What did Bobby Riggs do?

In 1973, Riggs saw an opportunity to make both money and draw attention to the sport of tennis. He came out of retirement to challenge one of the world’s greatest female players to a match, claiming that the female game was inferior and that a top female player could not beat him even at the age of 55.

Riggs had originally challenged Billie Jean King, but she had declined, regarding the challenge as a fatuous gimmick. Following the court’s loss to Riggs, King decided to accept the challenge and the two met in the Houston Astrodome on prime tome television, in a match billed as The Battle of Sexes.

The Oddsmakers and writers favoured Riggs, he built an early lead but King won in straight sets (6-4, 6-3, 6-3) for the $100,000 winner take all prize.

The ESPN program Outside the Lines made an allegation that Riggs took advantage of the overwhelming odds against King and threw the match to get his debts to the mob erased.

However, the program also stated that Rigg’s close friend and estate executor, Lornie Kuhle denied Riggs was ever in debt to the mob or received a payoff from them.