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Billie Jean King Discusses Women in Sports

Aired August 05, 2002 - 11:34   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: It's been 30 years since "Sports Illustrated" named Billie Jean King sports person of the year. The tennis great was the first female athlete to earn more than $100,000 in a season. She went on to become founder of world team tennis, and she remains an outspoken advocate for Title Nine and equality for women in sports.
Billie Jean King is at JP Morgan Chase Open in Manhattan Beach, California, this week. But she's taking some time to talk with us right now. She joins us from Los Angeles.

Good morning. How are you? Great to see you.

BILLIE JEAN KING, TENNIS COMMENTATOR: Hi, Leon. Great to see you too. I can see you on the monitor, so don't worry -- I saw you.

HARRIS: That works for me.

Listen, I understand you are not playing in this JP Morgan Chase Open event. You are there as a spokesperson. What is that about?

Yes , this is the first year that JP Morgan Chase has sponsored this L.A. event this. The L.A. event is 32 years old. In fact, it started as the Billie Jean King Invitation on Long Beach 32 years ago at the City College Gym there in Long Beach. It has come a long way, now here at the Manhattan Beach Tennis Club. And JP Morgan has been involved with women's tennis and tennis for years and years. In fact, they've been a part of the world champions, the WTA championships the women play.

Also, JP Morgan Chase sponsor the singles at the U.S. Open. And they have for years and years. So we are very thankful to them because they really believe in women's sports and try to help women's participation. They have done a girl's camp in New York and they help had the Pilot Pen Tournament in New Haven, coming up. So we are very indebted to JP Morgan Chase and how much interest they have taken in women's professional tennis.

HARRIS: Yes, I'm glad you bring up women in sports, because you know what, when I heard you were coming in this morning, the first thing that popped in my mind was this controversy that came up a few weeks ago about women not being members at Augusta National and all the heat that Tiger Woods was subjected to when he didn't come out and step forward and say something about the issue. And I, on the outside watching this whole thing unfold, I can't remember hearing any women golfers speak out about this. I know it is a different sport, but I would like it have your thoughts on that. KING: The women golfers have spoken out about it. I have talked to Tiger Woods on a couple of occasions in my life, and he is very much for girls and women in sports and in life. As you know, his mother has played a major role in his life on his philosophy of life, as well as his father. But I'm sure they took a lot of stuff out of context with Tiger Woods. I think it's important to stand up and say it would be nice if they would have women at a Augusta. It is important they do that over time.

Particularly the sponsor -- I think sponsorship is more important, though, than where they play. I think the sponsors are the ones that should say we should say either a public course, like they did this last time, or they should make sure -- because that's really the most important thing, I think.

HARRIS: You don't think there should a golfing Billie Jean King in this case, then?

KING: Well, I think that if you play, you know, a U.S. Open or a Masters, whatever facility, I think it is important that women be included. Otherwise, go to a different site. Because you are allowed to have private clubs.

HARRIS: I understand. Got you.

Let me ask you something else. We said coming into this interview you were the first female athlete to make $100,000 a year. Ladies are doing a whole lot better now than they were back when you were playing. They have you to thank for it, no doubt.

KING: They make that in about less than a second now. A nanosecond. So Serena Williams is coming back to the tournament for the first time since Wimbledon. She is ranked number one in the world now. I will be seeing her in L.A. And Lindsey Davenport is coming back. They make $15 million, $20 million a year, and I'm very thankful for that because when we started women's professional tennis back in 1970, our dream was that the future athletes would be able to make a lot of money and have it just as good as the guys.

HARRIS: You know what, you are making that happen, and you have actually made it happen. What I wonder, though, is where do you think things would be if you were born a few years later or if there hadn't been a Bobby Rigs around for you back then?

KING: We would certainly be in a different position. But I think somebody else would have taken the leadership and done something about it. But the reason we made it happen is because of Gladys (UNINTELLIGIBLE). There were nine of us that signed a $1 contract with her and then we had Virginia Slims as our sponsor. And that's the reason we made it: We had the players, we had the promoter, and we had a company behind us that believed in our future and wanted to shape it through women athletes.

So it has taken a lot of time and a lot of effort on a lot of people's part, but nobody has done it alone. And I do thank Mr. Rigs -- Bobby Rigs -- he's passed away about six or seven years ago from prostate cancer, but we stayed friends all the way up until the end. I always thanked him. He really understood by the end that that match was about social change, the Rigs-King match. He didn't really understand that when we played. He was just into hustling and making money and all those fun things that he loved. But by the end, he really understood about the social change that happened because of that, because in 1973 women could not even get credit cards.

HARRIS: That's right.

KING: So (UNINTELLIGIBLE) as time changes.

HARRIS: Times have changed so much and you were so effective at making those things change. Anna Kournikova today can make millions without winning a thing. That's a topic for another day, though.

KING: Most players don't win in a tournament. I will tell you who is going to be the new Anna Kournikova.

HARRIS: Who?

KING: Who's going to be a great player, is Daniela Hantuchova. You should look for her, because she wants to be the best player in the world. Daniela Hantuchova from Slovakia, she is here at the JP Morgan Chase Tournament. She is the one to watch. She's great.

HAYNES: No kidding? OK. Good deal.

KING: Yes.

HARRIS: We will be watching.

And we will be watching you as well. We certainly do wish you the very best (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

KING: Thanks so much, Leon.

HARRIS: Billie Jean King. All right, take care, good luck to you.

KING: Thank you. Bye-bye.

HARRIS: Pleasure to have you with us this morning.

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