girl bobby riggs plays mrs billie jean king on a tennis court in houston tonight it's a match and being billed as a battle of the sexes in front of a sold out crowd at the houston astrodome she beat the retired tennis star bobby riggs in straight sets and what remains one of the most watched television programs in the history of sports to change the world you had to win i had to win you're absolutely correct and even though there's no doubting the importance of this event and the fact that it was a moments of tremendous symbolism billie jean king is contributions to women's equality far transcend that one match. tennis is always been a country club sport but billie jean king came from a working class background and grew up playing on public courts and when she finally got into the game she fought for pay equity every step of the way she was the first ever president of the first ever women's sports union that organized women's tennis and she was also the first prominent woman to ever be out of the closet. crime i think one of the most serious crisis. thirty seven year old billy and richa