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.
I’ll see your “Wonder Woman”,”Xena” and “Buffy”
and raise you with “Superman”, “Hercules”, and “Batman”
(wink, wink)
And “Superman” does need an invisible plane to fly....
I read the espn article, seems like intense training for the first match, drunken partying before the second match, something he supposedly never did while gearing up for a match.
I think he was sure that King would give him his promised rematch, but she refused. I bet a second match would have went very differently, and after the results of the first one would have made folks a lot of money.
Freegards
And “Superman” doesn't need an invisible plane to fly....
The crazy thing about the match was that the media then and today treats it as proof of tennis equality, rather than as a fun, goofy stunt, of an old man and a top female star.
The media has always played this as serious male versus female.
I used to play a lot of tennis, and I watched many matches. I saw both Riggs matches. He looked like he was hitting pitty pat balls directly into King's forehand. At the time, I thought what the h... is going on? Why isn't he playing against King like he played against Court-Smith? It all makes sense now.
Ha, ha....I remember back in the sixties when The Avengers had Diana Rigg casually whipping any male baddies who crossed her. But the show was so well-written and entertaining, (and Diana Rigg looked so good), the show succeeded. Who knew that fifty years later it would be taken for granted that 120 lb females can beat the crap out of squadrons of heavyset, muscular, male baddies, and that Hollyweird movie-makers would make it a staple of action films. Even average cop shows show slight, female policewomen easily manhandling adult males.
More likely what would happen is what happened a few years ago to the female court officer in Atlanta, who while escorting a muscular male prisoner into the courtroom, had her gun easily taken away from her by the male who later shot and killed several people in the courtroom. So how many females are going to get themselves seriously hurt or killed by believing the movie myth about females being as strong as males?
Actually, how does Superman fly? It shows him taking a big leap and then extending is arms. How does he actually fly? What principles of aerodynamics is he using? I could see a super-powered jump from point to point, but he's actually darting around and hanging in the air at times. How does/can he do it mechanically speaking? (snicker)
If any pro athlete would have been likely to throw a match, it would have been the super-better himself, Bobby Riggs.
Untrue! During that match I learned the tennis scoring system. ABC did an excellent job of bringing the outsider into the game. Tennis scoring is strange and arcane compared to baseball and football, which was my, and many others, frame of reference.
On the other hand, the game of tennis was the big winner. Conners, Johnny Mac, Nastasi(sp), et al all of a sudden had a large fan base to watch their matches that was missing before the "Battle of the Sexes."
Half those in police and military front duty billets.
The guy beat her 6-0, 6-0.
Evert didn't think it was any surprise, or any big deal - she admitted the men's game is much faster.
Ali thought it was, although no one told his opponent Inoki about the fix. It was only a few hours before the fight that Ali learned that Inoki, who Ali had dubbed "The Pelican Man", intended to make it a real fight. Ali was further confused when Inoki promptly lay on the canvas after the bell was rung and stated to kick Ali whenever he cam close. In fact, Ali took so many vicious kicks to his legs that he could no longer "float like a butterfly" and had to adopt a rope-a-dope strategy for the remainder of his career.
I’ll bet Serena Williams could have beat Riggs.
So you’re saying he “Rigg”ed the match?
No arguement here.
Yet Pete Rose is villified and kept out of HOF because he dared bet on another team/ un....friggin real.....
Yeah, I get it these are comics, and supernatural powers are expected, but it’s bugged me for a long time about Superman flying. He just extends his arms and he can fly. I can believe all the other superheroes special powers more than I can believe someone can fly just by extending their arms.
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