Hidden Secrets of the Greats: Billie Jean King

Gifted revolutionary, idealist, women’s rights activist and, oh yeah … she could play some excellent tennis too

February 18, 2015 | By Dr. Tom Ferraro
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This marks the final installment in a series which explored the unique character and hidden secrets of the top seven players in modern tennis. We talked about Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors and Serena Williams. But today, I will explore the person who President Bill Clinton described as “The most important female in sports history.” President Barack Obama awarded her the Medal of Honor for her work advocating for women and gay rights. Of course I am talking about Billie Jean King, the Southern California girl born in 1943 into a religious family and grew up playing public tennis. She was lucky enough to find a great coach in Clyde Walker, who nourished her psychologically. She went on the win 32 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles titles. But her importance far exceeds her physical achievements. Billie Jean King is really a gifted moralist and political activist of the highest order.

She was awarded Sportsman of the Year in 1972 by Sports Illustrated, founded the Women’s Sports Foundation and was the first to demand and obtain an equal share of revenue on the tennis tour. When she first started playing the men were earning 12 times what the women earned. Billie Jean King was the one that changed all that. She did it with tenacity, moral courage, focus and determination.

On the court she was an aggressive net rusher with excellent speed.  There is no question that she was a great player in her day. But clearly she will go down in history for more then what she did on the court. The reason we now see the name Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. is because of her leadership skills. If Charles Barkley was not a role model then, Billie Jean King surely was.

So when we ask the question, “What was Billie Jean King’s secret and how do we learn from her we do not turn to her on court prowess?” We ask instead of her moral  leadership skills. John McEnroe stated she was unquestionably the most important person in the history of women’s sports. So to get at the answer to how all this happened answer this, we must look at her childhood development. ethical development more than her athletic development. She was the first born in a conservative Methodist working class family and her parents  taught her the value of “never giving up.”

Research on moral giftedness suggests that certain children are born with a heightened sensitivity, compassion, intensity and sense of right and wrong. They are often very protective of others and introverted. One of the leading researchers in this area, Kazimierz Dobrowski describes the morally gifted as delicate, gentle and idealistic. They can be unusually advanced in the areas of psychomotor development, sensuality, imagination, intellect or emotionality. It is obvious that Billie Jean King was one of these children. She can be compared to Jackie Robinson in men sports, a moral and courageous leader that transcended and revolutionized her sport.

I am delighted that I got to end this series on the modern champions by talking about Billie Jean King. Sport is a crucial function that allows the culture to remove themselves from the stress of work and the occasional disappointments in one love life. In psychoanalysis, we refer to sports as an essential sublimatory activity, or in laymen’s terms, something that insures that you have some fun in life. But Billie Jean King has transcended even that function and places her on a political level. This is extremely rare to see. In comparison, recall how Tiger Woods responded to any media questions when Martha Burke was making headlines addressing the lack of women members at Augusta National Golf Club. Woods answered with scripted-near-perfect political neutrality.

Billie Jean King will be remembered as that rare athlete that transcended her sport and had global and cultural impact. My guess is that her secret was partly because of good parenting and partly good genetics. The world of women’s sports is deeply indebted to her. What we can learn here is that you ought not ignore or underestimate the power of the shy little idealists that you will encounter in your life. These are the ones who maybe just maybe will lead the world into a better place. Thank you Billie Jean King for all of your guts and all of your goodness.


Dr. Tom Ferraro

For consultations, treatment or on-site visits, contact Dr. Tom Ferraro Ph.D., Sport Psychologist, by phone at (516) 248-7189, e-mail DrTFerraro@aol.com or visit DrTomFerraro.com.

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