$100,000 in 1973 is about today $510,000 today.
Posted on 08/28/2013 8:05:28 AM PDT by chessplayer
A few months back, when I was swatting away the absolutely absurd notion that Brittney Griner could play in the NBA, I snarked, “Then again, Billie Jean King did beat a 55-year-old former pro that one time, so maybe Griner will totes fit into the NBA.”
But even that bit of credit was unwarranted, apparently. Because it turns out the infamous battle of the sexes—in which the 30-year-old King routed the 55-year-old Bobby Riggs—wasn’t a legit match. Allegedly, the fix was in:
The story is filled with fascinating nuggets. Like JVL, I hadn’t realized that Riggs trounced—just absolutely crushed, in straight sets, giving up only three games over two sets—Margaret Court, then the most dominant* women’s player in the world, just a few months before playing King. Whereas he trained long and hard for the exhibition against Court, he slacked off before going to battle with Billie Jean. Riggs’ son was so angry with his lackadaisical approach he apparently wagered on King to win—and he wasn’t even in on the fix.
Was there ever any question about this? Sheesh.
Separate FR thread on the same topic here:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3059555/posts
Hal Shaw, friend of Bobby Riggs, told ESPN that it was all a setup.
According to Shaw, who was an assistant golf pro 40 years ago at the Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club in Tampa, Fla., where Riggs also was working, he was toiling late one night fixing golf clubs when he saw mob lawyer Frank Ragano, Florida mob boss Santo Trafficante Jr. and New Orleans crime boss Carlos Marcello enter the clubhouse.
Ragano told the men Riggs was going to “set up two matches . . . against the two best women players,” Shaw told ESPN’s “Outside the Lines.”
Riggs owed a lot of money to the Mob and had to repay it somehow. This was one of the ways he could do it.
For those who don’t know, Billy Jean King was ranked number 2 in the world then. Margaret Court of Australia was ranked number 1.
Months before losing to King, the 55 year old, long retired, Riggs crushed then-No. 1 women’s player Margaret Court.
Riggs was one of his era’s greats, winning Wimbledon and the US Open in 1939. He won the US Open at Forest Hills again in 1941 at age 23.
Riggs could easily have made millions of tax free money betting against himself... he was totally in charge of “WHO WON”.. Taking money from the feminists..
Riggs may have been “bitching” all the way to the bank..
NAH!.. You think?... No tell all books will be happening as long as there is an IRS..
Of course maybe Riggs was stupid!... MAybe NOT?.........
Some of you people don’t understand liberals... Truth is what you construct it to be. Please read 1984, Rules for Radicals, ...
EDIT TI ADD, Of course Riggs was himself, a showman and actually Helped to HYPE the entire match as a MALE vs FEMALE thing.
Only idiotic liberals will believe that this symbolizes something instead of what it is — a long retired 55 year old male tennis player vs an active and top-of-her-game female.
Two top mob bosses walk into a locker room to set up the fix. Yea,right. What B.S.!
and btw, Griner can't even play in the Wnba let alone the nba.....you should watch her/him.....she'e/he's a stick figure out there.....
on a deeper note, the Riggs thing fits in pretty well in all professional sports.....just think, you think you're watching real action and real sports heroes but underneath it all, its fake...a concoction....
Once again Follow the Money. It was ripe for big betting and I’ll bet the MOB had a large large piece of all the action. Its like having tomorrows newspaper today.
A Poster named Durus in the other thread on this topic posted this:
__________________________
For Feminists out there.... let’s prove it in 2013.
So how about a rematch. THE TOP FEMALE TENNIS PLAYER AGAINST THE TOP MALE PLAYER TODAY.
Serena Williams ranked number 1 female player in the world
Fastest serve = 116mph
Average 1st Serve = 99mph
Average 2nd Serve = 82mph
VS.
Novak Djokovic ranked number 1 male player in the world
Fastest serve = 128mph
Average 1st Serve = 111mph
Average 2nd Serve = 92mph
Put in on PAY PER VIEW. I wouldn’t buy it personally but then I know what would happen.
it does seem far-fetched...
I remember reading the double standards in the military. An 18 year old woman is about as effective in combat as a 40-50 year old man. I don’t see how the best of the best in women sports can realistically compete against any pro man unless he is much much older. But this story seems to make my opinion worthless.....as in maybe that isn’t even true and the scales are lopsided even more in a mans favor.
I heard Bobby had 200 Large down on BJ ... and SHMG.... I bet my widow's mite right along with him and with odds, literally cleaned out my office so badly ... including the big boss... that I quit a week later. Bobby also attributed his splendid physical condition to following the same diet as BJ.
The Mob thing is silly, the fix was in from the start. There’s no way this match was going to have a man slaughter a woman on TV.
It was no different than professional Wrestling or a Hollywood movie where an 89lb waif of a woman takes on and easily beats up multiple 250+lb guys.
The 500th ranked male would easily beat the top rated female in 3 shutout sets. I would even bet John Mackenroe today would easily beat Serena.
I find it hard to believe anybody would be dumb enough to bet on this match.
A fixed match makes sense.
But even setting the fix aside, what I don't get is, what the big deal was.
On any given night, the Slippery Rock Community College Intramural football team can go out and beat Alabama. It can happen, one time in a lifetime.
But that doesn't make them a better team than Alabama. They'll get trounced...badly...every other night.
RE: I would even bet John Mackenroe today would easily beat Serena.
He did challenge the Williams sisters and they all but declined declined.
Serena might have a bad attitude, but she ain’t no feminist. She all but conceded that men are stronger and faster than women ( but why are we even debating this ?).
See here:
You mean a 100 pound female dispatching a room full of 200+ pound, trained men in a fight scene is not real...
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