MovieChat Forums > Battle of the Sexes (2017) Discussion > I hope it spends time on when Bobby smac...

I hope it spends time on when Bobby smacked Margaret Court all over the

posted 9 years ago by duckofprey
10 replies | jump to latest

Funny how they always talk about when Billie J King beat the 55 year-old Bobby Riggs but totally gloss over and often IGNORE how Riggs slaughtered the NUMBER 1 WOMEN'S player 6-2, 6-1 four months earlier.

I bet in this pic it gets two or three quick scenes totalling 5 minutes at most, probably half that.

BJK winning that "Battle of the Sexes" was probably a fluke and even if not, he was 30 years past his prime.

Let's match up the top male vs the top female tennis players of ANY era in a REAL Battle Of The Sexes and it's a slaughter. But no, they'd match Serena against Rod Laver.

[–] weeben 9 years ago

yeah,thats why I posted similar in another thread,i'm curious how this will play out...a triumph for feminists or that Riggs maybe took a dive.

[–] dacookielad 9 years ago

That's not the kind of movie they're making. They're making a comedy about how women are just as capable as men if not more capable. They're doing this through a funny story involving an overconfident tennis player learning humility by going up against a woman in a physically demanding sport and receiving a crushing defeat.

It's about humility, sexism, and equality. Controversial topics, but they're controversial topics that must be discussed.

[–] backlash 8 years ago

Ironically it's probably the best example of women not being as capable as men in sports. That's what makes it comical.

[–] andrewrrrr 9 years ago

You sound really defensive. This movie is not being made to send the message that women are better than men at tennis. Everyone knows they're not and they won't leave the theatre thinking otherwise. It was an older overconfident, chauvinistic man who acted like women had no place on the court and she proved that women are equals and deserve respect. Him losing was the appropriate outcome and many think the whole thing was a publicity stunt to inspire women who were facing a lot of sexist oppression at the time. Having her win let men and women of the time reevaluate how they thought of women as being inferior. There are many reasons why she won and none of them involve women being better than men at tennis.

[–] backlash 8 years ago

The top female athletes can not compete with the top male athletes at most sports. A top tennis player in her prime taking three sets to beat an unranked, retired male tennis player does not mean women can compete with men. It means that professional women can beat the average male.

There are people that don't watch any sports that are under the assumption that the NBA, MLB and NFL are male only leagues. They are not. It's just there are no women that are good enough at any of those sports to compete for a spot. Even in golf, the PGA allows for women to try to qualify for tournaments. The undisputed top golfer in women's golf history attempted to play in a PGA event and couldn't make the cut.

It's in fact a less than chauvinistic view to say women are inferior to men in many sports because this allows women to have their own leagues and have their own spotlight that they would never get otherwise.

[–] kslotus24 9 years ago

Meh, Margaret Court is a hardcore extremist Christian so I wouldn't be surprised if she lost on purpose considering how sexist that religion is.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] PaulsLaugh 8 years ago

It does. The Court vs Riggs match sets up the "battle of the sexes." However, I think this film maybe more about the two tennis greats' personal problems that were surrounding the match. Billie Jean was coming to terms with her homosexuality (but still in the closet), while Riggs was letting his hustling/gambling addiction get the better of him.

[–] vfl326 8 years ago

I think it's hilarious that 44 years later, some of you guys are still upset Riggs lost. LMAO

[–] liscarkat (18589) 6 years ago

Actually, it's hilarious that 44 years later you still think it's a big feminist deal that a 29-year-old in the prime of her career beat a 55-year-old who was a quarter century past the end of his career.