraction currently lists these costs at $ 85,000.
King, who won 39 Grand Chelem titles overall, was fundamental for the award of an equal prize in tennis. Her work led to the US Open to become the first Grand Colem tournament to do so in 1973, the same year that she beat Bobby Riggs in the historic confrontation of the Battle of the Sex. In 1974, King created Women’s Sports Foundation, two years after title IX prohibited sex discrimination in schools in the United States
Since then, it has diversified its influence in several sports, investing in the NWSL’s Angel City FC, the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA and the Los Angeles Dodgers of MLB. She also lends her name to the Billie Jean King Cup, the international women’s team tennis competition.
This article originally appeared in Athletics.
Sports business, culture, tennis, female tennis
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