More Images
The "Original 9" women's tennis players are shown here holding $1 bills in this photo from the WTA documentary video. Billie Jean King is standing second from the left in the back row.

NEW YORK—We’re not one to throw in the towel on a regular basis, but there’s just no topping this recent Glamour headline: “No One Plays the Game Like Billie Jean King.” So true, as anyone who remembers the legendary tennis star’s career—or even follows her very active and outspoken Twitter account—can attest. King, and several of her women’s tennis contemporaries, have been in the news recently because it’s the 50th anniversary of the “Original 9.”

If you’re in my age group—or younger—the story of the Original 9 may be unfamiliar. So here goes: In 1970, King led a group of nine women who championed the equal rights movement and rebelled against the male-dominated tennis hierarchy. They all signed a rather symbolic $1 contract with their new organization and ended up creating what was known as the Virginia Slims tour for women’s tennis. Their message: “Pay women fairly or prepare for one hell of a fight,” as the Glamour story noted.

If you missed the recent coverage of this landmark event and anniversary, check out the recent Glamour cover story and historical photos here or read the account of the Original 9 on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) website here.










King also is renowned for her colorful and iconic collection of eyewear, as well as advocating for children’s vision. (She wore glasses from an early age.) VMAIL Weekend interviewed King in 2019 when she visited a New York City grade school to talk to the students about eye exams and appropriate eyewear as part of an initiative organized by Pearle Vision and the global non-profit OneSight. The daylong event was set up to help with eyeglasses and exams for the students at Girls Prep Lower East Side Elementary.

Click here to read our VMAIL Weekend feature, Billie Jean King: A Champion of Vision Care on and off the Court.