Before I get into the film, there were a few logistical snafus. For starters, I tried to get ticket on the GlobeDocs website but could not buy a ticket for the film. I had to buy the whole package.
So, I decided to buy directly from the Brattle box office just before the show. But I was told I couldn't buy a ticket directly from the box office. Fortunately, there was a rep for the festival there and it was determined that I could in fact buy a ticket directly from the box office.
However, for reasons I could not fathom, I was charged for two tickets. The Globe Docs people didn't know what to do with it. From there, I met the Brattle's creative director, Ned Hinkle, who gave me two passes to use at a future show. I told Ned that I am big fan of the Marx Brothers Marathon. In any case, I have a year to use the passes.
After seeing the film, Give Me the Ball! is an apt title because even in her early eighties (she turns 83 next month), Billie Jean King's drive and determination is a force with which to be reckoned.
King was drawn to sports at a early age much to the consternation of her mother who wanted her to be more ladylike. Her father and younger brother Randy, by contrast, were in her corner from the get-go with Randy often playing by her side.
Soon, Billie Jean was introduced to tennis and the by the age of 12 decided she wanted to be the number one female tennis player in the world. Not longer after that Randy decided he wanted to pitch in the major leagues. Both siblings would achieve their dreams.
By 1961, Billie Jean would win her first Wimbledon doubles championship with Karen Susman. Five years later, Billie Jean would her first Wimbledon singles title. But at the time there was no prize money. By the time prize money was introduced in 1968, women were paid a fraction of what their male counterparts received despite often being the bigger draw among tennis fans.
Billie Jean channeled her outrage into action by helping to establish the Viriginia Slims tennis tour and then founding the Women's Tennis Association turning the sport into a lucrative business for female tennis players. Yes, she needed Phillip Morris' cigarette money and Bristol Meyers pharmaceutical money to get it going but she got it done even over the objections of her male counterparts including Arthur Ashe which is something of a surprise given him being a champion of racial equality.
Much of this was done in collaboration with her husband Larry King who managed the business and financial side of the enterprise. Ultimately, their marriage would be strained by not wanting children up to including an abortion pre-Roe v. Wade as well as Billie Jean's coming to terms with the fact she had feelings for women resulting in a toxic relationship with a woman which would end in blackmail. All of this complicated by an eating disorder that took years to properly address.
Oh yes, she had to deal with Bobby Riggs. While much of Riggs' misogyny was showmanship and playing the heel, he ended up believing his own hype. After Riggs lost to Billie Jean in the Battle of the Sexes, he whispered to her, "I underestimated you."
I think underestimating someone who won six Wimbledon titles, four U.S. Open titles plus an Australian and French Open title not to mention revolutionizing her sport is a mistake.
In time, Billie Jean's personal life found equanimity. She has been with fellow tennis player Ilana Kloss for over 45 years marrying in 2018 while her husband remarried, became a father and named Billie Jean and Ilana as their godmothers.
Following the screening, there was a brief Q&A with Chris James, one of the documentary's co-producers. Billie Jean's younger brother Randy Moffitt, who pitched for 12 seasons in MLB with the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and the Toronto Blue Jays, was sporadically mentioned during the film.
I asked James about Billie Jean's commentary and his level of support for her when her sexual orientation was made public. James indicated that the two were very close until his passing last year. His team very much wanted to interview him but that he was simply too ill to participate. I wish Moffitt had been able to participate because it would have been nice to hear more about their relationship and his insight on her success as well as his own.
Well, if I ever get the opportunity to meet Billie Jean King, I will ask her myself. That is provided that I can keep up with her.
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