Nothing doing without the Original 9.
The iconic Ted Tinling photo above features the 9 brave women who signed $1 contracts to start a stand-alone women's tennis tour in Houston 40 years ago today. These pioneers are: Billie Jean King, Rosie Casals, Nancy Richey, Judy Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Julie Heldman, Kristy Pigeon, Peaches Bartkowicz and Valerie Ziegenfuss. Honorable mention must be paid to Gladys Heldman who's help with these initial steps was invaluable.
Billie Jean King remembers, "I felt a sense of both fear and exhilaration. We knew we were making history and we had such a strong sense of purpose. I just kept thinking about the vision we had for the future of our sport. We wanted to ensure that any girl in the world that was good enough would have a place to go and make a living playing tennis."
King continues, "Today's players are living our vision. In 1970, and even a few years after we signed the $1 contract with Gladys, people never believed women's tennis would be a global sport and that players would be making the money they make today. But it is a reality and I know today's players will continue our dreams for future generations."
Andrea Petkovich made a nice tibute video - view it HERE.
King Quotes: from the wonderful WTA article on the Original 9 - Photo: Ted Tinling
But i wonder--simply because i wasn't around for her life and have never studied her impact on american culture in a larger sense--if this is how marilyn herself was viewed by her peers back in the day... and if it was only the surgical hand of dr. time, m.d., that glossed over her life and put her in the context we find her in today.
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