Name: Billie Jean King on Letterman, February 16, 1984
Uploaded: 2020-11-14T05:17:36.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Billie Jean King on Letterman, February 16, 1984' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2020-11-14. Transcript available. By request. For the Billie Jean King archives.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Billie Jean King on Letterman, February 16, 1984' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2020-11-14. Transcript available. By request. For the Billie Jean King archives.

Monday ladies and gentlemen on this program comedian Paula Poundstone will be
joining us
and we'll have all kinds of other wonderful stuff for you and my ear is throbbing
it's
swollen and it's throbbing it's a it's a whip injury it's not too bad you know
you don't have
to put up with that no you're not injured now all right well no a little finger
damage my finger
is feeling fine now how's your ear feeling well it's throbbing and I need some
sort of a salve
or something administered or maybe a we send out for some salve for mr. Letterman
or or maybe if I
could just put it on something cold like ice do we have any ice is there ice
here my next guest is a
tennis player this this woman changed the face of a female athletics there's no
getting around it and
athletics in general she has won the Wimbledon singles title an amazing six
times along with
every other major tournament in the world she will be competing in the Virginia
Slims tournament at
Madison Square Garden February 28th through March 4th we're very happy to have
her here tonight please
welcome Billy Jean King
thank you very much for being here and I mean it when I spoke to you earlier I
have been watching you play tennis and have enjoyed you both on the court and
what you stood for off the court as well
thank you thank you very much for being here and I mean it when I spoke to you
earlier I have been watching you play tennis and have enjoyed you both on the
court and what you stood for off the court as well for a long time
thank you very much for being here and I mean it when I spoke to you earlier I
have been watching you play tennis and have enjoyed you both on the court and
what you stood for off the court as well for a long time
when I said that you have changed the face of female athletics is that's
probably too limiting I mean you really changed an entire sport didn't you I
don't know I wonder what Mohammed Ali would have to say about that we'd have to
ask him he'll tell me yeah but I mean you went in with the attitude that women
for doing the same job ought to be paid the same as men the purses ought to be
equal right no actually I don't believe in that I believe in that you can do
the best you can do in your marketplace
that's probably too limiting.
I mean, you really changed an entire sport, didn't you?
I don't know.
I wonder what Muhammad Ali would have to say about that.
We'd have to ask him. He'll tell me.
Yeah, but I mean, you went in with the attitude that women,
for doing the same job, ought to be paid the same as men.
The purses ought to be equal, right?
No, actually, I don't believe in that.
I believe in that you can do the best you can do in your marketplace.
I don't really compare notes that way.
I just try to tell the women, let's do the best we can do
and get the most money we can.
And just like all of you in your jobs,
you go to your boss and say, I want more.
Yeah.
Right?
You were the first tennis player, first female,
to make $100,000?
Athlete. First woman athlete.
First woman athlete, yeah.
1971, and that took about 19 tournaments to do that
because we made about $1,800 when we won a tournament in.
And in the Virginia Slims Championships,
the winner will make $125,000 in one week.
So, I'm a couple of generations too early, I think.
Now, we, uh, no, no, no, no, no.
Don't, no.
We, we, uh...
He said he's been watching me a long time.
I said, that's because you're my age.
Yeah, well, I probably am your age.
You know, I mean...
How old are you?
I'm 40.
Well, I'm 36, so it's pretty much...
Oh, you're a baby.
Oh, yeah, I'm a baby, sure.
I would like to be 36 again.
I would think I'd a lot more...
How are your knees?
Are they all right?
They're fine.
Nice and scarred.
They're okay.
Are they really, like, zippers on them and stuff?
Oh, lots of zippers.
Railroad tracks.
Yeah, I don't like that.
Um, did you hear about this terrible ear injury I had?
What happened?
Well, some guy came in here with a whip.
It was just the ugliest thing we've ever seen.
Uh...
Cauliflower.
He's been boxing.
That's right.
But, you know, when I first started watching you play, it was you, Margaret
Court, Yvonne
Goulagong...
He's dating himself.
And Virginia Wade were the three or four that I remember.
Right.
And now, there's just, like, every six months, there's a new dozen young
females playing tennis.
That's true.
We have about 2,000 women who want to play on the Virginia Slim Circuit every
year.
And we can only really provide an opportunity of about 300 a week, maybe 150 to
300.
It just depends on the situation.
So we have Ginny tournaments in certain places, and then we have the Virginia
Slim's regular
circuit.
Then we have qualifying tournaments.
And then, you know, you start at your local level, and you go up that way, and
that's the
way you make it.
Yeah.
When you guys were first starting out to, like you mentioned, you got 1,800
bucks, was
there something like appearance money that we hear a little bit about?
That was before that.
That was in the 60s when they used to say, they call you on the phone and say,
hi, Billy,
this is a promoter.
Usually it was an official, you know, saying, oh, I'm going to have a
tournament.
How much money do you want?
And in those days, if you could get $300 or a huge paycheck would be like $1,100.
I mean, you'd really cash in, plus airfares and expenses.
That was a big deal.
Yeah.
So then when we had open tennis in 1968, that changed all that.
We got rid of the hypocrisy and the dishonesty, and it was over the table.
And then in 1971, with the Virginia Slim Circuit, we had an opportunity to play
week in and
week out, and that first year we played for like $350,000.
And in 84, this year, there'll be about $11 million for women's tennis.
So that gives you an idea of the growth.
Yeah.
I want to ask you a little bit about the, recently we had the 10th anniversary
of your match in
the Astrodome.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Let's talk a little bit about that with Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King.
Bobby's not here, by the way.
He isn't.
Where is he?
No.
We've got to go away for a commercial.
We'll be right back.
Does that song have anything to do with you?
Actually, it doesn't.
It doesn't?
No.
Philadelphia Freedom was written for me by Elton John back in 1975.
I don't know if you remember.
It's been a few years, hasn't it?
Absolutely remember it.
But that was written about your World Team Tennis franchise, right?
That's true, but Elton, we were riding in the limo to one of his concerts, and
he said
to me, I'm going to write a song for you, and I'm going to dedicate it to you.
And I said, oh, sure, fine.
You know, I'm thinking, sure, no way, Jose.
And he said, no, I am, honest.
And I said, gee, that's really nice.
I mean, I was really overcome by it, and I thought, there's no way it'll happen.
Yeah.
So next thing I know is he comes with a tape recorder to Denver.
We're playing a match.
He says, I got the rough mix.
I want you to hear it.
I want you to hear it.
He's like a little kid.
I mean, he's wearing our, you know, he says, come on.
So we went in this old, filthy dressing room in Denver, and he played the rough
mix.
He says, how do you like it?
I said, what am I going to say?
I hate it.
I loved it.
I mean, I thought it was great.
And he says, do you see that part where there's that beat?
Every time you get angry, you yell at umpires.
That's what I want you to think about when you hear that.
So I was, uh...
Did you get any money off the song?
I don't deserve it.
Well, you were the inspiration for it.
He could, if not, the guy was...
No, he had to do it.
But if he was a gentleman, he would say, and by the way, I'm going to see to it
that you get a little cut off.
I think I'll tell him, but he just got married, so, you know, I mean, he's got
to remember.
Now, in 83, it was you and the 30,000 people and Bobby Riggs and the Astrodome.
73?
73, I'm sorry.
That's all right.
We're still hoping.
Looking back on that, what do you think of that now?
Is that something you're proud of?
Oh, I'm very proud of it, but I think the one thing that match did is put
tennis on the map, not just women's tennis, and I think that was fantastic, and
I think we had the biggest number of participants in tennis in 1974, and I
think that match had a lot to do with it.
A lot of new people got involved in the game and have stayed in the game
because of that match, and I have a lot of people come up to me and say, I hate
you, I lost money, or I love you, you made me some money, and I know exactly
what they're going to talk about.
You're terrific. Good luck in the garden, and good luck with whatever you do.
I love the band. I'd just like to say thank you.
Thank you, Billie Jean.
Thank you, Billie Jean King, ladies and gentlemen, and we'll be back with Roy
Blunt Jr.