{"id":50324,"date":"2020-05-05T18:15:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T18:15:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=50324"},"modified":"2022-11-07T20:23:08","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T04:23:08","slug":"billie-jean-king-we-are-in-this-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/au\/blog\/billie-jean-king-we-are-in-this-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Billie Jean King: \u201cWe Are in This Together\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The COVID-19 pandemic is having as massive an impact on the sporting world as on every other aspect of our lives. To overcome the challenges it presents to me, my family and my community, I find myself returning to qualities I developed as a young athlete \u2013 resilience, adaptability, courage. They are not always easy to maintain but I\u2019m not out on the court all on my own. We are in this together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shine the light, shine the light<\/i>
Shine the light, won’t you shine the light<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Philadelphia Freedom<\/i>, by Elton John, inspired by Billie Jean King<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The promise I made as a teenager<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At age 11 I knew I wanted to be the number one tennis player in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At age 13, I realised something I now recognise was even more important: I wanted to change the world. Did I use the word \u2018leader\u2019? I don\u2019t think so. I just knew I wanted to make the world a better place by fighting for equality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d been playing tennis for two years. Not at the exclusive country clubs some of my school friends were members of, but rather thanks to the free instruction available at our public parks. And then there were my wonderful parents who worked hard at three jobs to support my brother\u2019s devotion to baseball and mine to tennis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Already I was aware the world of tennis I occupied was overwhelmingly white \u2013 white shoes, white clothes, white people! But tennis was global and I wondered to myself, \u2018Where is everyone else?\u2019. The other thing I understood very early on was that girls were not considered as important as boys, on or off the court. And if it was tough for me then I knew my sisters of colour and those with disabilities were having an even harder time of it. So I promised myself that I would fight for equality and inclusivity. Decades later, we\u2019ve had a lot of wins. But the journey is not over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sport offers something everyone should have access to<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Being a tennis player, like being any kind of professional athlete, is hard work. It doesn\u2019t matter who you are, you just have to grind it out over many years. And of course, being a female athlete comes with all kinds of other challenges. But I also discovered it comes with some important advantages, one of which is the relationship you have with your body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an athlete, I understood my body and I trusted it. I knew what it was capable of \u2013 its strength, instincts and potential. Girls outside of sport back then \u2013 and still today \u2013 were not taught to have an empowered and empowering relationship with their bodies. The focus was just on being perfect and pretty, on not taking up too much space. On the court I could take up as much space as I wanted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is one of the reasons why I believe giving girls equal opportunities to participate in sports is so important. Sport can give girls a physical confidence they are not otherwise encouraged to have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sport also helps you develop resilience. This was something I learned about as a kid from my dad. He was really big on delayed gratification. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou want that tennis racquet, Billie Jean? You gotta work for it and save up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m keeping that delayed gratification lesson in mind now. We\u2019re all missing out on things that are important to us \u2013 for me one of those things is going to Wimbledon with my partner and friends, which I\u2019ve done every year since 1961. This is minor compared to what many are dealing with. I can deal with it, I can wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That patience was also learned on the court: you have to be resilient, and work long and hard for the results. Every single moment of play is an opportunity to learn, to get feedback, to correct, to find a solution. One of the things I love about tennis is that the ball never comes over the net the same way twice, so you have to be prepared to adjust quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Billie Jean King (right) takes a walk with partner Ilana Kloss on 15 April \u2014 the anniversary of Jackie Robinson ‘breaking the colour barrier\u2019 in baseball. \u201cIt was a very uncertain time for him, and we\u2019re living in uncertain times now,\u201d King told her Twitter followers. \u201cThink about Jackie when you get down because he was very brave.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And you have to be brave. There\u2019s disappointment, pain, setbacks. My life was in tumult for many years while I was playing professionally. I was struggling with my sexuality and I was constantly fighting for equality in the sport. But resilience, the ability to adapt, a little courage and the support of people who believed in me meant I could come back from adversity many times over. Sport gave me that and it\u2019s a gift every girl should have access to if she wants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the court to the boardroom, equality matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I am proud to have been part of the \u2018Original 9\u2019<\/a>, a group of professional women tennis players whose fight to achieve equality in the sport \u2013 the pay ratio was 8:1, we had no women\u2019s tournaments and we were always relegated to outside courts \u2013 drove the establishment of the Women\u2019s Tennis Association. In 1970 the nine of us, including two Australians, signed $1 contracts with Glady Heldman and that was the birth of women\u2019s professional tennis as we know it today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting women onto centre court and achieving parity in prize money has been a tough haul. But our dream was that any girl, if she was good enough, could have a place to compete, that she should be appreciated for her accomplishments and not just her looks, and that she should be able to make a living from her sport. It was a dream we had for the entire world \u2013 because when I dream, I like to dream big! The Ash Bartys of the world are now living that dream \u2013 or have been and will again once professional tennis is back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The temporary hospital facility at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, Queens, is up and running, and our team is ready to serve. The facility will be able to treat up to 350 non-ICU #COVID<\/a> patients: https:\/\/t.co\/SfKqxNglXs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/zXFzSys7id<\/a><\/p>— NYC Health + Hospitals (@NYCHealthSystem) April 10, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote>