WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., March 14, 2023 – The USTA as we speak introduced that the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of equal prize cash on the US Open would be the central theme of the 2023 US Open, and might be bolstered by numerous vital occasions and a multi-media marketing campaign that can cross linear, digital, and social media channels. The nine-month celebration starting as we speak on Nationwide Equal Pay Day will embrace extensions main as much as and thru the 2023 US Open, and can proceed at some point of the yr. Fifty years in the past, in 1973, the US Open grew to become the primary sporting occasion in historical past to supply equal prize cash to each women and men rivals, with every competing for whole purses of $100,000, together with a $25,000 payout to each the boys’s and ladies’s singles champion.
The good Billie Jean King grew to become the pioneer for equal prize cash when she received the ladies’s singles title on the 1972 US Open and unequivocally demanded that the next yr’s US Open pay males’s and ladies’s gamers equally. King’s ultimatum set the tone for a momentous yr forward, which first noticed the formation of the Girls’s Tennis Affiliation. After the 1973 US Open milestone of equal pay, King then defeated Bobby Riggs within the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match at Houston’s iconic Astrodome, a match that helped to propel the ladies’s motion in each sports activities and in society, and nonetheless stays the most-watched tennis match ever.
“The USTA is extremely proud to rejoice the fiftieth anniversary of awarding equal prize cash at this yr’s US Open, and to honor Billie Jean King’s efforts to make this a actuality,” stated Brian Hainline, USTA Chairman of the Board and President. “No particular person has finished extra to safe equality for feminine athletes than Billie Jean King. Her affect goes far past the tennis courtroom, and there’s no higher time to rejoice her legacy than on the anniversary of this historic milestone.”
“It’s not simply concerning the cash, it’s concerning the message,” stated Billie Jean King. “Each era does should combat for equality and freedom.”
The USTA is also actively supporting the trouble to have King’s myriad achievements acknowledged with a Congressional Gold Medal. Although 11 particular person athletes have obtained the Congressional Gold Medal, none of these recipients has been a lady athlete. The marketing campaign to award the honour to King has begun, and efforts might be ongoing over the course of the yr.
The USTA might be partnering with the Girls’s Sports activities Basis (WSF), based in 1974 by King to allow all women and girls to succeed in their potential in sport and life, which can help the Congressional Gold Medal marketing campaign in numerous methods, together with with their experience in advocacy and collective affect, in addition to their vital attain with athletes, leaders, entities and followers.
“Billie has rightfully obtained quite a few honors and accolades in her life,” stated Stacey Allaster, Chief Government, Skilled Tennis, USTA and US Open Event Director. “However the time has come for our nation to acknowledge her achievements with the Congressional Gold Medal for the wide-ranging optimistic affect these achievements have had on generations of girls, males, women, and boys of all backgrounds, making our nation a greater place.”
The 2023 US Open theme artwork additionally might be tied to the celebration of the fiftieth Anniversary of Equal Prize Cash. The art work, created by Brazilian artist Camila Pinheiro, is a daring and up to date spin on an iconic picture of Billie Jean King, whereas capturing the ability and pleasure of the US Open in a dramatic vogue. The US Open theme artwork is featured throughout all areas of promotion and activation, together with on US Open broadcasts, by a sturdy merchandise providing, US Open promoting, and might be seen all through the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Heart. The USTA is proud to help WSF with a donation from the proceeds of this theme artwork.
The USTA is planning a full slate of actions to help this historic anniversary. A multi-dimensional historical past of equal prize cash, and the affect that equal prize cash has had on sports activities might be launched on-line with further promotion throughout the affiliation’s social media channels. The collection will embrace tales written by famous tennis journalists complemented with historic video footage which can roll out over the 5 months resulting in the 2023 US Open. Lastly, a “What Equality Means to Me” collection of essays penned by notable girls from all disciplines of life, will start to roll out in April. The primary of those essays might be authored by King.
Equal prize cash might be themed all through the 2023 US Open and equality would be the focus of the US Open’s ongoing “Be Open” marketing campaign. Now in its fourth yr, the Be Open marketing campaign emphasizes tennis’ dedication to variety, inclusion and respect, and encourages all tennis followers to embrace these beliefs.
Additional data on the celebration of this historic milestone might be introduced over the course of 2023. The US Open takes place yearly on the USTA Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Heart in Flushing Meadows, Queens. This yr’s match begins with US Open Fan Week on Tuesday, August 22, with the principle draw of the match operating from Monday August 28 by Sunday September 10.
