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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., March 14, 2023 – The USTA right now 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 will probably be bolstered by a lot of vital occasions and a multi-media marketing campaign that can cross linear, digital, and social media channels. The nine-month celebration starting right now on Nationwide Equal Pay Day will embody extensions main as much as and thru the 2023 US Open, and can proceed during the yr. Fifty years in the past, in 1973, the US Open turned the primary sporting occasion in historical past to supply equal prize cash to each women and men rivals, with every competing for complete purses of $100,000, together with a $25,000 payout to each the lads’s and girls’s singles champion.
The nice Billie Jean King turned the pioneer for equal prize cash when she gained the ladies’s singles title on the 1972 US Open and unequivocally demanded that the next yr’s US Open pay males’s and girls’s gamers equally. King’s ultimatum set the tone for a momentous yr forward, which first noticed the formation of the Ladies’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,” mentioned Brian Hainline, USTA Chairman of the Board and President. “No particular person has completed extra to safe equality for feminine athletes than Billie Jean King. Her impression 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,” mentioned Billie Jean King. “Each technology does should battle for equality and freedom.”
The USTA is also actively supporting the hassle to have King’s myriad achievements acknowledged with a Congressional Gold Medal. Although 11 particular person athletes have acquired the Congressional Gold Medal, none of these recipients has been a lady athlete. The marketing campaign to award the distinction to King has begun, and efforts will probably be ongoing over the course of the yr.
The USTA will probably be partnering with the Ladies’s Sports activities Basis (WSF), based in 1974 by King to allow all women and girls to achieve their potential in sport and life, which is able to assist the Congressional Gold Medal marketing campaign in a lot of methods, together with with their experience in advocacy and collective impression, in addition to their vital attain with athletes, leaders, entities and followers.
“Billie has rightfully acquired quite a few honors and accolades in her life,” mentioned Stacey Allaster, Chief Govt, Skilled Tennis, USTA and US Open Match Director. “However the time has come for our nation to acknowledge her achievements with the Congressional Gold Medal for the wide-ranging optimistic impression these achievements have had on generations of girls, males, ladies, and boys of all backgrounds, making our nation a greater place.”
The 2023 US Open theme artwork additionally will probably be tied to the celebration of the fiftieth Anniversary of Equal Prize Cash. The paintings, 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 style. The US Open theme artwork is featured throughout all areas of promotion and activation, together with on US Open broadcasts, by way of a strong merchandise providing, US Open promoting, and will probably be seen all through the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Middle. The USTA is proud to assist WSF with a donation from the proceeds of this theme artwork.
The USTA is planning a full slate of actions to assist this historic anniversary. A multi-dimensional historical past of equal prize cash, and the impression that equal prize cash has had on sports activities will probably be launched on-line with extra promotion throughout the affiliation’s social media channels. The collection will embody tales written by famous tennis journalists complemented with historic video footage which is able to 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 ladies from all disciplines of life, will start to roll out in April. The primary of those essays will probably be authored by King.
Equal prize cash will probably 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 info on the celebration of this historic milestone will probably be introduced over the course of 2023. The US Open takes place yearly on the USTA Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Middle in Flushing Meadows, Queens. This yr’s event begins with US Open Fan Week on Tuesday, August 22, with the primary draw of the event operating from Monday August 28 by way of Sunday September 10.
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