Larry King, Architect Behind Women’s Tennis Revolution, Dead at 81
POLICY WIRE — GRASS VALLEY, Calif. — Before any balls flew — before the crowds roared, before a woman named Billie Jean stood across a net from Bobby Riggs — there was a quiet...
POLICY WIRE — GRASS VALLEY, Calif. — Before any balls flew — before the crowds roared, before a woman named Billie Jean stood across a net from Bobby Riggs — there was a quiet churn of ideas. A lot of backroom hustling. A stubborn belief that women athletes, just like their male counterparts, deserved real money, real recognition, a real tour. That belief, that gritty determination, wasn’t just Billie Jean King’s; it belonged in significant measure to Larry W. King, her former husband — and business partner, who has died at 81.
His passing on Friday, due to prostate cancer, doesn’t just mark the end of a life; it closes a chapter on the kind of strategic, often thankless, groundwork that turns social whispers into cultural roars. And it’s not simply about tennis, it’s about the seismic shift in gender equity that began on dusty courts and boardroom tables a half-century ago. Larry King wasn’t the star; he was the impresario, the structural engineer.
Many folks know Billie Jean. She’s an icon. But fewer recall the fellow named Larry King, a chap who met her at Cal State-Los Angeles — and married her in 1965. And then, he didn’t just stand by; he jumped into the arena right beside her. Billie Jean herself didn’t pull punches when crediting his deep, quiet influence. “Larry’s intelligence, love, commitment, and humor helped me navigate my career for more than 20 years,” she noted in a heartfelt statement. “We were married for 22 years — and in business together for decades. He was involved behind the scenes when the Original 9 signed our $1 contracts, and he and I co-owned several tournaments on the Virginia Slims Tour.”
Those $1 contracts, mind you, were more than symbolic; they were the thin edge of a very big wedge, carving out legitimacy from a stubbornly patriarchal sports landscape. This wasn’t just a handshake deal — it was an audacious, collective declaration of independence. But to make that declaration stick, you needed vision, nerve, — and a practical mind. Larry King possessed those in spades.
Together, they birthed the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in 1973, a genuine breakthrough that professionalized women’s tennis for good. But because one big move is never enough, they also launched World TeamTennis, injecting the sport with a dose of flair — think colorful courts, redesigned scoring, the whole shebang. That, too, helped popularize the sport, pulling it out of its stuffy enclaves — and plopping it right into primetime. What might’ve looked like mere design choices were actually subtle market expansions, pushing tennis toward broader audiences, toward something approaching an inclusive, global entertainment spectacle.
His quiet efforts contributed directly to making possible a truly global platform for women athletes. Consider this: the Battle of the Sexes match in 1973, in which Billie Jean famously trounced Bobby Riggs, garnered an estimated 90 million television viewers worldwide, as widely reported by organizations like the Associated Press at the time. That wasn’t just a tennis match; it was a cultural happening, a public referendum on gender equality. And a significant portion of its structure, its very possibility, was owed to the quiet strategist behind the scenes. This level of exposure, back then, reshaped how the world viewed women in sports. It made things happen. It cracked open doors for girls everywhere, even those in conservative societies, to dream of professional sports — a challenging dream, yes, especially in parts of the Muslim world, but one no longer entirely impossible to conceive.
And yes, the two parted ways matrimonially in 1987. Happens, right? He later married Nancy Bolger King, continuing his life — and his penchant for professionalizing niche sports — co-founding Roller Hockey International and the Bridge Pro Tour. Because once a visionary, always a visionary, even if your canvas changes.
“You don’t create a global sports league out of thin air,” commented Serena Alvi, a board member with the Global Sports Advancement Group. “You need someone with an almost administrative obsession for structure, for making things work economically. Larry King provided that, giving the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ its crucial commercial and structural scaffolding. He really helped shake up the grand old order of sports.”
What This Means
Larry King’s passing offers a moment to reflect not just on sports history, but on the political and economic scaffolding that underpins social change. His work wasn’t about hitting the ball; it was about ensuring there was a court, a viable economic system, and an audience ready to invest in women’s athletic prowess. This had profound implications.
Economically, King helped create a market — indeed, an entire industry — for women’s professional sports. Before the WTA, female athletes largely scratched out a living; after it, they had prize money, endorsements, and global tours. This wasn’t altruism alone; it was sharp business acumen identifying an untapped resource: half the population. It demonstrated that investing in women could generate significant returns, challenging old economic assumptions.
Politically, his efforts — coupled with Billie Jean King’s activism — chipped away at entrenched sexism within sports, creating ripple effects beyond the court. A generation of young women watched ‘Battle of the Sexes’ and saw not just a tennis match, but a statement of competence and equality. This helped fuel broader movements for gender parity in education, employment, — and political spheres. Because if women could play — and win — on a professional stage, what other “men’s domains” might they conquer?
For nations in South Asia and the broader Muslim world, where gender roles are often deeply prescribed, the international success of women’s sports movements, however incrementally, sends a message. While cultural barriers to female athleticism remain steep in many regions, the economic viability and global prominence of leagues like the WTA offer a distant — but persistent — blueprint. It’s a testament to the fact that sports, in their purest, commercially organized form, possess a unique capacity to push societal boundaries.
He’s survived by his wife, Nancy Bolger King, his son Sky, — and daughter Katie. Their lives — — and countless others touched by his — serve as his ultimate scoreboard. It’s a legacy measured not just in wins and losses, but in the institutional transformation that enabled women to serve, rally, and thrive on their own terms. And that, frankly, is a big deal.
