The female who has had the greatest effect on women's sport in our time, both during and after her playing career, is:

• A. Babe Didrikson Zaharias
• B. Billie Jean King
• C. Brandi Chastain
• D. Venus Williams

Answer: (B)

Impact is measured by how an athlete uses their platform to change the conditions under which others compete, not just by wins on the field. Billie Jean King did this in a way that reshaped women’s sport for generations. She helped professionalize women’s tennis by organizing and leading the players’ association, which created a unified voice and better opportunities for female players. She publicly championed equal prize money at major tournaments, bringing visibility and momentum to the broader fight for gender equity in sport. The 1973 Battle of the Sexes, where she faced Bobby Riggs, dramatically raised public attention to women’s athletic abilities and the case for equality, signaling to sponsors, media, and institutions that women’s sport deserved parity.

Her influence extended beyond her own career. By shaping organizational structures, advancing policy conversations around equality in sport, and inspiring younger athletes to pursue professional paths, she left a lasting framework that allowed many others to compete at higher levels and receive fairer treatment. While other influential figures in women’s sport have led powerful moves within specific sports or moments, Billie Jean King’s combination of high-profile activism, creation of durable institutions, and ongoing advocacy makes her influence especially sweeping.

Other athletes have made meaningful contributions—for example, breaking barriers in their own sports or elevating visibility—but their impact tends to be more confined to particular contexts or eras, whereas King’s work created enduring, wide-reaching change across women’s sport.