Was 'The Battle of the Sexes' Fixed?

August 5, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

On September 20, 1973, Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match before 30,000 people in the Houston Astrodome and 50 million television viewers. King was a 29-year-old feminist champion who had fought for equal prize money; Riggs was a 55-year-old former Wimbledon winner who played the role of a male chauvinist pig, vowing to put women "back where they belong in the kitchen and the bedroom." King won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. She threw her racket in the air. Riggs jumped the net to congratulate her. It became one of the most iconic moments in American sports history.

But for decades, a quieter story has circulated: that Riggs may have thrown the match. The fix, if it happened, was allegedly arranged with the Mafia to erase his gambling debts.

The Hustler's Career

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What you'll learn

1 Was 'The Battle of the Sexes' Fixed? — Navigation Outline
2 (00:06) **The Setup: September 20, 1973** - Billy Jean King faces Bobby Riggs in the historic "Battle of the Sexes" at the Houston Astrodome
3 (02:34) **The Match and the Unexpected Outcome** - Billy Jean dominates, winning in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
4 (03:42) **The Conspiracy Question Emerges** - What if Bobby Riggs secretly orchestrated his own defeat?
5 (06:34) **The Legacy of the Match** - Billy Jean King becomes one of the most important American athletes of the 20th century
6 (07:54) **Bobby Riggs: The Showman and Hustler** - A deep dive into Bobby's background as a tennis prodigy and compulsive gambler
7 (10:43) **The "Barn" Strategy and Mob Connections** - Bobby becomes a master tennis hustler who manipulates opponents

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

On September 20, 1973, tennis star Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in “The Battle of the Sexes,” notching a victory for feminism, women’s athletes, and societal equality. In America’s collective memory, the iconic sporting event was on the up and up. But what if Riggs, a man nicknamed “The Happy Hustler,” needed money so badly that he threw the match? Was the fix in?

Check out the 2013 ESPN article “The Match Maker,” by Don Van Natta:

https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/9589625/the-match-maker

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