AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2023: Tennis sans Serena starts in earnest
Tennis will move on from Serena Williams. Federer hadn't played an official match in more than a full year because of a series of knee operations. WTA CEO and Chairman Steve Simon thinks those gaps left room for some new faces to emerge in women's tennis, such as current No. “Serena has played what I would call a limited schedule over the last several years, anyway. The cream rises to the top.”___Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowardFendrich___AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2023 The Associated Press.
wftv.comAthletes react to the Supreme Court's abortion decision
U.S. national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe is among a group of leading sports figures who have expressed anger over the Supreme Court’s decision to strip the nation’s constitutional protections for abortion, decrying an erosion of rights that women have had for a generation.
Men, women split on equity gains since Title IX, poll shows
That's the year Congress passed Title IX, a one-sentence law that forbids discrimination based on sex in education. Passed in the wake of other seminal civil rights laws, Title IX was intended to expand protections for women into the sphere of education. As a young girl growing up in the ’70s, Karen Dunlap says she benefited from Title IX right away. “There should be some difference.”According to the poll, Americans think the impact of Title IX has been stronger in some areas than others. “I don’t think people really understand the full breadth and scope of Title IX,” she said.
wftv.comMen, women split on equity gains since Title IX, poll shows
That's the year Congress passed Title IX, a one-sentence law that forbids discrimination based on sex in education. Passed in the wake of other seminal civil rights laws, Title IX was intended to expand protections for women into the sphere of education. As a young girl growing up in the ’70s, Karen Dunlap says she benefited from Title IX right away. “There should be some difference.”According to the poll, Americans think the impact of Title IX has been stronger in some areas than others. “I don’t think people really understand the full breadth and scope of Title IX,” she said.
wftv.comBillie Jean King receives France's Legion of Honor award
France Tennis Billie Jean King French President Emmanuel Macron holds the hand of tennis legend Billie Jean King, of the U.S, after she was awarded with the Legion d'Honneur at the Elysee Palace Friday, June 3, 2022 in Paris. A ceremony Thursday at the Roland Garros stadium marked the 50th anniversary of her French Open win. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, Pool) (Jean-Francois Badias)PARIS — (AP) — Tennis legend and LGBTQ rights activist Billie Jean King received France’s highest civilian honor, the Legion of Honor, on Friday. King, who is in France as the French Open concludes, received the award in recognition of her contributions to women’s sports, gender equality and the rights of LGBTQ people in athletics. It led to the creation of the Women’s Tennis Association in 1973 as the organizing body for women’s professional tennis.
wftv.com'Miss,' 'Mrs.' dropped from Wimbledon champion honor board
Chris Evert, Serena Williams and other Wimbledon women’s singles champions will now be listed on the All England Club’s honor boards in a Centre Court hallway simply by their first initial and last name instead of including “Miss” or “Mrs.” A spokeswoman for the All England Club confirmed the switch to the women’s honor board has been completed.
Proposed women's hockey league teams with Billie Jean King
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association only revealed the agreement during a meeting with its membership. Details of the proposed league have not yet been finalized, though tentative plans have the new league featuring six teams with players paid an average salary of $55,000. The PWHPA was established in 2019 after the Canadian Women's Hockey League folded, and its members have balked at playing for the PHF, which was formerly called the National Women's Hockey League. King also has a relationship with the NHL after the league partnered with the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative to further diversity in hockey in 2019. King is a pioneer in women's sports who founded the Women's Tennis Association in 1973.
wftv.comProposed women's hockey league teams with Billie Jean King
A person with direct knowledge of the agreement tells The Associated Press that North America's top women's hockey players are teaming up with former tennis star Billie Jean King and Los Angeles Dodgers chairman Mark Walter to explore launching a pro league within the next year.
Muguruza wins WTA Finals for first time, beating Kontaveit
Mexico WTA Finals Tennis Garbiñe Muguruza, of Spain, center, holds the trophy accompanied by former tennis players Billie Jean King, right, and Chris Evert after defeating Anett Kontaveit, of Estonia, at the final match of the WTA Finals tennis tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. After winning the WTA Finals on Wednesday, it ended the same way. I think the whole team deserves it.”Muguruza became the first Spaniard to win the WTA Finals. The Estonian qualified last for the WTA Finals by winning 29 of 32 matches, including four titles in 10 weeks. The WTA Finals were played in Guadalajara this year because of the pandemic, with the event scheduled to return in 2022 to Shenzhen, China.
wftv.comSimone says: Olympic champ pushes for change in, out of pool
Outside of it, the Olympic champion is pushing herself in a new endeavor to boost the profile of women’s sports. AdShe’s aiming to defend her 100 free title at the Tokyo Olympics, delayed for a year by the coronavirus pandemic. When Stanford closed its facilities last March, Manuel and training partner Katie Ledecky found a backyard pool to work out in. He failed to make it out of the preliminaries, finishing 32nd in the 100 free and 25th in the 100 breaststroke. Blake Pieroni won the men’s 100 free in 49.19 seconds.
Billie Jean King memoir 'All In' to be published in August
This combination photo shows the cover of "All In: An Autobiography" by Billie Jean King, left, and King posing for a portrait on June 4, 2015, in New York. Alfred A. Knopf announced Thursday, March 4, 2021, that the book will be published Aug. 17 and will cover the highlights of King's celebrated and groundbreaking tennis career. (Knopf via AP, left, and AP)NEW YORK – Billie Jean King has a memoir coming this summer, and she calls it a journey to her “authentic self.”Alfred A. Knopf announced Thursday that “All In: An Autobiography” will be published Aug. 17. She was married to Larry King (no relation to the late broadcaster) for more than a decade before being outed in 1981. King published a memoir in the early 1980s, “Billie Jean King: The Autobiography,” but says she rushed it out at the urging of her then-manager, who was concerned about her finances in the wake of her outing.
Fauci presents his personal virus model to Smithsonian
Fauci presented the donation Tuesday night in a virtual ceremony to honor him with the museums Great Americans Medal. (Smithsonian's National Museum of American History via AP)WASHINGTON – Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of the U.S. government’s pandemic response, has donated his personal 3D model of the COVID-19 virus to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The museum on Tuesday honored Fauci with its Great Americans Medal. “His humanitarianism and dedication truly exemplify what it means to be a Great American." The museum asked Fauci to contribute a personal artifact to mark the pandemic, and he chose the lumpy blue and orange ball that he used to explain the complexities of the virus in dozens of interviews.
Original 9, Hewitt in Tennis Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021
(AP Photo/Hamish Blair)Billie Jean King and the other members of the Original 9 who laid the groundwork for the women’s professional tour are the first group elected together to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, joining Lleyton Hewitt and Dennis Van der Meer in the Class of 2021. In results announced Wednesday, Hewitt was the only one of five nominees in the Player Category who was voted in. He won Grand Slam singles titles at the U.S. Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002, reached No. On Sept. 23, 1970, they all signed $1 contracts with World Tennis Magazine publisher Gladys Heldman to participate in the first women-only tennis tournament. Now all four Grand Slam tournaments offer equal prize money to women and men.
Bucs' Javadifar, Locust 1st female coaches to win Super Bowl
Tampa Bay Buccaneers strength and conditioning coach Maral Javadifar on the field before the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)TAMPA, Fla. – Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar, Super Bowl champs. Locust and Javadifar became the first female coaches on a team to win the Super Bowl, helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 Sunday night. The 30-year-old Javadifar is an assistant strength and conditioning coach, and the 56-year-old Locust is an assistant defensive line coach. Soon enough, they’ll get their Super Bowl rings, just like Tom Brady and the rest of the Buccaneers. The ones we have are overly qualified.”AdLast season, Katie Sowers became the first female to coach in a Super Bowl.
Activist, champion: Naomi Osaka is AP Female Athlete of Year
FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2020, file photo, Naomi Osaka, of Japan, holds up the championship trophy after defeating Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus, in the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York. Osaka has been selected by The Associated Press as the Female Athlete of the Year. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)With tennis, like so much of the world, shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, Naomi Osaka found herself with time to read and think. LeBron James was announced Saturday as the AP Male Athlete of the Year. I cannot be more excited.”___Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowardFendrich___More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/apf-Tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Kim Ng ready to bear the torch as baseball's 1st female GM
MIAMI – The Miami Marlins' new general manager sat at home plate in the team's ballpark Monday, reflecting on all the times she struck out. She is believed to be the first female general manager in the four major North American professional sports leagues, and she's also being saluted as a pioneering Asian American, even overseas. She spent four years with the New York Yankees when their star shortstop was Derek Jeter, now the Marlins' CEO. By reaching out to her regarding the Miami job, she said, Jeter showed fearlessness. “That’s a big responsibility, but I take it on.”As baseball's first female general manager, she embraces the chance to be judged on wins and losses.
Voting history of Detroit woman, 103, dates back to FDR
Talu Massey speaks about voting from her home in Detroit, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. But this is far from the Detroit resident's first election. The 103-year-old is proud of her lengthy voting record, saying it's every citizen's "civic duty" to take part in the process. The 103-year-old is proud of her lengthy voting record, saying it’s every citizen’s “civic duty” to take part in the process. Massey voted absentee in September, eight decades after she cast her first presidential ballot — for President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Dodgers 1 win from title after 32 years and more than $3.6B
FILE - In this Oct. 20, 1988, file photo, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser holds his World Series Most Valuable Player trophy following the Dodgers' decisive 5-2 win over the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Ca. Since Hershiser struck out Oaklands Tony Phillips for the final out of the 1988 World Series, the Dodgers have played 5,014 regular-season games and 113 more in the postseason in pursuit of their next title. The rookie right-hander hopes to keep the World Series from reaching a Game 7 for the fourth time in five years. The Rays and Cash have impressed Roberts with their relentlessness, evidenced by their ninth-inning rally to win Game 4. Hershiser, the 1988 World Series MVP, says each time the postseason is lengthened it adds another level of uncertainty to the competition.
Laila Ali salutes social activism of athletes with awards
NEW YORK – Laila Ali is applauding athletes who speak out about social issues. Ali was to host the virtual Women’s Sports Foundation awards on Wednesday night, recognizing athletes and leaders working toward social justice and racial equality. “I think all people should take a stand,” Ali told The Associated Press. What are your thoughts on athletes taking a stand on social justice issues? I think my dad would definitely have something positive to say about the athletes that are taking a stand.
The Latest: Ali to host Women's Sports Foundation awards
FILE - In this July 10, 2019, file photo, Laila Ali arrives at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles. Ali will host the Womens Sports Foundation awards show featuring Candace Parker, Tom Brady and Carli Lloyd. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK – Laila Ali will host the Women’s Sports Foundation awards show featuring Candace Parker, Tom Brady and Carli Lloyd. In 1974, King created the Women’s Sports Foundation, which provides sports programming and grants for young athletes. The Czech team says 16 others have to be re-tested after the results of their tests were inconclusive.
Original 9 trailblazers stood for tennis equality in 1970
In this Sept. 23, 1970, photo provided the Houston Library, tennis players hold up $1 bills after signing a contract with World Tennis magazine publisher Gladys Heldman to turn pro and start the Virginia Slims tennis circuit. The Original 9 will gather by Zoom to celebrate the inaugural Virginia Slims event. It included the Welsh Open Women’s Championship, the U.S. Eastern Women’s Grass Court Championship and the U.S. She called it “perfect timing” when tobacco ads were banned on TV in 1971, making a budget available for Philip Morris to sponsor the women's tennis circuit. Heldman quickly set up the $7,500-purse Virginia Slims Invitational in Houston for the same week as Kramer’s event.
Original 9, Hewitt, Raymond among nominees for tennis Hall
NEWPORT, R.I. – Billie Jean King and the other members of the Original 9 who laid the groundwork for the women’s professional tennis tour are the first group nominated together for the International Tennis Hall of Fame. They join Jonas Bjorkman, Sergi Brugera, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Lleyton Hewitt, Lisa Raymond and the late Dennis Van der Meer on the ballot announced Monday for the Hall’s Class of 2021. That group and Van der Meer, who advocated for a universal teaching method in tennis, were nominated in the Contributor Category. Van der Meer died last year. The full ballot now goes to the official voting group — which includes tennis journalists, historians and Hall of Fame members — and fans can vote online in the Player Category from Oct. 1-25.
Fed Cup changes name to honor tennis great Billie Jean King
The Fed Cup is changing its name to honour tennis great Billie Jean King, becoming The Billie Jean King Cup, the first major global team competition to be named after a woman, it is announced Thursday Sept. 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Miles Kennedy, FILE)The Fed Cup is changing its name to honor tennis great Billie Jean King, the woman whose lifelong battle for equality and social justice laid the foundation for generations that followed. The Billie Jean King Cup will become the first major global team competition to be named after a woman, the International Tennis Federation said Thursday. Their work led to the creation of the Women’s Tennis Association in 1973 as the organizing body for women’s professional tennis. The Billie Jean King Cup Finals are scheduled for April 13-18 in Budapest, Hungary.
King, Original 9 mark 50 years of women's pro tennis tour
Their tenacity and vision led to the creation of the Women's Tennis Association in 1973 as the organizing body for women's pro tennis. He became a tennis promoter and saw a dismal future for womens tennis, with more tournaments, money and TV exposure for the men. My mother ... had an unsurpassed Rolodex, an extraordinary work ethic, and a commitment to the success of the womens pro tour," Heldman said. When we held up that $1 bill, that really was the start of womens pro tennis the way we know it today, King said. The 76-year-old King would like to see more pay and exposure for women's pro soccer, hockey and softball.
New York City needs 3.3 million N95 masks and 400 ventilators by Sunday, Mayor de Blasio says
New York City needs to find 3.3 million N95 masks, 2.1 million surgical mask, 100,000 isolation gowns and 400 ventilators by Sunday to get the city's hospitals ready for a coming wave of coronavirus patients expected by Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. The city is building or importing temporary hospital facilities that will add roughly 4,700 additional hospital beds by mid-April. New York City officials have also reserved 10,000 beds across 20 hotels to house COVID-19 patients and health-care workers so they aren't putting their families at risk. Andrew Cuomo said he plans to close New York City playgrounds after warning residents for weeks to abide by new rules designed to reduce density and help curb the outbreak. New York City accounts for more than half of the coronavirus infections across the state at 47,439 people, Cuomo said.
cnbc.comSerena Williams won't stop fighting for equality
(CNN) - Serena Williams just lost the Wimbledon final, but that won't stop her from fighting another battle -- against inequality. "The day I stop fighting for equality and for people that look like you and me will be the day I'm in my grave," the 23-time Grand Slam champion said. In June, King said Williams was doing too much and would have to hunker down and focus on tennis if she wanted to win at Wimbledon. After the press conference on Saturday, King tweeted that she "would never ask anyone to stop fighting for equality." "In everything she does, Serena shines a light on what all of us must fight for in order to achieve equality for all," King wrote.
Coco Gauff's Wimbledon run comes to an end as 15-year-old loses to Simona Halep
Cori "Coco" Gauff's Wimbledon run is over. Halep broke Gauff five times and took advantage of 29 unforced errors. Gauff saved two match points when serving at 5-2 but Halep clinched the win when the teenager sent a forehand wide in the next game. She has already had success before reaching Wimbledon, having won the 2018 Junior French Open. #BigFan https://t.co/HHq3H4Xwrg Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) July 8, 2019Meanwhile, Halep reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the fourth time and will next face Zhang Shuai of China.
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