Most important athlete of all-time?

[massbikebabe]

Spazz...you read my mind...I do however consider to think Lance is a champ in all arena's. The money he has raised has elevated awareness of cancer and some wonderful research and treatment centers. If I had to vote for who was most influential in my life it was Billie Jean King. I was just a little kid when she smacked Bobby Riggs around the court, but I remember the match like it was yesterday. I also remember her saying women have the power to compete in this mans world. Her words and actions clearly left a deep impression on me as a woman and a young athlete.

karen

[Veronica]

How about Jackie Robinson? Or Joan Benoit?

V.

[SadieKate]

If I had to vote for who was most influential in my life it was Billie Jean King. I was just a little kid when she smacked Bobby Riggs around the court, but I remember the match like it was yesterday. I also remember her saying women have the power to compete in this mans world. Her words and actions clearly left a deep impression on me as a woman and a young athlete.

karen

You must be a Title 9 baby also! I can remember when our highschool girls tennis team had to use the used balls leftover from the boys' team. We rarely got to use the school vans because any and all boys' teams received preference. The one year I played on a college team was the first year the women's team received equipment. We received shoes from Nike. They didn't fit worth a darn but it was the first time the women's team had been sponsored by anyone, unlike the mens'.

Additionally, since we were on this topic elsewhere, Renee Richards made a huge impression on me. She is the first transgender athlete that I can recall receiving a lot of media coverage, though this may have been because women's tennis was hugely popular at the time. The two of them made me really start to think about individual rights from a legal viewpoint and not just a gut reaction based on ignorance.