Billie Jean’s Big Apple highlights: Carrying a 50-year mission into its next chapter
With an extra spring in her step from the relaunch of the iconic adidas blue suede shoes she wore in 1973’s "Battle of the Sexes," the indefatigable Billie Jean King was an inspirational force at this fortnight’s US Open – turning the stadium named in her honor into a future-looking powerhouse of advocacy and empowerment.
Mentoring the Next Gen
For the 29th time, the WTA founder led the annual Billie Jean King Power Hour mentoring session, organized by the WTA as part of its player development initiatives. This year’s cohort of a dozen or so emerging WTA stars included Austria’s Lilli Tagger, Belgium’s Hanne Vandewinkel and young Australian, Emerson Jones.
Speaking with the group before main draw action got underway, King reflected on the trailblazing Original 9, who came together in 1970 with a shared purpose to create greater opportunities and a better future for women in professional tennis.
Alongside WTA Chair, Valerie Camillo, and 1976 US Open doubles champion Ilana Kloss, King encouraged the young players to think beyond their immediate goals on court and consider the broader impact they can have throughout their careers – to find their own personal “why”?
“Being a changemaker brings risk and criticism, but athletes have a unique opportunity and responsibility to use their platforms to continue growing the sport,” she said.
Women’s sport as big business
On the first Monday of main draw play, Billie Jean King Enterprises hosted the third annual Power of Women’s Sports Summit presented by e.l.f. Cosmetics at the New York Historical Society.
Once again, the event gathered an elite roster of sports icons and changemakers, including soccer legends Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy, racecar driver Katherine Legge, and Mexico's viral Olympic flag football quarterback Diana Flores, who discussed the current boom in women’s sports.
The summit celebrated progress so far as well as the huge potential growth in this industry, with global revenue in women’s sports projected to hit $3 billion in 2026, according to a survey by Deloitte.
“We belong,” King declared to the audience, adding that corporate investment must keep pace with growing viewership, along with pipelines to develop women in leadership positions. “Why should we not have the same dreams as men?”
The summit concluded with a screening of the acclaimed documentary Give Me the Ball! Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus and Elizabeth Wolff, the ESPN Films 30 for 30 project made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, with an official premiere scheduled for November. Serena Williams and Elton John are just two of the illustrious figures who gave interviews for the project.
Wise words for young readers
The US Open also served as a platform to celebrate King’s newly released young adult book, "See It to Be It: Eleven Champions Leading Women's Sports." Co-authored with journalist Liz Robbins and published by Calkins Creek, the book officially hit shelves in August.
The nonfiction work profiles 11 contemporary trailblazers who are shifting the landscape of modern sports. Through exclusive interviews, King highlights superstars like Caitlin Clark and Naomi Osaka, alongside barrier-breakers in emerging disciplines, such as para-swimmer McKenzie Coan and baseball pioneer Kelsie Whitmore.
During promotional conversations, King noted that the book focuses heavily on the transformative power of representation, ensuring young athletes can quite literally see a path to their own success.