"I always liked co-ed events best so we have two men and two women on each team"
About this Quote
Billie Jean King is pointing to a design principle as much as a personal preference: build equality into the rules so it becomes the norm, not an exception. By favoring co‑ed events with two men and two women per team, she advances parity at a structural level, every match, every lineup, every point requires shared responsibility across genders. That configuration eliminates tokenism; it is symmetrical, visible, and measurable. Everyone’s contribution matters to the outcome, and visibility is distributed evenly, which addresses one of the biggest inequities in sport: who gets seen and when.
The choice also reframes competition. Instead of comparing men’s and women’s performances in isolation or staging them in parallel silos with separate audiences, a co‑ed team format invites collaboration and interdependence. Mixed doubles becomes a centerpiece rather than a sideshow. Strategy shifts: captains balance strengths across men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles, making gender balance a tactical asset rather than a quota to satisfy. Fans experience a richer narrative, momentum swinging between events, heroes emerging from any slot in the order, so the spectacle is more inclusive and dynamic.
King has long argued that culture changes when institutions change. Setting rosters at two and two is a simple rule that reshapes incentives: media coverage must track all players; sponsors engage with the whole roster; young athletes see equal pathways. It also disrupts stereotypes by showing women and men problem‑solve together under pressure, modeling mutual respect and shared leadership. The format resists zero‑sum thinking about resources and respect, and it expands the pie by making the product more varied and relatable.
Underlying the line is an insistence that fairness doesn’t happen by accident. Equity is engineered. By codifying balance into team composition, the game itself teaches the values King has championed, equality, opportunity, and the belief that sport is strongest when everyone plays.
The choice also reframes competition. Instead of comparing men’s and women’s performances in isolation or staging them in parallel silos with separate audiences, a co‑ed team format invites collaboration and interdependence. Mixed doubles becomes a centerpiece rather than a sideshow. Strategy shifts: captains balance strengths across men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles, making gender balance a tactical asset rather than a quota to satisfy. Fans experience a richer narrative, momentum swinging between events, heroes emerging from any slot in the order, so the spectacle is more inclusive and dynamic.
King has long argued that culture changes when institutions change. Setting rosters at two and two is a simple rule that reshapes incentives: media coverage must track all players; sponsors engage with the whole roster; young athletes see equal pathways. It also disrupts stereotypes by showing women and men problem‑solve together under pressure, modeling mutual respect and shared leadership. The format resists zero‑sum thinking about resources and respect, and it expands the pie by making the product more varied and relatable.
Underlying the line is an insistence that fairness doesn’t happen by accident. Equity is engineered. By codifying balance into team composition, the game itself teaches the values King has championed, equality, opportunity, and the belief that sport is strongest when everyone plays.
Quote Details
| Topic | Teamwork |
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