How old was Bobby Riggs during Billie Jean?

Bobby Briggs was 55 years old when he played against Billie Jean King in a highly publicized “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match on September 20, 1973.

Bobby Riggs was a self-professed male chauvinist who boasted that women were inferior, that they couldn’t handle the pressure of the game, and that he could beat any female player even at his age.

The match was a massive media event, with over 30,000 people in attendance at the Houston Astrodome and another 50 million people watching on television around the world.

Riggs arrived in a rickshaw pulled by female models, while King made a Cleopatra-style entrance on a gold litter carried by men dressed as ancient slaves.

The match was called by legendary sportscaster Howard Cosell, and King defeated Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

Not only did King’s achievement help to legitimize women’s professional tennis and female athletes, but it was also viewed as a victory for women’s rights in general.

The 1973 match inspired a 2017 film starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell.