Billie Jean King - Tennis Trailblazer

            Equal rights are something that people have been fighting for since the birth of America. are known by many for the feats they accomplished to gain those rights for African Americans. When it comes to women's rights, the name Billie Jean King does not get the recognition it deserves. Billie has influenced the way women would be perceived during the ''70's and to this day by prevailing over the challenges that stood in her way to change women's history. .
             During the 1960's, women were not viewed as equals to men in any way and it was not easy for women to speak up because often times they were not heard. Before the days of Title IX, the opportunities for women were limited, and, once they were given those opportunities, they were nowhere near equal to men. Billie Jean was on a campaign for women to be equal. According to the Biography.com, "This campaign for equality is most notably remembered for her 1973 'Battle of the Sexes' match against 55-year-old tennis champ Bobby Riggs, who claimed the women's game to be inferior" (n.p.). She used her publicity and skills to speak out against inequality. She also was the first famous female athlete to be openly gay. King went on to continue setting bounds for women off the court by continuing her push for equal opportunity.
             Billie Jean was fifteen years old when she started getting noticed after winning the Southern California Championship. The following year she met with Alice Marble, a tennis great, to receive coaching. Shortly after, Billie and her doubles partner Karen Hantze Susman became the youngest pair to win the women's doubles title at Wimbledon. She continued to compete as she attended California State University and she was not rewarded again until 1966 when she won her first singles championship at Wimbledon. She went on to defend her title in the following two years. Stated by Biography.com, "In 1968, having claimed the world's No.