Women’s Sports Foundation
Recognizing the need to advance the lives of women and girls through greater access to sports and physical activity, and to protect the sports provisions of Title IX, for which she had advocated so fiercely, Billie Jean King started the Women’s Sports Foundation in 1974.
Dedicated to creating leaders by ensuring girls access to sports, the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) funds groundbreaking research, provides financial assistance to aspiring champion athletes, and educates and advocates on behalf of female athletes in the United States and around the world.
Set Up for Success
Young Athlete Development
Some of the Women’s Sports Foundation’s most notable programs include Sports 4 Life, which works in conjunction with espnW to increase the participation and retention of African-American and Hispanic girls in developmental youth sports programs; the Travel & Training Fund, which provides direct financial assistance to aspiring female athletes, which allows them a chance to fulfill their potential on the regional, national, or international level; and GoGirlGo!, which helps improve the health of sedentary girls by working with community organizations that promote physical activity.
Promoting Women in Sports
Life Magazine Honors
Billie Jean’s life-long work to promote the rights of women was recognized by LIFE magazine in 1990 when they named her to the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” list, in part because of her efforts to promote women in sports through the WSF.