BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (April 16, 2008) – Tuesday evening Women’s Professional Soccer paid homage to Billie Jean King, a pioneer for women’s sports, at the third annual Billie Awards.  A Women’s Sports Foundation event, the Billie Awards pay tribute to exemplary media coverage of females in the athletic arena.

“Billie Jean King’s groundbreaking work to legitimize girls and women in athletics has benefited countless female athletes in the United States and world,” said WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci.  “Her cumulative efforts and inspiration to both men and women have played a large part in the launch of our league as she ushered in mainstream awareness of women’s sports on the court, field, track, ice, slopes and beyond and has fought and won numerous practical battles for female athletes off the field.  As a fledgling league that has great aspirations, we thank her and wanted to express our gratitude by attending this gala.”

This year marks the 35th anniversary of King’s historic victory over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes”.   A six-time Wimbledon champion and four-time U.S. Open winner, King dropped Riggs, a former Wimbledon champion himself, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 at the Astrodome on Sept. 20, 1973 in a match that is still the most-watched in tennis history with an estimated audience of almost 50 million.

Off the court, King led the charge to professionalize tennis in the U.S. and advocated for women to receive equal prize money as compared to their male counterparts.  In 1974, she founded the Women’s Sports Foundation to spearhead the advancement of the lives of girls and women through their participation in sports and athletic pursuits.

Nearly 1,000 attendees, including some of women’s sports most familiar names, gathered at the Beverly Hilton to honor King and recognize those in the media and entertainment industries who portray female participants in sports in a positive, inspiring light.  Among those seated at the WPS table were Commissioner Antonucci, former National Team Captain and former Women’s Sports Foundation President Julie Foudy, New Jersey / New York General Manager & Head Coach Ian Sawyers, Chicago President, CEO & Governor Peter Wilt, Chicago General Manager Marcia McDermott and AEG Sports Vice President Scott Hanley (Los Angeles).

The night’s festivities began with Women’s Professional Soccer receiving a loud cheer as the return of a professional league was highlighted in the welcome speech delivered by current Women’s Sports Foundation President Aimee Mullins.  The Grand March of Athletes followed and featured such stars as the WNBA’s Tamika Catchings, figure skater Michelle Kwan, Foudy and Angela Hucles.  A seven-year veteran of the U.S. Women’s National Team, Hucles is a member of the 2008 Women’s Sports Foundation Athlete Advisory Panel.

The Billie Awards, which were selected by a media panel, were then doled out with the following winners:

    * Journalism:  Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women’s Sports – Carol & Graf Publishers, Katherine Switzer – The story of Katherine Switzer, the first woman to enter and compete in the Boston marathon.
    * Entertainment:  Chak De! India – Yash Raj Films, Produced by Aditya Chopra – A movie depicting Choach Kabir Khan transforming a group of ragtag girls into India’s women’s field hockey team.
    * Breakthrough & Innovation:  BoomBoom-Tap™ - Under Armour/Advertising Campaign – Television ads featuring female athletes from a variety of team sports who are united by their will to win.
    * The Top Memorable Moment in Women’s Sports in 2007: Wimbledon announcing on Feb. 22 that for the first time it will award equal prize money to its men’s and women’s champions.
    * Outstanding Journalist: Lesley Visser – After beginning as a reporter for the Boston Globe in 1974, Visser moved on to become the foremost female sportscaster.  Owning a resume littered with prominent events she has broadcast, Visser was the first woman to work “Monday Night Football” telecasts, to serve as a Super Bowl sideline reporter, to preside over a Super Bowl trophy presentation and to be enshrined by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The evening concluded with an hour-long performance by Sir Elton John, a longtime friend of King’s.  With 35 gold and 25 platinum albums plus 29 consecutive Top 40 hits to his credit, John riveted the audience while tickling the keys of a red piano and singing several of his most well known songs including Rocket Man, Your Song and Philadelphia Freedom.

“The Women’s Sports Foundation, and the numerous local organizations connected to it are doing very important, practical work every day to build societal awareness of the inspiration, grace and strength top-class female athletes bring to humanity as a whole,” said Antonucci.  “Like WPS, we’re all in the effort together to develop the next generation of girls and women who will make an impact through sports while gaining valuable life-skills, building courage and achieving positive self-esteem in the process.”

Karyn Lush is a regular contributor to womensprosoccer.com and can be reached at  karyn.lush@womensprosoccer.com .  The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Women’s Professional Soccer or womensprosoccer.com.