Editorial Development: Bonnie Brook Communications

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WEEK 27
DAY 2
READ THE PASSAGE
As you read about a tennis rivalry, focus on the two opponents and how the
sport of tennis has changed.
The Tennis Battle of the Century
Although they were both gifted tennis players, Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King were very different 
personalities. The 1970s was a time of social change in the United States, and women’s sports were 
gaining new respect and popularity. During this time, two tennis legends faced off in a match that would 
change tennis forever.
King was the reigning women’s tennis champion of the era, and she was also instrumental in 
professionalizing women’s tennis and negotiating higher pay for female players. Riggs had been a men’s 
tennis champion in the 1940s. Still craving the spotlight during the 1970s, he repeatedly questioned 
women’s athletic abilities and challenged female tennis stars to play against him. Although he was 55 
years old in 1973, Riggs declared that he could beat any female player. One champion, Margaret Court, 
took up the challenge, and Riggs beat her soundly. After that, King, who was 29 years old, decided to face 
Riggs.
In one of the most widely viewed tennis matches in history, King played against Bobby Riggs in a 
match that was promoted as “The Battle of the Sexes.” The victor would win $100,000. Before the start of 
the match, four men dressed as Egyptian slaves carried King onto the court in an elaborate chair. Riggs 
rode in a rickshaw driven by four scantily-clad women. In a little more than two hours, the game was over. 
King beat Riggs in three straight sets and became a hero to female athletes everywhere.
SKILL PRACTICE
Read each question. Fill in the bubble next to the correct answer.
 1. Both Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs 
.
A
believed that men were better athletes
B
had won major championships
C
believed that female athletes should earn
more money
D
were tennis stars during the 1940s