Barcelona Women Had Over 90,000’- Billie Jean King Unhappy With the Popularity of Women’s Soccer

Ever since she took over the tennis court in 1968, Billie Jean King has rightly succeeded in being one of the greatest players of all time. However, over the years, she made sure tennis doesn’t remain the only thing that she is remembered for. The result? Along with tennis, she also became the flag bearer of gender equality, especially in sports. In 1972, she also became the front runner in the passing of the iconic Title IX law.

Half a decade later, she continues to walk on the same path. Having positioned herself as a legendary entity in the sporting world, King carries on with her work to uplift women’s participation in sports. However, working in the field for years, she is rightly aware of the difficulties in the upliftment process. Recently, she expressed her disappointment at seeing the sedated growth of women’s soccer.

Billie Jean King hopes to see women’s soccer excel in the future

Retiring from tennis in 1983, King made sure to not let the retirement affect her popularity. Building herself as a sports celebrity, the former World No. 1 is a regular guest on talk shows, interviews, podcasts, etc. This time was no different. Taking out time from her busy schedule, the 39-time Grand Slam champion recently appeared on renowned American author Glennon Doyle’s podcast.

During the podcast, she opened up about her wish to see women’s soccer as a prominent sport in the coming future. “Soccer should be a big sport in the world,” she started.

Also read- ‘37 Words Changed History for Girls’ – Billie Jean King Opens up About the Title IX Amendment on Its 50th Anniversary

Even though she pointed out her hope to see women’s soccer taking a center stage, she didn’t shy away from accepting the efforts done to speed up the process. Going ahead in the conversation, she further asserted, “It is with men. At least women are having teams now.”

Talking about soccer, Spanish club FC Barcelona is rightly counted as one of the most successful clubs in the game. Over the years, the men’s team of the club has soared to heights with their impressive performances. However, with the advancement of time, it is their women’s team that has been in the headline lately.

Earlier this year, the FC Barcelona women created history as they outplayed their arch-rival Real Madrid in front of a record-breaking 91,553 fans. The mark broke the previous world record of 90,185 fans in the world cup finals between the USA and China at the Rose Bowl. Taking it as a positive move towards the popularization of women’s soccer, King ended by saying, “Barcelona women had over 90,000. I think they beat the record at the Rose Bowl, which I hate to bring up because I thought it was such a great thing.”

What is your take on this record-breaking stat? Do let us know in the comments below.

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