Billie Jean King, female athletes to honor her Women's Sports Foundation

NEW YORK — 

Billie Jean King started the Women's Sports Foundation with a $5,000 check.

She's turned that concern into $100 cardinal and a fractional period of helping girls and women execute their dreams done question and grooming grants, section sports programs, and mentorship of athletes and coaches.

King was acceptable to observe the 50th day of the instauration by honoring the 1999 U.S. women's World Cup champions; Mark Walter, co-owner of the Professional Women's Hockey League and the Los Angeles Dodgers; and the Women's National Basketball Association's 2024 rookie people connected Wednesday nighttime successful New York.

"What makes maine blessed is creating opportunities and dreams for others," King told The Associated Press successful a caller interview. "I look backmost and that's what drives me."

Nearly 100 pistillate athletes volition be the awards meal to observe the milestone and King, a tireless advocator for adjacent wage and much concern successful women's sports.

That includes awards big and shot honoree Julie Foudy. She graduated from Stanford and played for the 1999 U.S. shot squad that won the World Cup earlier a grounds assemblage of much than 90,000 astatine the Rose Bowl successful Pasadena, California.

"She's remained a person and mentor and specified a catalyst for changing the trajectory of women's shot and truthful galore sports," said Foudy, a erstwhile president of the Women's Sports Foundation and existent shot broadcaster for Turner and TNT.

After the World Cup win, Foudy and the squad turned to King, Donna Lopiano and Donna de Verona for proposal astir improving wage and starting a nonrecreational shot league.

"I'll ne'er forget, (King) said, 'What are you guys doing astir it?' " said Foudy, regarding their corporate leverage with the U.S. Soccer Federation. "And arsenic players, that was the nonstop epiphany we needed astatine that moment."

Foudy and the '99ers yet witnessed the palmy conflict toward equity, helping laic the instauration for the existent U.S. women's nationalist squad to person the aforesaid wage and moving conditions arsenic the men's team. A players' suit against the federation resulted successful a landmark $24 cardinal colony successful 2022.

"Billie doesn't person conscionable 1 meeting. She'd cheque successful and travel up and ask, 'What bash you need?' " Foudy said. "She was astatine that archetypal (WUSA professional) crippled successful Washington, D.C. (in 2001), and was a large proponent of the value of having a league and subordinate excavation for the longevity and maturation of women's soccer."

The existent iteration is the NWSL, which formed successful 2013 and present has 14 teams. Foudy is portion of the ownership radical of Angel City FC. New owners Bob Iger and Willow Bay acquired a controlling involvement successful the squad successful July, with a worth of $250 million.

King precocious joined forces with Mark and Kimba Walter to make the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), which volition motorboat its 2nd play successful precocious November. U.S. Olympic golden medalist Kendall Coyne Schofield reached retired to King to assistance unify the fractured pro hockey scenery into 1 viable league. King, who is portion of the Dodgers' ownership group, collaborated with Walter to signifier the caller six-team league.

The WNBA rookie class, led by No. 1 prime Caitlin Clark, volition person the Next Gen Award for "showing up, showing retired and boldly carrying the torch forward." The popularity of Indiana's Clark and Chicago's Angel Reese generated unprecedented WNBA attendance, much nationally televised games and record-breaking TV ratings this summer.

"Caitlin Clark is fantastic," King said. "It reminds maine of Chris Evert successful 1971, erstwhile she changed everything astatine the U.S Open. Anytime a subordinate tin bash well, she helps everybody."

The rookie people includes Cameron Brink (Stanford), Kamilla Cardoso (NCAA champion South Carolina), Rickea Jackson (Tennessee), Jacy Sheldon (Ohio State), Aaliyah Edwards (Connecticut), Reese (Louisiana State) and Alissa Pili (Utah).

The WNBA lags successful wage equity, with Clark receiving lone $76,000 successful her rookie play compared with the NBA No. 1 pick, who gets $12 million. WNBA players whitethorn spot an summation successful wage successful 2026 from a caller 11-year media rights woody for astir $200 cardinal a twelvemonth up of the adjacent corporate bargaining agreement. The players' national is funny successful expanding the WNBA gross stock from 9.3%, portion NBA players person astir 50% of the wealth generated from TV deals, summons sales, merchandise and licensing.

King said it mightiness instrumentality much clip to adjacent the wage gaps due to the fact that women's sports is "still successful its infancy."

"The NBA is 78 years old, the WNBA is 28 years old," King said. "(Former NBA Commissioner) David Stern made a immense difference. He was a selling genius. We request to proceed to bash that for women's sports."

King and the “Original Nine” helped marketplace the aboriginal women's nonrecreational tennis circuit, and she formed the Women's Tennis Association with players a week earlier Wimbledon successful 1973. She advocated for Title IX, bushed Bobby Riggs and fought for adjacent prize wealth successful tennis. Along the way, she won 39 Grand Slam titles during her career.

The adjacent milestone for King, 80, volition beryllium receiving the Congressional Gold Medal. It's 1 of the highest U.S. civilian honors for individuals whose achievements person a lasting interaction connected their field.

"The Women's Sports Foundation, cipher knew however agelong it would last," she said. "I look astatine the 50th day arsenic a continuation to make much opportunities. You can't fto up."