A ‘Battle of the Sexes’ Rages On, More Than 4 Decades Later

Published to The New York Times on September 7, 2017

As the trumpets struck up a brassy fanfare, Emma Stone — perched on a pink feather-bedecked golden litter held aloft by a retinue of bare-chested men — made her entrance into a cavernous arena here.

Awaiting her on this early May morning last year was an uncanny recreation of a scene that unfolded nearly 45 years earlier at the Houston Astrodome, in front of an audience of more than 30,000 (including Glen Campbell and Salvador Dalí) and another 50 million Americans watching at home.