By Alberto Amalfi | @Tennis_Now | Friday, October 13, 2024
US Open Tournament Director Stacey Allaster has honored Billie Jean King on court in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Last night, Hall of Famer King helped honor Allaster.
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USTA Chief Executive, Professional Tennis Allaster receivedd the Billie Jean King Leadership Award at last night’s Women’s Sports Foundation Annual Salute to Women in Sports in New York City.
In partnership with the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, the Billie Jean King Leadership Award, presented by Darcie Glazer Kassewitz and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation, recognizes an individual or group who demonstrates outstanding leadership and makes significant contributions to the advancement of women through achievements in sport and the workplace.
For over 30 years, Allaster has been a passionate and determined advocate for gender equality in tennis — from the $1 billion she generated for female players as chairman and CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association, to her brilliant leadership as the first woman tournament director of the US Open in its more than 140-year history – paving a path to the C-suite that other women can follow.
Billed as “the biggest night in women’s sports,” the event’s programming looked ahead to the organization’s 50th anniversary in 2024, honored trailblazers in the fight for gender equity, and celebrated a year of major milestones in women’s sports.
Honored at WSF’s signature Salute awards were the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) Chief Executive, Professional Tennis, and US Open Tournament Director, Allaster, University of Washington runner and Indigenous Peoples’ advocate, Rosalie Fish, Athletes Unlimited Co-founders, Jon Patricof and Jonathan Soros, four-time Paralympian in Wheelchair Basketball, Natalie Schneider and Women’s Undisputed Middleweight World Champion Boxer, Claressa Shields.
The Salute was held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. For the first time, WSF offered a Childcare Zone in partnership with &Mother that provided childcare and lactation support for mom-athletes.
This year’s Annual Salute commemorated the 50th anniversary of several significant milestones in WSF Founder Billie Jean King’s fight for gender equity in sports, including: 50 years of equal prize money at the US Open; the creation of the Women’s Tennis Association; and Billie Jean’s victory over Bobby Riggs in the iconic “Battle of the Sexes.”
Billie Jean King’s seismic impact in sports and society, set the path to equity for girls and women that we benefit from to this day. From the NCAA Women’s Basketball March Madness Tournament’s record-breaking viewership to the FIFA Women’s World Cup setting a new all-time attendance benchmark to the Nebraska Cornhuskers women’s volleyball match breaking the world record for women’s sports attendance – Billie Jean King’s vision for a more equitable future 50 years ago is allowing girls and women in sport to live out their athletic dreams today.
“Nearly 50 years ago, I founded the Women’s Sports Foundation to protect Title IX and to fight for gender equality in sports – from the grassroots to collegiate and professional levels – so that all girls and women can benefit from sport and its transformative power,” said King. “We must always challenge and strive to change the status quo. I am encouraged to see this year’s honorees who are breaking records, eliminating barriers, and empowering future generations to keep playing.”
Photo credit: Getty for Women’s Sports Foundation Annual Salute to Women in Sports®
