A great video on the impact of Title IX

Title IX is a US law that requires equal access to men and women in education. Because of the role of educational institutions in sport, for 40 years Title IX has had a huge impact on the presence of girls and women in sport. This video highlights that impact, with a focus on Billie Jean King, founder of the Women's Sport Foundation that continues to campaign for the preservation and enforcement of this ground-breaking legislation.

Billie Jean King on Elton John, Title IX, marriage equality and more

From an interview with Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King on Washingtonian.com:

Many people don’t know the story of Elton John and his hit song “Philadelphia Freedom”—that it was written for you and the World Team Tennis franchise by the same name. How exactly did that come to pass with him?

It was so amazing. I played for Philadelphia my first year, 1974. I had met Elton John in ’73. Elton started to come out to the Freedom matches and sit on the bench. And we made sure he had a uniform, and he was like our cheerleader, our surrogate coach—and he just loved it. When he wasn’t touring, he’d come. He loved tennis. So one time we’re going to one of his concerts, and we’re sitting in the backseat of a car, and he goes, “I want to write a song for you.” And I think he’s kidding, and he says, “No, I’m serious. What are we going to call it?” And I’m like, “Oh, my God, I have no idea.” And then he says, “How about if we call it ‘Philadelphia Freedom?’” And he wrote it in the summer of ’74, just after the team tennis season, and it became number one. It was a very big hit. I think we have the best signature song in sports, and nobody ever talks about it. I mean, it’s an amazing story, I think.

Let’s quickly touch on some other topics. This year is also the 40th anniversary of Title IX. And as one of the women who’s been at the forefront of equal opportunity in sports and in every walk of life, what are your thoughts on the impact that ruling has had four decades later?

Well, it’s incredible. And it didn’t just impact sports. Before 1972, if you wanted to be a doctor at Harvard, they only had a 5 percent quota. I met a woman the other day who said her mother was in a class of 500 and they only had 12 women. And what ’72 did is open up the doors and never let that happen again. And now 54 percent of the college enrollment is women. And it would never have happened if it hadn’t been for Title IX.

Read in full HERE.

ESPN names Billie Jean King as one of the top 40 women athletes of the 40 years since Title IX

From ESPN's profile of Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King, number 11 in the top 40 women athletes of the last forty years, the period during which Title IX has been in effect, ensuring equality in access to sport for young American athletes:

It was a disparity King wouldn't forget. In 1970, she was one of nine players who broke from the tennis establishment. Accepting symbolic $1 contracts from promoter Gladys Heldman, they boycotted a tournament in which the female winner was set to receive one-eighth the prize money of the male winner. Their rebellion led to the development of the Virginia Slims Tour and, later, the Women's Tennis Association. In 1971, King was the first female athlete to earn $100,000 in a year, justifying the Virginia Slims slogan, "You've come a long way, baby!"

"The '70s were the perfect time for Billie Jean's leadership," says Pam Shriver, a 21-time Grand Slam doubles champ and now an ESPN analyst. "She was a great on-court champion, and the opportunity to dovetail with the feminist movement was perfect. She had the ideal personality; she embraced the challenge of gaining equality for women. Eventually, someone could have done it, but no one else in her era was capable of it."

In 1974, King founded the Women's Sports Foundation to better the lives of women through sports. In 1990, Life magazine named her one of the 100 most important Americans of the 20th century. And she has continued her fight into the 21st century, still very much a visible presence at age 68.

"Billie Jean has been so influential in helping women earn more in terms of respect, prize money and other opportunities," Shriver says. "Think of Maria Sharapova or Li Na in China. Commercial opportunities are huge for women tennis players, but women in all sports can tip a cap to Billie Jean."

Women out of sports, too.

Read in full HERE.

Billie Jean King says a change in attitude can improve US tennis,

Billy Jean King is honored along with the eight other women
who formed the Women's Professional Tour in 1973
during a ceremony at the Family Circle Cup tennis tournament
in Charleston, S.C., last month.
(Mic Smith / Associated Press / April 7, 2012)

An extract from an article in the Los Angeles Times on Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King's outlook on tennis in the US, which for her can be improved by imitating team sports for youth:

She's about as corporate as Bubba Watson. When she talks about her World Team Tennis, she isn't selling tickets, she's setting examples and embracing concepts.

"Let's say you talk to kids and they are playing lacrosse and tennis," she says. "They talk about lacrosse, and they talk about team. Tennis? They talk about their lesson. If they have to choose one or the other, they'll choose the team. They get a uniform. They get to be part of something with other kids. Tennis needs to stress teams. Get rid of the word 'lesson.' Call the teachers coaches, not tennis pros."

She was addressing the current sorry state of United States professional tennis.

Read in full HERE.

Billie Jean King in Advocate Hall of Fame

The Advocate is celebrating its 45th anniversary and is naming a member of the Hall of Fame for each year. Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King is the hero for 1981 (hat tip to Outsports):

Billie Jean King first exploded onto the tennis scene in the 1960s, winning her first Wimbledon title during her first doubles tournament, and then 20 more Wimbledon titles by the end of the 1970s. In 1971, she was the first female athlete to win more than $100,000 for winning a match, but King knew it was wrong that she and other female players were generally paid less than male players.

She fought Bobby Riggs, one of the top-ranked U.S. players of the 1930s and 1940s to take a stand against sexism and unequal pay in one of the most famed and storied tennis matches of her life, the 1973 "Battle of the Sexes." Though Riggs was past his prime at that point, he claimed that the women's game was inferior, striking a nerve with King. She trounced him, in a tennis match watched by 50 million people around the world. Three years later, King became the first president of the Women's Tennis Association.

King was well accomplished by the arrival of the 1980s, when a palimony lawsuit from a former lover suddenly put her personal life in the spotlight. King, who was married, was having an affair with her assistant. King beat the lawsuit, but it still cost millions in endorsements and lead to a divorce. Despite all she had lost and left to lose, the tennis star decided to host a press conference in 1981 against her lawyer’s wishes to admit to the affair. Now she is one of the most vocal proponents of LGBT people and women in sports from the school level, up to the pros.
-Michelle Garcia

Shamey Cramer comments on the opening day of the IOC Women and Sport conference

Shamey Cramer's comments on the opening of the IOC Women and Sport conference:

Among the attendees was Alicia McConnell, US Olympic Committee's Director Athlete Services. Her previous Gay Games connection was as serving on the International Advisory Board for the Los Angeles 2006, Inc. Bid Committee for Gay Games VII. We've known each other ten years from serving on the Gay/Lesbian Athletic Foundation Advisory Board. She is the senior-most 'out' employee at the USOC.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday honoured five women and one organisation for their outstanding contributions to the development of women’s participation in sport and sports administration during a ceremony for the 2012 IOC Women and Sport Awards in Los Angeles.

A Roundatable discussion followed. Moderated by Michelle Kwan, panelists included Billie Jean King, Julie Foudy (USA Soccer) and award-winner Manisha Malhotra.

I noted this statement from Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King: "The men who are in power are the ones who will make a difference. After all, we're in this together. We -- men and women -- must be a team in the effort for gender equality".

King, Faudy, Malhotra, Kwan (photo Shamey Cramer)

Without a doubt, Billie Jean was the most revered and respected woman on that stage tonight - you literally could feel the respect all these amazing women - athletic superstars and administrators - give to her, even when she is simply sitting on a stage with other amazing athletes.

Read all our coverage of this conference HERE.

IOC Women and Sport conference: Canadian Olympic Committee hosts reception

Following the awards ceremony at the IOC Women and Sport conference yesterday, the Canadian Olympic Committee welcomed delegates to a reception. Thanks to FGG delegate to the conference Shamey Cramer for these photos of the events, which featured a panel discussion including Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King. USOC chair Larry Probst Donna De Varona

Anita DeFrantz

LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

Sebastian Coe

Read all our coverage of this conference HERE.

1 February 2012 / A focus on Title IX for National Girls and Women in Sports Day in USA

In honor of tomorrow's National Girls and Women in Sports Day and its theme, Title IX at 40: In it for the Long Run, the Women's Sports Foundation has put together some of the most troubling misconceptions about this law that has ensured greater access to sport to young women in America. Thanks to Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King for drawing out attention to this important text:


MYTH: Title IX has done its job and is no longer needed.

FACT: In the past five years, the gap between male and female athletic participation at the high school level has grown.

Female high school athletes receive 1.3 million fewer athletic participation opportunities than their male counterparts (2.9 million female vs. 4.2 million male).
Female athletes receive 86,000 fewer opportunities at the college level (205,000 female vs. 290,000 male).
Female college athletes receive $148 million less in athletic scholarships ($617 million female vs. $765 million male).
In addition, female high school and college athletes continue to lag behind males in the provision of equitable resources such as equipment, uniforms and facilities.



MYTH: Title IX has resulted in the loss of athletic opportunities for men's sports.


FACT: Overall, men's athletic opportunities since Title IX's passage have increased. Title IX has been wrongly blamed by its critics for cuts to some men's sports teams at some educational institutions.

Schools choose to support, eliminate or reduce particular sports opportunities on both men's and women's specific teams for a variety of reasons, including varying interests in specific sports and choices about how to allocate budget resources among the sports teams the school decides to sponsor or emphasize. The number, competitive level and quality of sports programs are individual institutional decisions, just as the number and quality of academic programs are institutional prerogatives. The government cannot dictate that particular varsity sports be added, retained or discontinued for men or women.
Opponents of Title IX have tried to mislead the public into believing that the loss of men's wrestling and a few other sports at some schools is a sign of massive loss of men's participation opportunities overall when exactly the opposite is true – men's sports participation continues to grow. Athletic programs add and drop teams all the time. Men are not losing.
This misinformation campaign takes the focus away from the facts that (1) women continue to be significantly underrepresented among high school and college athletes, (2) the gap between men's and women's sports participation and support is not closing and (3) it is the wealthiest athletic programs in NCAA Division I-A that are dropping men's minor sports, typically because they are shifting these monies to compete in the football and men's basketball arms race.



MYTH: Title IX's three-part test imposes a strict quota.


FACT: The three-part test imposes no numerical requirement even remotely analogous to quotas.

A three-part test for participation opportunities determines if institutions provide female and male students with equal athletic opportunities. In order to comply, institutions must pass one of these three tests:
a) Proportionality-male and females participate in athletics in numbers substantially proportional to their respective enrollments in school, or
b) History and Continued Practice of Program Expansion-the institution shows a history and continuing practice of program expansion which is demonstrably responsive to the developing interests and abilities of members of the underrepresented sex, or
c) Full Accommodation of Interests and Abilities- the institution demonstrates that the interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex (females) are fully and effectively accommodated by the existing programs.
Because athletic teams are gender-segregated, individual educational institutions must decide how many athletic opportunities they will allocate to each sex. Thus, schools are required to make gender-conscious decisions related to allocation of opportunities. Far from imposing quotas, the three-part test is merely a measurement, a benchmark for determining whether schools distribute sex-segregated athletic participation opportunities fairly. Courts have repeatedly recognized that the three-part test in no way creates quotas.
Furthermore, Prong Three was used by institutions most frequently:
Prong One 28% (21 institutions) Substantial proportionality
Prong Two 5% (4 institutions) History and continuing program
expansion
Prong Three 66% (49 institutions) Full
and effective accommodation of interests and abilities



MYTH: Girls are not as interested as boys in playing sports.


FACT: The dramatic increase in girls' and women's participation in sport since Title IX was passed in 1972 (by 456% at the college level and 904% in high schools) demonstrates that it was lack of opportunity – not lack of interest – that kept females out of high school and college athletics for so many years.

Before Title IX, women were told that they were not as interested in law or medicine as men were. But given equal opportunity to pursue these interests, women thrive in these fields. Similarly, given equal athletic opportunities, women will rush to fill them; the remaining discrepancies in sports participation rates are the result of continuing discrimination in access to those opportunities.
Additionally, it simply defies reality for colleges to claim a lack of interest in sports participation on the part of female athletes. With more than 2.9 million girls playing high school sports and hundreds of thousands more participating in Olympic sports not offered in schools and colleges – and with only 205,492 female participation opportunities available at the college level – it is clear that there are more than sufficient numbers of women interested in playing on college teams. The single factor depressing female sports participation and Title IX compliance is the failure of schools to add more women's teams.
To accept the stereotyped notion that women are inherently less interested in playing sports has been repeatedly rejected by courts. Gender-based stereotypes used to justify limits on women's opportunities are illegal.




MYTH: It is not fair that Title IX requires equal spending on men's and women's programs because the men's programs bring in all of the school's money.


FACT: Title IX does NOT require equal spending on men's and women's programs, and less than 12% of college athletic programs actually make a profit.






MYTH: Football should be taken out of the Title IX equation because women do not play football.


FACT: No matter how you cut it, football players are male participation opportunities, not a third sex. They must count.

Men don't play field hockey in this country and few men play volleyball…should we eliminate those sports too? Title IX recognizes that men and women may be interested in different sports. It simply says, that you have to provide them with comparable opportunities to play sports. You cannot pretend that 100 male football players are not receiving the benefits of the athletic department- benefits that the school is obligated to provide to women as well.



MYTH: The American public is not supportive of Title IX.


FACT: Eight in 10 voters (82%) support Title IX with agreement across all political parties and among voters with and without children.

The American public believes that sports participation is as important for our daughters as it is for our sons.

Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova respond to Margaret Court's homophobic interview

From LaRosa's Sweet Spot on TennisChannel.com, an update on some tennis legends, one of whom is a hateful homophobe, whose BS can be found HERE:

Earlier this week, Australian tennis legend Margaret Court gave an interview to The West Australian in which she came down strongly not just against gay marriage, but gays themselves .

Among the controversial statements made by Court, now a pastor in Perth’s Victory Life Church:

* “Politically correct education has masterfully escorted homosexuality out from behind closed doors, into the community openly and now is aggressively demanding marriage rights that are not theirs to take.”

* “"[Marriages between a man and a woman] are not perfect, often dysfunctional and despite the fact the role models may be distorted and even severely flawed, there is no reason to put forward alternative, unhealthy, unnatural unions as some form of substitute.”

* "To dismantle this sole definition of marriage [as between a man and a woman] and try to legitimize what God calls abominable sexual practices that include sodomy, reveals our ignorance as to the ills that come when society is forced to accept law that violates their very own God-given nature of what is right and what is wrong."

* "The fact that the homosexual cry is, 'We can't help it as we were born this way', as the cause behind their own personal choice is cause for concern. Every action begins with a thought. There is a choice to be made."

Her remarks drew fire not just from readers, who took to Court’s Twitter account to lambaste her, but from her former colleagues who beg to differ.

“I respectfully disagree with Margaret’s position on gay marriage,” Billie Jean King shares with the Sweet Spot. Out since 1981, King has long been a champion for human rights, gay rights among them. “We have to commit to eliminating homophobia because everyone is entitled to the same rights, opportunities and protection.”

Martina Navratilova, another vocal advocate for gay rights since she came out in 1981, is also not having it. “Seems to me a lot of people have evolved as has the Bible, [for example regarding] slavery. Unfortunately, Margaret Court has not. Her myopic view is truly frightening as well as damaging to the thousands of children already living in same gender families.”

Keep reading HERE.

Biillie Jean King receives Civic Leadership award

Our congratulations to Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King:

The Preston Robert Tisch Award in Civic Leadership is an annual Aspen Institute Award, funded by the family of the late Preston Robert Tisch to carry on his legacy of leadership, public service and philanthropy. The award is presented annually to an individual who has had a positive impact on his/her community, who embodies the broad Aspen Institute ideal of values-based leadership, and who has exemplified this ideal in innovative ways that can serve as models for other leaders.

Billie Jean King – Sports Icon and Humanitarian; Founder, Women's Sports Foundation; Co-Founder, World TeamTennis

An innovator in the area of sports and social change, Billie Jean King has created new inroads for both genders in and out of sports during her legendary career. The winner of 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles and mixed doubles tennis titles, including a record 20 titles at Wimbledon, she was named one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by Life Magazine. King was one of nine players who broke away from the tennis establishment in a move that led to the birth of women’s professional tennis and the formation of the Virginia Slims Tour and the Women’s Tennis Association. She also founded the Women’s Sports Foundation and co-founded World Team Tennis, a ground-breaking co-ed professional tennis league. Her defeat of Bobby Riggs in 1973—dubbed “The Battle of the Sexes”—is still remembered for its effect on society and its contribution to the women’s movement. In 2006, the National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open, was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in honor of King’s contributions to tennis, sports and society, both on and off the court.

Billie Jean King has received numerous other honors including being named a Global Mentor for Gender Equality by UNESCO in 2008 and receiving in 2009 the NCAA President’s Gerald R. Ford Award, recognizing her contributions to improving higher education and intercollegiate athletics. That same year, President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civic honor. She continues to be a leader in the fight for equality and recognition in the GLBT community and has also been honored by many of the leading GLBT organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD and Lambda Legal Foundation.

WTT Smash Hits with Elton John and Billie Jean King raises funds at Cleveland event

From WTA:

CLEVELAND, OH, USA - The 19th annual WTT Smash Hits presented by GEICO was held at historic Cleveland Public Hall on Thursday night. Hosted as ever by tennis legend Billie Jean King and music superstar Elton John, the event raised more than $500,000 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland.

Before the on-court action began, the co-hosts and players attended a pre-match reception and live auction. The top auction items of the night were the two popular Billie Jean King hitting sessions, which King served up for $17,000 each; other items included a 2012 Super Bowl Package, two Elton John-signed piano benches, hitting sessions with Andy Roddick and Martina Navratilova, and a French Open package.

As the focus switched to the tennis court, Sir Elton partnered Navratilova to a 4-3 (5-4) victory against John McEnroe and Amélie Mauresmo in a celebrity doubles set. Then things got 'serious'. With a crowd of 3,477 fans cheering on, Team Elton (Roddick, Mark Knowles, Mauresmo and Lauren Davis) recovered from an early 10-3 deficit to edge Team Billie Jean (McEnroe, Jan-Michael Gambill, Navratilova, Coco Vandeweghe) by a scoreline of 19-18.

After the men's and women's singles and doubles and the mixed had been played, the two sides were locked at 18-18. Roddick sealed the victory for Team Elton by beating Gambill in a Supertiebreaker, 7-1.

"It's a great experience playing with Sir Elton John… I love his music," said teenager Davis, who hails from Ohio but now trains at the Evert Tennis Academy in Florida. "Growing up watching these players on TV, it's so cool to be here."

Over the past two decades WTT Smash Hits has raised more than $10.5 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and local charities throughout the US.

"You have to make sure you can give the money raised to the right people," said John during a pre-match press conference. "Our challenge now is to get medicine to people who can't afford it, and get rid of the stigma that's still associated with AIDS."

Billie Jean King chairs "Tennis in the Park"

Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King chairs Tennis in the Parks, a partnership between the United States Tennis Association - USTA and National Park and Recreation Association that provides opportunities for the public to learn and play tennis.

Learn more HERE.

Attend the US Open with Billie Jean King

Title IX anniversary sees relaunch of Women's Sport Foundation website

Today is the anniversary of Title IX, the US legislation that led to the launch of the Women's Sport Foundation in 1974 by Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King.

And it's also the day of the launch of WSF's revamped website:

Billie Jean King on the anniversary of Title IX legislation promoting the participation of women and girls in sport

Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King writes in the Huffington Post on Title IX (which celebrates its 39th, rather than 40th anniversary this year):

From courtside at Wimbledon, I'm celebrating two important anniversaries this week: the 50th anniversary of my first championship win at Wimbledon, and the 40th anniversary year of Title IX, legislation that ensures equal access to both men and women in federally-funded educational programs and activities, including sports programs.

Both milestones have special importance to me. When Karen Hantze and I won the Ladies' Doubles at Wimbledon in 1961, there were not nearly as many opportunities for girls and women in sports as there are today. The passage of Title IX legislation in 1972 opened important doors, but I knew it would take long-term and continued efforts and dedication to ensure those doors remained open. I founded the Women's Sports Foundation in 1974 with the goal of keeping the promise of Title IX alive.

There has been important progress. For example, high school varsity sports participation has increased from one in 27 in 1972 to about two in five girls today, and women's collegiate participation is up 500%, as a result of Title IX.

But forty years later, the reality is that women still have 1.3 million fewer high school and more than 55,000 fewer college sports participation opportunities than men. Women receive almost $150 million less in athletic scholarship funds each year and women still have fewer professional sports opportunities.

I know firsthand the life lessons that sports teaches from an early age and I often hear stories from other men and women of all ages about how playing sports and being active has helped them build confidence, self-esteem, leadership skills and long-lasting friendships. You don't build these on the world stage or at the Olympics - they are forged at an early age and in the grind of daily training and discipline. So as I celebrate these anniversaries, I am not interested in looking back as much as I am interested in looking forward. How do we build on the momentum and make sure this generation and the next generation of youth are provided equal opportunities in sports and in life?

It takes more than one voice, and more than one athlete, parent or friend. I encourage you to share what Title IX means to you, and find out more about the importance of keeping Title IX alive for future generations, at Women's Sports Foundation on Facebook or www.WomensSportsFoundation.org. Let's work together to make sure all girls who want to get active and involved in sports have that opportunity.

Video / BBC reports on number 10 reception, with video from Billie Jean King

Gareth Thomas presented PM  David Cameron
with his team shirt

Read the story and watch the Billie Jean King video HERE:

Gay sports stars in No 10 to back anti-homophobia plan

David Cameron with rugby player Gareth Thomas in Downing Street Mr Cameron said successful role models were vital in helping tackling homophobia in sport

Leading gay, lesbian and trans gender sports stars have met David Cameron in No 10 to show their support for an initiative to rid sport of homophobia. Rugby player Gareth Thomas and multiple Wimbledon champion Billie Jean King were among those present.

The governing bodies of football, rugby union, rugby league, cricket and tennis agreed a "charter for action" in March. But Home Secretary Theresa May said the small number of openly gay sports stars showed more work needed to be done.

Recently retired England rugby star Ben Cohen was also at the event. The heterosexual World Cup winner recently launched a campaign against homophobic bullying and highlighted the issue on a recent trip to the US, where he has a significant gay following.

Billie Jean King, who shares the record for the most Wimbledon titles won, said athletes should be given the space to talk openly about their sexuality when they felt ready and not feel pressurised into doing so. Billie Jean King: "I just hope that this'll help someone out there who's on the fence. The difficulty is are you going to be criticised or isolated in your job environment?" she said. "Sometimes it depends on their environment and the people around them. The most important thing is they have to be safe." While homophobia was still a real issue in sport, she said there had been progress in the 30 years since she was outed. "I lost all my endorsements in 24 hours, I lost a lot of money. Today that would not happen. When Amelie Mauresmo came out she did not lose any endorsements - in fact she got extra ones."

The home secretary said Wednesday's event sent a "very clear signal" that the government and national sporting associations took the issue seriously and "wanted to make a difference". While attitudes were changing, she said homophobia was still "very much a problem" in sport. "Just look at how few sports people have come out," she said. Footballers who want to come out have every confidence they can come out and be equally respected by both spectators and supporters alike. I think that is a sign of the fear and the concerns they have about being able to do that. They don't feel able to be themselves, they should feel able to be themselves." The behaviour of some spectators also needed to change, she added. "I think a lot can be done in a number of sports but particularly, I fear, on the football terraces. Spectators often feel themselves hearing the sort of comments they should not have to hear."

'Overcoming barriers'

The Football Association, English Cricket Board, Rugby Football Union, Rugby Football League and Lawn Tennis Association all signed up to an initiative earlier this year to strive to eradicate homophobia and transphobia.

The governing bodies agreed to work individually and collectively to make sport a "welcome place for everyone", to ensure the LGBT community had a voice in sport and to "challenge unacceptable behaviour".

The head of the Professional Footballers Association, Gordon Taylor, said that, as the most popular sport in the country, football had a responsibility to "set the best example". "We have to follow the lead set by other sports, such as rugby, cricket and tennis, and... from that point of view, footballers who want to come out have every confidence they can come out and be equally respected by both spectators and supporters alike." Welcoming the charter initiative, he added: "Sport can get to places where politicians, police, schoolteachers can't get to. From that point of view, sport in its finest aspect can overcome these barriers."

Billie Jean King wins Arizona Foundation for Women's Lifetime Achievement Award

Congratulations to Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King, winner of "Sports Business" Lifetime Achievement Award

Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King at yesterday's 2011 Sports Business Awards, where she received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Congratulations!

More and more athletes are coming out: let's not forget the first flakes of this snowball effect

David Kopay

Ross Forman in the Windy City Times and Cyd Ziegler in Outsports take a look at the incredible number of sports figures who have come out so far this year.

Cyd counts a total of 25 for the year to date, and notes for the month of January alone, the following:

• Steve Buckley, Boston Herald sports reporter
• Johnny Weir, Olympic figure skater
• Travon Free, former Long Beach State men’s basketball player (bisexual)
• Akil Patterson, greco-roman wrestler
• Brad Usselman, Washington high school runner
• Robert Scott, high school soccer player
• Ben Newcomer, high school soccer player

In his piece, Ross quotes Cyd: "My prediction for 2015 is, we will look back at 2011 as the year gay equality in sports made its seismic shift. While we might not have our Jackie Robinson, 2011 will be our 1947", in his in-depth look at the situation, including kudos to straight allies like hockey's Burke family and Athlete Ally founder Hudson Taylor.

These are great observations, but we wanted to add our own: the idea of a phenomenon "snowballing" is that it starts small and slow, and gradually picks up more and more speed, and grows bigger and bigger, faster and faster. Anything that snowballs starts somewhere. The sports figures that have come out so far this year will make it easier for even more athletes, officials, administrators, journalists and others in the world of sports to live their lives openly as gay men and women.  And it was those who came out in 2010 who made it easier for this year's crop. And the ones that came out before them, and before them.

Our goal and our hope is that it shouldn't require courage to come out: it should be perfectly natural, perfectly safe. Those coming out now are brave. And those who came out before were even braver. So let's celebrate the growing number of out sports figures, but not forget, and not forget to thank, those that came before them.Thanks to Tom Waddell, to Dave Kopay, to Billie Jean King, and all those who followed!

Billie Jean King on ageing gracefully: "Getting old is not for sissies!"

On US public television series Life (part 2), journalist Robert Lipsyte interviews Billie Jean King on ageing. You can view the video HERE, with Billie Jean appearing after minute 15. Here's an extract from the transcript:

(Robert Lipsyte) I've written about sports for the New York Times off and on for half a century, so I'm sometimes asked who is the most influential sports figure of my time. People expect me to say Muhammad Ali, even Michael Jordan, but my pick is Billie Jean King. She helped professionalize sports, and more importantly, she helped change the way we think about gender. I've always admired the courage and character she showed throughout her career as a tennis player, a broadcaster, and a businesswoman. She discusses this in her book "Pressure is a Privilege." I found out more when I sat down with my old friend Billie Jean.

(Robert Lipsyte) Billie Jean King, welcome to "Life (Part 2)." As you know, you've been my "shero"... (Billie Jean King) Thank you. (Robert Lipsyte) ...for more than 40 years, and I thought I knew everything about you, but one thing that surprised me in "Pressure is a Privilege," your new book, was that one of your role modelsi n the art of aging was Bobby Riggs. (Billie Jean King) Yes!