Did Bobby Riggs lose famous 'Battle of the Sexes' match on purpose? Or ESPN, as usual, full of sh*t?

[joeybee12]

Did Bobby Riggs intentionally lose the famous “Battle of the Sexes’’ tennis match in 1973 against Billie Jean King?


A report on Sunday by ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” speculates that Riggs, who died in 1995, may have thrown the match in order to repay a reported $100,000 gambling debt to the mafia. The report cites a conversation allegedly overheard by an assistant golf instructor in the pro shop at a course in Tampa in the early 1970s that featured several mafia figures discussing how Riggs would set up the fix for a match with King.

Riggs, who was 55 years old at the time, lost 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 to the 29-year-old King, who was the second-ranked female player in the world. The event was held at the Houston Astrodome in front of 30, 472 people, which is still the largest crowd in the U.S. to ever attend a tennis match. The match is frequently cited as a turning point for the women’s liberation movement that King passionately supported.

Four months before Riggs lost to King, he dominated the No. 1 women’s player, Margaret Court, beating her in straight sets to build anticipation for his showdown with King after she accepted his challenge. Hal Shaw, 79, who worked at Palma Ceia Gold and Country Club in Tampa, told ESPN he was working late in the shop one night when four alleged mob figures entered and began to talk about Riggs throwing the match against King.

http://www.today.com/news/did-bobby-riggs-lose-famous-battle-sexes-match-purpose-8C11003395#did-bobby-riggs-lose-famous-battle-sexes-match-purpose-8C11003395

ESPN is garbage.

[LoisB]

1. ESPN is full of it. I saw that match, BJK beat him - he didn't "throw" the match.

[joeybee12]

3. I know...ESPN got some 40 year-old discussion, that probably

never happened, and they base their speculation on that.

Riggs beat Margaret Court because Margaret fell apart under the pressure...Billie Jean thrived on it...she won fair and square...end of discussion.

[Lugnut]

12. That's how I remember that match.

BJK beat Riggs.

[RockaFowler]

2. I agree with your assessment

ESPN really botched this report up. They took the "hearsay" word of a guy who's writing a book who never talked about it until the book comes out because it was on his "bucket list". What a load of crap. And BJK looked horrified when he brought up the idea that Bobby Riggs was friends with mobsters. Well that wasn't the Bobby she knew. Not sure I understand why they even did this story. Was it to make Billie Jean look bad?? Or was this to make up for the fact that they dropped the PBS report?? Look we can investigate even BS stories.

[joeybee12]

5. They probably did the story basically because they have airtime to

fill so they take a nothing story and blew it up.

Oh, and because they're assholes at ESPN.

[hughee99]

4. It's probably completely bullshit (how can anyone but Riggs know for sure),

but from the article "Why would four mafia guys be in a golf pro shop at midnight? Why is the golf pro in there at midnight?" Poker game. Not all that uncommon in golf clubhouses.

[joeybee12]

6. I wouldn't do a story based on a conversation some guy recalled from 40 years ago...

Thenagain, I'm not one of the many blithering idiots at ESPN.

[hughee99]

7. I wouldn't either. Not based on a single source recalling a 3rd party conversation

from 40 years ago with no other backup sources.

[TBF]

13. lol re the poker games in golf clubhouses -

I found it really funny when we visited my inlaws in Florida that the guys in the development (55 & over of course) have a running poker game going. It is of course in the clubhouse and they do play for $$$ ... my kids always wanted to visit because they keep candy in there for the kids who stop by when visiting grandparents.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. All I Learned From that Match. . .

. . .was that Margaret Court never should have been #1 in the world. There was obviously something wrong with the ranking system.

Court got punked by a 55 year old guy and Billie Jean slapped him to under the baseline.

She was WAAAAYYYYY better than Margaret Court and this proved it.

No, i don't believe he threw it either, because most tennis fans at the that time weren't at all surprised that he lost to the best woman player on earth.

He was never the best player in the world and he was nearly 30 years past his prime. I know for sure i expected him to lose.
GAC

[joeybee12]

9. Billie Jean was always better under pressure than Margaret...

And I think this proved it...Margaret had won Wimbledon that year, and her record, life-time, against Billie Jean was way in her favor, but she really lost it when she played Riggs...BJ thrived in the moment.

[DinahMoeHum]

10. ESPN, unfortunately, is full of shit.

Let's remember how they got punked by the NFL regarding the concussion issue.

[Logical]

11. LOL, Riggs was 55. King 29. Of course she won. But the 100th ranked male player would easily....

destroy the #1 ranked woman. Any year.

Saying it was the battle of the sexes is a joke.

[RockaFowler]

14. Slate has a good take on this, too

Why did ESPN even do this story??
What was the purpose of it??

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/08/28/even_if_bobby_riggs_did_throw_his_match_against_billie_jean_king_it_proves.html

[joeybee12]

15. Yup...a non-story that other asshat orgs reported on also..

Way to make BS into a story...I hate ESPN

[Upton]

16. Lets look at this objectively..

Before the loss to King, Bobby Riggs defeated the #1 ranked women's player in the world, Margaret Court, easily..6-1, 6-2...what accounts for the discrepancy in the two matches? So far, all I've seen is you claiming Court couldn't play under pressure..is that why she still holds the record of 24 grand slam titles? Seems like she could play under pressure to me..

I'm not saying the story is necessarily true, but I don't think you can just dismiss this out of hand..