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Billy Jean King: Hi Everyone!
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(Applause)
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Thanks, Pat.
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Thank you!
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Getting me all wound up, now!
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(Laughter)
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Pat Mitchell: Good!
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You know, when I was watching
the video again of the match,
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you must have felt like the fate
of the world's women
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was on every stroke
you took in that.
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Were you feeling that?
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BJK: First of all, Bobby Riggs --
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he was the former number one player,
he wasn't just some hacker, by the way --
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he was one of my heroes and I admired him,
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and that's the reason
I beat him, actually,
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it' because I respected him.
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(Laughter)
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It's true, my Mom and Dad,
especially my dad, always said:
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"Respect your opponent
and never underestimate them, ever."
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and he was correct--
he was absolutely correct.
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But I knew it was about social change,
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and I was really nervous about
whenever we announced it,
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and I felt like the whole world
was on my shoulders,
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and I thought, "If I lose it's going
to put women back 50 years at least."
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Title IX had just been passed
the year before, June 23, 1972,
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and women's professional tennis --
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there were nine of us who signed
a one dollar contract in 1970 --
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now remember the match is in '73,
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so we were only in our
third year of having a tour
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where we could actually play, have a place
to compete, and make a living.
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So there were nine of us that signed
that one dollar contract,
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and our dream was for any girl,
born any place in the world --
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if she was good enough --
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there would be a place for her to compete
and for us to make a living.
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Because before 1968,
we made 14 dollars a day,
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and we were under
the control of organizations,
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so we really wanted
to break away from that.
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But we knew it wasn't really about
our generation so much,
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we knew it was about
the future generations.
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We do stand on the shoulders
of the people that came before us,
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there is no question,
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but every generation
has the chance to make it better.
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That was really on my mind,
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I really wanted to start matching the
hearts and minds to Title IX.
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Title IX, in case anybody doesn't know --
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which a lot of people don't
probably know, but --
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any federal funds given given to
a high school, college or university,
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either public or private,
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had to finally give equal monies
to boys and girls.
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And that changed everything.
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(Applause)
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So you can have a law,
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but it's changing the hearts
and minds to match up with it.
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That's when it really rocks, totally.
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So that was on my mind,
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I wanted to start that change
in the hearts and minds.
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But two things came out of that match.
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For women: self-confidence,
empowerment,
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they actually had enough nerve
to ask for a raise.
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Some women have waited 10,
15 years to ask,
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I said, "more importantly,
did you get it?"
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(Laughter)
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And they did!
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And for the men,
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a lot of the men today don't realize it,
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but if you're in your 50's, 60's
or whatever, late 40's,
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you're the first generation of men
of the Women's Movement --
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whether you like it or not!
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(Laughter)
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(Applause)
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And for the men --
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what happened for the men,
they'd come up to me --
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and most of the time, the men are the
ones who have tears in their eyes,
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it's very interesting --
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they go, "Billie, I was very young
when I saw that match,
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and now I have a daughter,
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and I'm so happy I saw that
as a young man.
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And one of those young men,
at 12 years old, was President Obama,
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and he actually told me that
when I met him, he said:
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"You don't realize it,
but I saw that match at 12,
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and now I have two daughters and it has
made a difference in how I raise them."
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So both men and women got a lot
out of it but, different things.
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PM: And now there are generations --
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at least one or two --
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who have experienced the equality
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that Title IX and other fights
along the way made possible.
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And for women, there are generations
who have also experienced team work,
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they got to play team sports
in a way they hadn't before.
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So you had a legacy already built
in terms of being an athlete,
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a legacy of the work you did to lobby
for equal pay for women athletes,
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and the Women's Sports Foundation.
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What now are you looking to accomplish
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with The Billie Jean King
Leadership Initiative?
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BJK: I think it goes back
to an epiphany I had at 12.
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At 11 I wanted to be the number one
tennis player in the world,
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and a friend had asked me to play
and I said, "What's that?"--
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tennis was not in my family,
basketball was, other sports.
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Fast forward to 12 years old,
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(Laughter)
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and I'm finally starting to play in
tournaments where you get a ranking --
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you know, at the end of the year
you get something --
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so I was day-dreaming
at the Los Angeles Tennis Club,
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and I started thinking about
my sport and how tiny it was,
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but also that everybody who played
wore white shoes, white clothes,
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played with white balls,
everybody who played was white,
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and I said to myself at 12 years old,
"Where is everyone else?"
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And that just kept sticking in my brain.
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And that moment I promised myself
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I'd fight for equal rights
and opportunities
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for boys and girls, men and women,
the rest of my life,
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and that tennis, if I was fortunate
enough to become number one --
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and I knew being a girl it would be
harder to have influence,
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already at that age --
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that I had this platform
and tennis is global,
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and I thought, "You know what?
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I've been given an opportunity
that very few people have had."
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Now, I didn't know if I was going
to make it, this was only 12,
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I sure wanted it --
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but making it's a whole
other discussion --
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I just remember I promised myself
and I really try to keep my word.
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That's who I truly am,
just fighting for people.
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And unfortunately,
women have had less,
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and we are considered less,
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and so my attentions were
where they had to go,
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I was just...you have to --
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And also learn to stick up for yourself,
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hear your own voice --
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you hear the same words keep
coming out all the time,
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and I got really lucky because
I really had an education,
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and I think if you can
see it you can be it, you know--
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if you can see it
you can be it.
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If you look at Pat, you look at other
leaders, you look at these speakers,
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look at yourself,
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because everyone --
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everyone --
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can do something extraordinary.
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Every single person.
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PM: And your story, Billie,
has inspired so many women everywhere.
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Now with the Billie King
Leadership Initiative,
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you're taking on an even bigger cause.
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Because one thing we hear a lot about
is women taking their voice,
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working to find their way into
leadership positions,
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but what you're talking about
is even bigger than that.
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It's inclusive leadership.
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And this is a generation that has grown up
thinking more inclusively --
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BJK: Isn't it great?
Look at the technology!
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It's amazing how it connects us all!
It's about connection!
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It's simply amazing
what's possible because of it.
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But the BIllie Jean King
Leadership Initiative
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is really about the workforce mostly,
and trying to change it
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so people can actually go to work
and be their authentic selves.
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Because most of us have two jobs:
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One, to fit in --
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I'll give you a perfect example --
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an African American woman
gets up an hour earlier to go to work,
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straightens her hair in the bathroom,
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goes to the bathroom probably
four, five or six times a day
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to keep straightening her hair,
to keep making sure she fits in.
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So she's working two jobs,
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she's got this other job,
whatever that may be,
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but she's also trying to fit in.
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Or this poor man who kept his diploma --
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he went to University of Michigan --
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but he never would talk about
his poverty as a youngster, ever,
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just would not mention it.
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So he made sure they saw
he was well educated.
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And then you see a gay guy
who has an NFL,
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which means American Football
for all of you out there,
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it's a big deal, it's very macho --
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and he talked about football all the time
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because he's gay,
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and he didn't want anybody to know.
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So it just goes on and on.
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So my wish for everyone is to be able
to be their authentic selves 24/7,
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that would be the ultimate.
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And we catch ourselves, I mean,
I catch myself to this day,
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even being gay I catch myself.
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You know, like,
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(Gasp)
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a little uncomfortable,
a little surge in my gut,
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feeling not totally
comfortable in my own skin.
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So I think you have to ask yourself --
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I want people to be themselves,
whatever that is, just let it be.
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PM: And the first research that the
Leadership Initiative did showed that --
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these examples that you just used,
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that many of us have the problem
of being authentic.
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But what you've just looked at
is this millennial generation,
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who've benefitted from all these
equal opportunities --
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which may not be equal
but exists everywhere --
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BJK: First of all I'm really lucky.
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Partnership with Teneo,
a strategic company that's amazing,
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that's really the reason
I'm able to do this.
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I've had two times in my life
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where I've actually had men
really behind me with power,
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and that was with the old days with
Philip Morris with Virginia Slims,
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and this is the second time
in my entire life.
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And then Deloitte --
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the one thing I wanted was data, facts --
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so Deloitte sent out a survey,
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and we're around over 4,000 now,
people who have answered,
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and we're continuing in the work place.
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And what they feel,
what the millennials feel?
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Well, they feel a lot,
but what they're so fantastic about is--
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you know, our generation was like,
"Oh we're going to get representation,"
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so if you walk into a room you see
everybody represented --
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that's not good enough anymore,
which is so good!
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So the millennials are fantastic,
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they want connection, engagement,
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they just want you to tell us what
you're feeling, what you're thinking,
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and get into the solution --
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they're problem solvers --
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and of course, you've got
the information at your fingertips
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compared to when I was growing up.
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PM: What did the research show you
about these millennials?
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Are they going to make a difference?
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Are they going to create a world where
there is really an inclusive work force?
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BJK: Well, in 2025, 75% of the global
workforce is going to be millennials.
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So I think they are going
to help solve problems.
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I think they have
the wherewithal to do it,
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I know they care a lot,
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they have big ideas and they
can make big things happen.
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I want to stay in the now
with the young people,
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I don't want to get behind.
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(Laughter)
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PM: I don't think there's any chance!
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PM: But what you found out
in the research about millennials
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is not really the experience that a lot
of people have with millennials.
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BJK: No, well, if we want to talk --
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Okay, I've been doing
my little mini survey --
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I've been talking to the Boomers,
who are their bosses,
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and I go, "What do you think
about the millennials?
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I'm pretty excited,
like, it's good!"
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and they get this face --
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(Laughter)
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"Oh, you mean the 'Me Generation'?"
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And I say, "Do you really think so?
I do think they care about environment
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and all these things,"
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and they go, "Oh, Billie,
they cannot focus."
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(Laughter)
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They actually have proven that the average
focus for an 18 year old is 37 seconds.
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(Laughter)
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They can't focus.
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And they don't really care.
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I just heard a story the other night:
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she owns a gallery
and she has these workers,
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she gets a text from one of the workers --
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she's like an intern,
she's just starting --
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she goes, "Oh by the way I'm going to
be late because I'm at the hairdresser's."
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(Laughter)
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So she arrives,
and this boss says,
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"What's going on?"
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and she says, "Oh, I was late,
sorry, how's it going?"
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She says, "Well, guess what?
I'd like you leave, you're finished."
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She goes, "Okay".
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(Laughter)
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No problem!
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But that's what scares the boomers --
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I'm just telling you --
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So I think it's good for us to share.
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(Laughter)
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No, it is good for us to share
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because we're our authentic self
and what we're really feeling
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and we've got to take it
both ways, you know?
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But I have great faith because --
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if you've been in sports like I have --
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every generation gets better, it's a fact.
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With the Women's Sports Foundation
being the advocates for Title IX still,
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because we're trying to keep protecting
the law because it's always --
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it's in a tenuous position always --
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so we really are concerned,
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and we do a lot of research,
that's very important to us.
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And I want to hear from people.
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But we really have to protect what
Title IX stands for worldwide.
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And you heard President Carter
talk about how Title IX is protected?
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And do you know that every single lawsuit
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that girls, at least in sports,
have gone up against --
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whatever...institutions or, whatever --
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has won?
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Title IX is there to protect us.
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And it is amazing,
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but we we still have to get
the hearts and minds --
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the hearts and minds
to match the legislation is huge.
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PM: So what gets you up every morning?
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What keeps you sustaining your work,
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sustaining the fight
for equality, extending it,
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always exploring new areas,
trying to find new ways...?
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BJK: Well, I always drove my parents crazy
because I was always the curious one.
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I'm highly motivated,
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my younger brother
was a Major League Baseball Player,
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my poor parents did not care
if we were any good,
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(Laughter)
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and we just, we drove them crazy
because we pushed,
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we pushed because
we wanted to be the best.
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And, I really --
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I think it's because of what I'm hearing
today at TED Talks,
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I think to listen to
these different women,
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to listen to different people,
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to listen to President Carter --
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90 years old, by the way,
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and we was throwing these figures
out that I would never --
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I'd have to go,
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"Excuse me, wait a minute, I need
to get a list out of these figures."
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He was rattling off, I mean,
that's amazing, I'm sorry.
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(Laughter)
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PM: He's an amazing man.
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(Applause)
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BJK: And then you're going to have
President Mary Robinson,
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who's a former president --
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Thank you, Irish! 62%!
LGBTQ! Yes!
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(Applause)
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Congress is voting in June
on same-sex marriage,
-
so these are things that for some
people are very hard to hear.
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But always remember,
every one of us is an individual,
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a human being
with a beating heart,
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who cares and wants
to live their authentic life.
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Okay?
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You don't have to agree with somebody,
but everyone has the opportunity.
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I think we all have an obligation
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to continue to keep moving
the needle forward, always.
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And these people have been so inspiring.
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Everyone matters.
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And every one of you is an influencer,
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you out there listening,
out there in the world --
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plus the people here --
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every single person's an influencer.
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Never, ever forget that, okay?
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So don't ever give up on yourself.
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PM: Billie, you have been
an inspiration for us.
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(Applause)
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BJK: Thanks, TED!
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(Applause)
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Thanks a lot!