It's official! More than a year and a half after legislation to do so was first introduced, Billie Jean King will become the first individual female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
The ink dried on King's latest historic first, at age 80, on Thursday when President Joe Biden signed the bill, passed by the U.S. Senate in May and the House of Representatives earlier this month, into law. The legislation was initially introduced into the House of Representatives last March by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Democratic co-lead Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), “to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Billie Jean King, an American icon, in recognition of a remarkable life devoted to championing equal rights for all, in sports and in society."
The efforts to award King Congress' highest civilian honor began last year as a tentpole of the US Open's celebration of the 50th anniversary of equal prize money at the tournament, a milestone that King was integral in securing. In 1972, King was paid $10,000 in comparison to US Open men's champion Ille Nastase's $25,000, and threatened that she and her fellow female players would boycott the tournament the next year if they were not paid equally. Working to secure a sponsor to make up the difference, King also convinced then-tournament director Billy Talbert to agree, and in 1973, US Open singles champions Margaret Court and John Newcombe were each awarded $25,000.
Dr. Brian Hainline, the USTA's chairman of the board and president, hailed the events of the last two weeks as the "culmination of a long building process to recognize and award Billie Jean King for her lifelong fight and push for equality in this country."
“Billie is one of the greatest athletes and ambassadors the sport of tennis has ever seen, and her impact off the court is even greater than her performance on it," Hainline said. "The USTA would like to thank the members of Congress for making this a reality, as well as the President for signing this legislation, as Billie Jean King has now broken another barrier to become the first individual female athlete to have been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal."
Prior to King being awarded this distinction, 11 individual male athletes (as well as the 1980 U.S. Olympic team) had received the Congressional Gold Medal including baseball players Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente and golfers Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer. She is now the recipient of two of the highest civilian honors awarded by the U.S. government, having been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2009.
