On Saturday, September 7, 2019 my wife and I sat down to watch 19-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu take on the legendary -and formidable- Serena Williams in the final of the U.S. Open. Andreescu defeated Williams in a tough but very confident 1h40minute 2-set performance, becoming the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam title in singles competition (Daniel Nestor had won 8 Grand Slams in men's doubles and 4 in mixed doubles). During the awards ceremony, Andreescu was presented with a cheque for US$3.85 Million, the same amount that Rafael Nadal would get the next day for a 4h50minute, 5-set win. This type of payout for Andreescu would have been unfathomable in the early 1970s, not just because the prize purses weren't nearly that big at the time but also because the women's game wasn't seen as equal to the men's and as such weren't compensated. The average disparity was around 2.5:1, but at its worst was 12:1 between male and female winners of the same tournament.
Billie Jean King never argued that the men's game wasn't faster, stronger, more dynamic than the women's game, but what she did argue that the women put just as many butts in seats as the men did, sold just as many tickets, so why shouldn't they be compensated the same? When rebuffed, King and many other women players left the US Lawn Tennis Association and formed the Women's Tennis Association. The WTA would organize their own tournaments, obtain their own sponsorships, establish their own TV deals, all benefiting the players. In the cinematic version of these events, King and crew are presented almost as a travelling road show, going from city to city, sharing hotel rooms, managing press together. It feels not unlike like GLOW only set in the 70's and with less spandex.
The film was sold as sort of a light drama-comedy, and as much as a movie dealing with incessant sexism can be funny, it is. King, as played by Emma Stone, is the center of the film, not only combating systemic sexism, but also dealing with her homosexuality - something that could have been a career-killer at the time had it gone public. The film's co-lead (but lesser so) finds Steve Carrell in the role of the affable Bobby Riggs, at the time a mid-50's retired tennis champion caught in a spiral of gambling addiction and questions of self-worth. A consummate showman, he saw King's plight for equality not as a threat but an opportunity for him to exploit national sexism for his own financial and egotistical gain. The film lays down the risks that King took in accepting Riggs' challenge but also highlights her intelligence and savvy both on and off the court.The film negotiates the personal and the public exceptionally well and gives a sympathetic eye to both sides of the picture. There are actually two villains in the piece, the first being Jack Kramer (Bill Pullman) - a former tennis champ and now tournament organizer - who embodies the worst of male chauvinism in the film (where Riggs is the avatar of casual sexism) - and Margaret Court (Jessica McNamee), the Australian women's champion whose portrayal here is of a staunchly conservative, know-your-place type.
It's an exceptionally well-crafted film, which leads into the titular spectacle which serves as a legitimately exciting climax even if the tennis isn't shot (or played) particularly well. I always thought of the Battle of the Sexes as an important moment in women's tennis, but it's so much larger than that. The penetration the event had in the public consciousness at the time - with a viewership of estimated 50 million in the US and 90 million worldwide - made for an important moment in the women's liberation movement, showing that women can compete and even outcompete men. It allowed for many men to confront their own prejudices (while others would remain in denial and call the event a sham).
Today, women's tennis is the only sport paid in parity with the men's profession. They may not play the same style of game or the same length of match in a Grand Slam but they are still selling tickets just the same and creating headlines. One has to wonder if women's sport was compensated the same, would that lend credibility and equality? Today the WNBA players are calling attention to their pay gap, facing a similar struggle, but there is proof the gap can be closed.
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