Emmanuel Polanco
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Billie Jean King
Mezzariga Tennis
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© Emmanuel Polanco / Sepia
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Billie Jean King – a "woke" figure before the term existed. She embodied this stance at a time, when it was in no one's interest to do so: she founded the WTA, beat Bobby Riggs in front of ninety million people, and in 1981 lost all her sponsors in a matter of hours after being forcibly outed.
And at 82, she’s still making history. In 2026, Billie Jean King finally completed her history degree — more than six decades after putting college on hold for tennis. A lifelong trailblazer, she’s proof that it’s never too late to keep learning, and keep pushing forward.
Billie Jean King – a "woke" figure before the term existed. She embodied this stance at a time, when it was in no one's interest to do so: she founded the WTA, beat Bobby Riggs in front of ninety million people, and in 1981 lost all her sponsors in a matter of hours after being forcibly outed.
And at 82, she’s still making history. In 2026, Billie Jean King finally completed her history degree — more than six decades after putting college on hold for tennis. A lifelong trailblazer, she’s proof that it’s never too late to keep learning, and keep pushing forward.