Billie Jean King invests in women's sports media platform
American tennis icon Billie Jean King's name is on the list of investors who have decided to support Just Women’s Sports, a media startup. In a recent funding round led by Joe Tsai's Blue Pool Capital, the company managed to raise a total of $6 million.
The firm was founded by Haley Rosen in 2020. She is an erstwhile professional football player who had her career cut short due to injuries. In an emailed statement, former World No. 1 King congratulated Rosen and showed appreciation for her talented team.
“Just Women’s Sports is building on the foundation of earlier pioneers by creating a media platform that celebrates and elevates the incredible athletes and stories in women’s sports. Haley and her team have the vision and talent necessary to usher in a new era in sports media," King said.
Blue Pool Capital - @joetsai1999 & Clara Wu Tsai's family officeNew investors include:
▪️ Blue Pool Capital - @joetsai1999 & Clara Wu Tsai's family office
▪️ Tennis icon @BillieJeanKing
▪️ @WashSpirit owner Michele Kang
▪️ Olympian @allysonfelix
▪️ @USWNT legend @AbbyWambach
▪️ @ChelseaFCW & @TheMatildas star @samkerr1
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Billie Jean King was a phenomenal tennis player, but her biggest contributions came in the form of fighting for women's rights in sports. She realized the disparity and gender inequality quite early in her career and according to her, the only way she could make a difference was by being successful.
“Unless I was number 1, I wouldn’t be listened to," King once famously said.
King won the 1972 US Open and noticed that her prize money was $15,000 less than what the men's champion had received. She started to raise her voice against unequal treatment and due to her brave efforts, the US Open agreed to equal prize money in 1973. Today, all four Majors provide equal prize money for men's and women's champions.
Just Women’s Sports is proud to announce that we’ve raised $6 million from an All-Star lineup of new and returning investors. https://t.co/HLSDlOJ0KL
Billie Jean King advocates for equal night matches for women at 2023 French Open
Out of the 10 night session matches at the 2022 French Open, women were involved in only one. Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo faced backlash after she claimed that men's matches had more appeal and hence, attracted more viewers.
Although she later apologized for her remarks, numerous former and current players condemned her statement. In a press conference last week, Billie Jean King expressed her displeasure by saying that women should not be treated like "second-class citizens."
"They should have the same amount of women’s matches as they do men’s. If we keep treating ourselves like second-class citizens, we will stay second-class citizens. You want to make everyone feel important. We should have more matches. You’ve got to put them when it’s prime time, and you have got to figure it out, and you want to give equal opportunity to both genders," King said.