When Billie Jean King trounced Bobby Riggs in tennis's "Battle of
the Sexes" in 1973, she placed sports squarely at the center of a
national debate about gender equity. In this winning combination of
biography and history, Susan Ware argues that King's challenge to
sexism, the supportive climate of second-wave feminism, and the
legislative clout of Title IX sparked a women's sports revolution
in the 1970s that fundamentally reshaped American society.
While King did not single-handedly cause the revolution in women's
sports, she quickly became one of its most enduring symbols, as did
Title IX, a federal law that was initially passed in 1972 to attack
sex discrimination in educational institutions but had its greatest
impact by opening opportunities for women in sports. King's place
in tennis history is secure, and now, with
Game, Set, Match,
she can take her rightful place as a key player in the history of
feminism as well. By linking the stories of King and Title IX, Ware
explains why women's sports took off in the 1970s and demonstrates
how giving women a sporting chance has permanently changed American
life on and off the playing field.