Forty-four years ago this past week, nine far from ordinary women did the extraordinary; ties were severed with the women’s pro-circuit while unchartered territory was forged. Billie Jean King, along with eight dedicated and determined professional female tennis players, embarked on a perilous journey to establish a rival tour – the newly created Virgina Slims Series – where women would be paid on par with their male counterparts.
The original nine, as they would come to be known, included Valerie Ziegenfuss, Kerry Melville, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon, Judy Dalton, Julie Heldman, Nancy Richey, Rosie Casals and Bille Jean King. Each steadfastly committed to establishing a tour where they would be accorded comparable opportunities and prize money for the discrepancies were numerous and substantial. In 1970, BJK earned just $600 for winning the Italian Open while Ilie Nastase was awarded $6,500!
They each signed a $1.00 contract with Gladys Heldman, the publisher of World Tennis publications. In September 1970, two years prior to the enactment of Title IX which sought to eradicate gender inequality in athletic and academic programs and activties earmarked for federal funding, these rogue athletes set out to revolutionize women’s tennis and in so doing, inadvertanly brought much needed attention to this landmark federal legislation.
Billie Jean King, though pressured by what is now the USTA not to form a rival tour, remained steadfast. The original nine never questioned their decision but nonetheless were cognizant of the risks. Ultimately, they successfully advanced their faith in the marketability and profitability of women’s professional tennis. Just three weeks ago, Serena Williams received three million dollars for winning the 2014 US Open. The prize money has certainly come a long way baby.
In 1973, the year the WTA was founded uniting all of women’s professional tennis into a single tour, equal prize money for the men and women was awarded for the first time at the US Open. The original nine also brought attention to Title IX which addressed other inequalities between the sexes. This landmark federal legislation passed in 1972, extended opportunities for women, not just in college sports, but also academia.
Despite what BJK previously asserted, I do not believe the current generation of players has picked up the torch; instead, they continue to ride the coattails of this incredibly passionate, incomparable cadre of women. Regrettably, BJK’s vision for professional women’s tennis has evaporated for the WTA has lost its way.
It has been eclipsed by an agenda that unwaveringly promotes the sexualization of players at the expense of their athletic prowess and consequently, demeans the sport and drastically minimizes the courageous efforts of the original nine to establish and safeguard equal opportunities for female tennis players.
Consequently, the WTA has reduced itself to “pimping out” the players in order to significantly increase their dwindling fan base and attract lucrative sponsors. While an American – Serena Williams – is ranked #1 in the world, dire-hard tennis devotees continue to tune out beause they’ve been turned-off! Tickets for the women’s final at the US Open repeatedly fail to sell as television ratings continue their precipitous decline.
Unfortunately, the era during which the tennis actually mattered is over; the game now being played pits low cut dresses against ever rising hemlines. There was a time in the not so distant past, where fans relished the opportunity to observe and appreciate the remarkable talent of BJK, Chris Evert, Tracy Austin, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graff, Gaby Sabatini, Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati, Martina Hingis, Justin Henin and Kim Clijsters.
These gifted players were determined to be viewed as athletes and in the process produced captivating and charismatic rivalries. Ironically, though extremely popular, they were not over exposed – either sartorially or by the media.
The mystery has evaporated with the advent of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Name one person who can recall watching Steffi Graff on Johnny Carson or David Letterman? These players, like the original nine before them, struggled to be viewed as athletes – not sex symbols.
Sadly, women’s tennis is no longer interesting. The Sunday women’s final was the lowest rated and least-watched US Open final in five years. The other slams didn’t fare much better. The 2014 Wimbledon final dropped 31% from the previous year, the French Open final, featuring Sharapova and Halep, tied a 20+ year low while the Australian Open final dropped 25% from 2013.
The WTA ‘s ill-advised strategy has been to promote the players as sex objects in the hope of selling more tickets. Unfortunately, this strategy has backfired; women’s tennis has declined in quality and marketability to both fans and sponsors. In 2012, the WTA Tour lost $88 million when the contract with Sony Ericson, its largest sponsor, expired.
Tennis as a commodity has significantly depreciated with the absence of top American male and female players consistently challenging for grand slam titles. The extended era of US dominance with the likes of Connors, McEnroe, Courier, Chang, Agassi, Sampras, Capriati, Evert and Austin is history.
Andy Roddick, the last American to win the US Open in 2003 is also the last American to compete in a final, losing in 2006 to Roger Federer. This void, incontrovertibly has led to a decline in viewership.
The WTA will continue to bleed fans, sponsors and cash as long as it maintains its not so very covert policy of “sexifying” its players. This strategy may attract the occasional fan, but the die-hard tennis devotees will continue to change the channel and invest its disposable income elsewhere.
I long for the 80’s and 90’s when I routinely rushed to purchase tickets to the Virgina Slims/Avon/Chase Championships at Madison Square Garden where I could revel in watching the best female tennis players – not the best looking women – compete!
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