Billie Jean King Takes Us Inside The US Open

0:00This whole center is the USTA Billy Jean King National Ted of Center, right? What does it look like? It is everywhere. I can't look. I start going, I can't look. Wait, excuse me, that's me! Yeah, right. Yeah, you do, right? Hey, baby! Hey, y'all, this is my center. Welcome to the party! What's up party people? I'm Julie Fowdy. I'm Abby Wombach. And I'm Billy Jean King. KING! Welcome to my home! Yes! Exactly! I forgot about this, I just thought of it at that moment. Exactly! This is your home! It is. The Billy Jean King Ted of Center. This is our first time here. Which I knew was your first time. I thought this is absolutely ridiculous.

1:00I like having this. I told you the first time I've been to soccer, hello, wolacop, etc. Come on you guys! What's up? I know! Never been to the US Open before. I'm glad you're here. Welcome. It's a pinch me moment for sure. For the little dark and rainy. It's a little dark and... You like the night. Well, that's what. We have a roof, baby. Yeah. Yeah, and if you're listening, you really might want to pop over YouTube because what you will see is we are in the Ralf Lauren suite. Yes, we are. And what that means is that you've got brass countertops. You know what I mean? You've got saddle stools. I've got a strong vintage rackets. Cute straw. This may be a 10-figure discount today. Sorry. I like these coasters. You will see Ralf Lauren home everywhere. This suite is in pocketable. Here too. Our gear. This is unbelievable. Okay, so we're actually in Arthrashtade, but now we're in the Ralf Lauren suite in Arthrashtade.

2:03Right. But this whole center is the USDA Billy Jean King National 10th Center. Right? Yes. In 2006, I got a call. I was in Philadelphia at Team Dance. Crowd yelling. And I get the call from Franklin Dott and Johnson. He says, he's saying, I can't hear him. I go, I got to go in the president's place. So I go in and I call him back. He says, we've decided to name the 10th Center after. And I'm thinking, they will be... What he says? Uh, oh, 2006. So I'm thinking he means some little corner out here. Right or something. Yeah. Squeezed me and went, what? What? And he says, nice is the whole thing. And he's from Southern California. So he's so thrilled that he's ahead of the Southern California. 10th St. And that's where I come from, Long Beach, California. And I couldn't talk. I was like, if you know my history, and you just go, what's happened? So it was amazing night. And I'll never forget it. I mean, Venus was there. Chris was there. John McRome, our own Jimmy Connors.

3:03I mean, yeah. It was in the mayor, obviously. Abhin, we're having a discussion of whether when you come to the US Open, you say, oh, I'm going to my center. You give it like... No, I do my center. I do my center. Do you say the... We're going to go to the Billie Jean. No, I just go, we're going to the show. We're going to the US Open or something. What are we going to do in my center? No, but this show you know this complex really. Sluhester was the president. It came here in 1978. Okay. So I didn't play most of my championships. We played at this club that has a beautiful stadium of about 14,000. It's a horseshoe at West Side, tennis club. But we were ballaging so quickly when pro tennis came, we had to find a new place. And that's why we're here. Wow. Okay. So this is your 67th straight US Open. Probably. I'm only... I was 15. I was 15 the first year of playing in 1959. I was 15, 65 and you were 17. I played at 1161.

4:04I was 17. Yeah. This is going to be a hilarious year. But it's now 65 years. I was 15 and I played in 59 at the US Nationals, but now Open. And I played 61 at Wolverine Wright at 17. Does that make sense? Yeah. It's a... Wow. It doesn't matter. It's great to be coming every year and seeing all the generations and seeing the evolution and it's like watching the evolution of any sport you've been in. Because you guys are in the beginning of Women's Soccer. So you know you see these changes and adaptations. And we got... We're the first major to ever get equal prize money, which was huge endeavor. When did that happen? 1973 was a first year, but in 1972 I said we're not coming back. So I was in the media after the finals in 1972. And the Stasi just won 25,000. I won 10. And I'm getting furious. I've been building up. And so I got so upset in there.

5:05And I didn't show it. That was very sweet like I am now. And I said, I don't think the women are coming back next year if we don't get equal prize money. And they went, what? Of course the media is going. We didn't have social remember. So we got a huge room in media. They're going nuts. They're going, what? I said, I don't think we're coming back next year. But don't get equal prize money. So I'm going inside. I'm going, oh, I haven't told the women yet. Oh, maybe I made a big mistake here. I don't know. So I went and ran to them and said, you guys, I just said we're not coming back next year. I was going to go for one. Are you guys all right with that? Yeah, we're all right. I said, are you sure? And they go, okay, no, they were great. They were fantastic. We were a real team, the whole group of us. And then I went out and got a sponsor because Larry and I, my former husband, I used to own tournaments. So I understood the business side. And I knew money talks. So I go, so I went to all the people that relationships with through sponsorships. And I said, we want to view, or all of you cumulative do it.

6:06And then Bristol Myers came up to me and said, no, we want to do the whole thing. Wow. They said we're going to do it. So the next year, 73, we had equal prize money. And that set it off. To finally took 34 more years in 2007, we finally had all four majors. Wimbledon came in third and Roland Garros was fourth. I kept saying, I can't say to the one, you guys, if we could three of the fourthals, fold like an Appkin. And they did. So we worked. That's the reason we have major prize money. And Venus also was great. We got her to be the person out front when, you know, that's a year's path by my two-old age. So we got Venus. And beautifully, she won Wimbledon in 2007, the year that Wimbledon had equal prize money. And she'd been the person out front being the talker by the quality. And she wanted that, yeah. And she, wow. Oh, I didn't know. You could not buy that. Exactly. You know, it's just so precious. It was totally scripted. It was faint. So it was really nice. It wasn't scripted. It seemed like it was. It should have been scripted like that.

7:08But this sweet kingter has just had a big remodel. In a beautiful. Yeah. And as we know, Ralph Lauren has been a official Wimbledon. Outfitter of over two decades. Over two decades. Yeah. He started doing minz design at 68. And then I think 71 he started doing women's things. And I think they have the contract through 32. So it's fantastic. Wow. Yeah, it's beautiful. The whole ball crew as well. You've seen the evolution over the decades of the ball crew. The ball crew. Is there outfits? Yeah, the ball kids are adorable with her. Yeah, the polo and everything. Oh, it's beautiful. Yeah. Not it's beautiful. You've also seen our evolution of wardrobe over the last two decades. If I have, this is the best we've ever watched. It is. We may not go up from here. Can you decide? And you're trying to get this for your kids, I know. For sure. So in, by the way, can you decide who is wearing Ralph Lauren better? I am not going to start that. You're playing doubles today.

8:11You're playing doubles. Do you have the little striped cups? Oh, please. I know, but don't you think that this jacket is totally your thing? It's beautiful. A lot of just really, she was saying, yeah, for it. She's trying to get it for you. She was like, that's the best thing I've ever watched. I love it. This is unbelievable. You know what? Well, I have this. It reminded me my parents. Oh, it was more. Because it took a one year to save money so I could have a tennis sweater. No. So every time I see anything like this, and this is truly beautiful. Yeah. But my parents, they knew I wanted a tennis wear back, and the old days, those were so in. And now they're in back. So I just, they knew it, and they just saved and saved it. My parents were works on. My dad's a firefighter. My mother was working. Anyway, I got it for Christmas. I opened it up. I went, oh, I love that sweater. I used to sleep with that too. My books, my sweaters, my rackets. I did the whole thing. And I put this, I have to say, I gotta have it because of that. The memory was so strong and important in my life

9:13that every time I see this and have it on now, I'm just like, thank you. You know what? I love it. Oh, yeah. Make sure green glasses pop. Oh, yeah. That would be Jules. That's the fashion show here. At welcome to the party. Okay, so King R. as we were talking about, this is your 67th-week thing. We're complete rookies. Right? Being our first year. I can't believe we've never been to a USO. I know. We said that as we were driving to the USO. You know what? It's important to me here. Because when we get equal prize money, we get 5.5 million this year through the winter. Each winter. Yeah. It's the same. And that's what I want for women's sports, which you know. And women's sports is just starting. We're just beginning. Yes. And what you've done is you prove it in that it's possible to be paid the same as the men. And be even more successful with all of the sponsorships that keep coming into the USO. Okay, it's incredible. What is it? 108 million? That's because of the people at the USO. At the USO, in the USTA, and the people. That's the sponsorship team, the relationship team with sponsors.

10:13They're amazing. It's such hard work. But everybody wants to be a sponsor now. The USO has been a spent-tasting. What do we need to understand about the USO and that you can't understand until you're actually here? Oh, good question. You know, it's huge. Yeah. If you walk the grocery. Yeah, that's true. They've watched that. I know they watch Ashtani on TV. And then they come out and they go, whoa. Yes. And we have two sessions a day instead of one. So when the matches go a little long during the day, we're getting anxious. We need people need to get out. So the evening people, but I like the fact we have both the daytime and night depending upon the people. And it's over a million people coming out. We can't fit anymore, actually. It's too- Because not- That's kind of landlocked, too. We're trying to figure this all out. Not everybody gets to come into our garage stadium to see it. Right? And so some people can buy kind of a general ticket and go to all the auxiliary. And then there's a day pass.

11:14And then there's Louis Armstrong, which is huge. Right. It's another, I don't know, 15 at one. And then you have the Grand Stand Court, which is maybe 8,000. So we have a lot. That's why we can get a million people here. What's one thing that hits you every time you walk in? To the USDA Billie Jean King National Church. Well, if I see that on fit, I'm like, I love this, this is ridiculous. Yeah, what does that look like? It's the name everywhere. I don't look. I start going, I can't look. It's weird. I mean, excuse me, that's me. Yeah, right. Yeah, to you, do right. Right, baby. Right, baby. I know. You know, that's my center. No, what I think about is responsibility, actually. Yeah, responsibility. To me, to have a name in any place, to have, yeah, I think it's a privilege. Yeah. Do walk around picking up litter, because you're like, this is my house. I do that anyway. I do that at the moment. OK, so what's the mom and dad and my brother on?

12:16What's one match you either played in or have watched that has stayed with you that you've seen here at Theos Open? Well, one I played, which I don't usually talk about, because I can't, I've got to think for a while, because I played Ivan Gula Gong in the 1974 finals. It was an amazing match. And it was on Network TV. And it was just huge. People were going crazy. She had me down the whole time. What's that mean? Like, I was behind all the time. I was just always trying to play catch up. You guys know it, but it was like a down two one. Yeah. You guys are down two one. You're trying to get that eye it up some hour. We are busty, Narcats. The tennis is unbelievable. Place is going crazy. And I thought internally, I guess she's going to win today. She just has my number. And it was like a guardian angel came from someplace. I ended up winning. I don't know what happened. What was the turn? I don't know. Oh, well, man. There had to be. You just started playing better? I played. I did play great. We had great points.

13:17It really helped one this time. It's that match. Ivan Gula Gong. She was the greatest. What did I do? I told you about her parents. You used to tell her, this is why our parents didn't ask us if we won. This is for all your parents out there. They never got kids. And people in coaches too. They never asked my parents never asked us if we won. And her parents used to say, have a lovely day. And she was number one. Hello, there's something here. We were number one. My brother made it to the major leagues. We didn't have any pressure from that. We love what we do. I mean, I love tennis. I don't like it. Yeah. I love it. I love hitting the ball. As you know, well, US Open is more than just a tennis tournament. It's become this like cultural center. Yeah, baby, New York. Yeah. I mean, can we talk about that for a second? Oh, it's great. Fashion, the style. It's just over the years it's just gone crazy and crazy. It's the spot. It's the place you want to be. Oh, I want to go to the US Open. Oh, great. You guys can't eat.

14:17It took it, but we'll get you. When did you notice that shift? Or has it always been like that? No, it's been slowly but surely like this. But you know, I love about the New York fans. They're a little more rowdy. See, I don't like tennis. You know, being quiet. Yeah. I hate all that. I hate it. I love that about you. I want, because I want a rowdy. Yeah. I want, come on. I mean, the soccer crows are what? That's what I want for us. There we go. No, you can't do that. I'm like, play after you're quiet for the players. They're not going to let us in then. I want, maybe, why we haven't been allowed. That's you. We've got two hooligans. You know what I tell players? The audience is everything. Yeah. When you're an entertainer, the tennis courts your stage and the audience is everything. Acknowledge them, play for them, have them go home, feeling, God, that was fun, that was great. And that's our job, I think. I love the players. Don't you notice the players are about their little game and about their little match or about them? I'm like, get over yourself. Come on. You're worn there for the audience.

15:19You're entertainers. Thank you. One of my massage therapists growing up. You are entertainers. She said on the national team, she, well, you know you're an entertainer. And I was like, I'm an athlete. She said, people spend their hard-earned money to come and watch you play. And that is an entertainment for them. So you, by virtue of that, means that you and VAC are an entertainer. And I was like, that was your epithelia. That was my change of mind. That's from the beginning. For it's like, oh, yeah. And they're trying to get something out of this. That was just the waste time. I love it. When I read history in the mallet, Susan Longland, she was our first superstar and our first professional player back in the 20s. And first one to wear short sleeves and not long sleeves where you could show our wrist. And then she wore a shirt skirt. I mean, oh, a solver's game. No, you know, no corset. Oh, whoa. And she got into fashion. Yeah. So here we are. It's like, we just keep repeating the cycle but making it bigger and more for everyone. Speaking of fashion, right?

16:20Like New York City is one of the most fashion-forward cultural places. And it's fashion week. Well, Ralph still lives here. So that's cool. We're at a first name basis, which I don't know. But here we are at the US Open, right? And over the years, you've probably have seen and felt kind of that fashion-forward the New York culture, that whole thing kind of evolve and make the US Open kind of what it is. We also get a lot of celebrities. Yeah, exactly. And they have fashion and then everybody. We have fashion. Favorite celebrity you've ever met here. Oh, no, you're not going there. Julie Thoughty and Abby Womba. Yes, that's great. That's right. OK, how different is it here at the US Open compared to Wimbledon and French? Nightingale. Yeah. First of all, we're much more rowdy here. Thank God. Yeah. We're New York, baby. Yeah. In New York. Well, they probably come out because we can't use it.

17:22But we share. I don't think anybody will know what song that is. So we're fine on the listen scene. I didn't get you to do a shit on that. Yeah. But they play New York New York a lot. Frank Sinatra. But coming off of the Nixon 5 championship, do you feel like- Don't forget the Liberty of the Year before. Yeah. Don't forget the Liberty of the Year before. So it's been a build up. Liberty, NYX, whoo. Do you expect the US Open band to be a little bit rowdy here because of that? Because I want them to. I want them to enjoy them. Come on, Kion. Come on. Spring the chaos. If you get afford a honeydews, go for it. What the heck do you think about? It's going to be a mocktail version of it. Yeah, right. They do. But I don't know. It's like honeydew and other stuff to put it. I'm the wrong person to ask. That's all the reason. But everybody comes up to tell me, and I keep trying to find out more about it. I'm going to have to go to somebody, go to where they serve it. But it's always a line. I mean, you can't get near it. OK. Do you, because this entire tennis center is named after you, where do you sit

18:25when you come to watch the US Open? Well, we have a suite. Let me go there, or I go to the press and listen. Are you going to invite us? Yes. You're invited. We're in. We're in. You're lucky, too, baby. No, I'm kidding. No, it's hard to get a ticket. It is so hard. Thank you. Yeah. But we're not leaving your seat. The only reason we have it. The only reason we have a suite, because I was the coach of the Fed Cup team. Back, that's the World Cup for women's tennis, of the US for a few years. And Ilana said, well, why should we give her a suite? You have to pay for it. But when she says, they make you pay for it? Oh, everything. Everybody thinks we get everything. It's like the star, like the Hollywood star. What? They make people pay for the Hollywood star. It's named after you. Doesn't matter. Everything, everything, everything. Everybody thinks I get everything. We are going to change this. So anyway, to me, they go, well, and Billy stops being the coach. You have to leave. And she's going, oh, no, no, no, no, no. Try to get age in there.

19:26Well, I did a good job. I just like that. This is more than a stadium. This is like a stage. Yes. It is a stage. Or a dash. Or a dash. Don't you guys think about your field as a stage? I do. What I watch in these four. It's just like everyone. They come here. They come to be seen. They come dressed up. They come to be entertained, but be part of the entertainment. Yep. Yes. Definitely. It's a real experience happening. I mean, Ralph Lauren's understood this better than anyone. Of course he's dressed in this crew for the ball crew. And I have to do this. Official outfit for over 20 years. Yeah, he didn't have to do it. They did it. They did it. And I remember the first year of the ball kids wore it. The whole I was like, oh my god, it looks so good. Yeah. OK, well, let's let's see. Have you seen ball boys girls and all that? Yeah, the crew. Yeah, you can crew. You can't even learn to say that. What fashion wise has been the art over the 67 years? You've been in the coming. Whatever's in. No, I'm terrible fashion. I love it. You know what? I look at all the fashion magazines though.

20:28You do. Yeah, I do. And you know, Ellen John loves fashion. So we talk about it a little. Oh, no, no, I do. And I like, I don't care about fashion. But I love the people who do. Like I was talking to Anna-Win tour the other day. As one does. Oh, no, no, no, you guys, you have to understand. She and Roger Federer are really good friends. America, the one. Tight. Oh no. She's like a friend friend. She ever sung glasses on? She puts a month. I, you know where I saw her at the Liberty Games. She went to Liberty Games. Oh, no. And when she comes out on the court, yeah. On the court. The basketball court. She did put her a glass on. But it was bright. It was a good idea. I said, damn, I didn't bring my sunglasses. But anyway, she's great. Here's the same, Kinger. I know you love history. Yeah, too. Ruff Lauren has like been in the space of fashion and sports for a very long time. Right. So a quick history lesson for you. They are the official outfitter of US Open, as we've been talking about since 2005. They've been outfitting Wimbledon since 2006. Right.

21:28So 2020 plus years there. I think going through 32 here. And then we don't know. I don't know. I think it's 32. OK. Dressing at Team USA at the Olympics. Let's go. I'm going to share my big days. Since 2008. Yeah, I know. And the broadcast crew as well. I got some. The sweet, sweet, sweet stuff as well. And they've had this long presence in golf, in dressing athletes and teams on, as we know, some of the biggest stages. So over the years, they have dressed hundreds, hundreds of the Olympians and Paralympians, including Alonamar. She knows what we're all about. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. These are all podcast guests. Yeah, hearty people. That's right. Aaron Jackson. Jessica Long. Jessica Long. Branna Huckabee. Katie Grimes. Yeah. All of them. Come on. Yeah. Yeah. My question, she all is. It's kind of, you know why it works? Why? Yes. That's what was my question. Why is fashion in golf? First of all, fits. It's got a fit. Yeah. And I can't wear really flutty, foofy things. Same.

22:29So this one works. Yeah. It's a little bit tailored. Yeah. But it's exactly. It's forward thinking. Yeah. And the future. I don't know. I just love it. I look at it. Of course for me, this is my memory thing. Ralph. Yeah. Ralphie, baby. And they got his coffee at the stores. Oh, my God. Did you see any been a source fantastic? We went there this morning. Oh, that's why you got the goods on. Yeah. I went the other day, though. It's just beautiful. Or just. It's so pretty. Yeah. I was like, wow. What do you think the difference of is between like putting on a uniform and then getting ready to go watch the US open? Both times you want to look good and have things be comfortable and fit. And look good. You want to feel good, play good. Play good, play good. There we go. Look good, feel good, play good. Play into the soccer. Is that should we just add look good? Look good, feel good, play good. Play good. Play new Ralph Lauren tagline. I'm not a desk right? Feel good, play good. Absolutely. I like it. I will send you all in in books. You know what?

23:29I love that. This feels like this amazing full circle moment. With the history with us, the history with you being your place. We're going to start calling it the Kingers place. Oh, no, you got to be careful. I knew you. I said all my friends. I got once we do this show. I can feel it. And here we are. And the fact that you've got all this heritage, all this history. And we're finally experiencing it. It's finally here for a time. Thank you. I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you're here. It's so great. Looking as good as we do. I think one of the things that has impressed me the most is there's no matches that are being actually played right now. There's just practice. And do you have many fans are here watching the practice? They love practice. That's also going to the years, by the way. Yes, pass. But the tournaments have taken advantage of that and done a better job of letting them look. Yeah. It's fascinating. Get them on the Billie Jean King.

24:30It's like people center site to see what they do. Have all of these activations in and around the center. And it's just fun. Well, you know it takes the whole day to play in the after to dot you. Yeah. What do you guys play? People, it takes 24 seven to be a jock. Yeah. It does. You want to be a professional athlete. I'm just like so proud of what you built. I'm like, I think. I'm a built man. It's so true. It gives me like the chills thinking like really? Abbie and I today were like, we get to go to to Billie Jean to the King's house. We got we we get to hang with her in the Ralph Lauren suite. Yes. And then we get to go watch some tennis and hang with her some more. And then we'll come to your house later. You real house later. The world forever. I know. It's so much fun that we get to call this work at a job. I'm sorry, y'all. I wish that you guys could know. Now, also call it a job and work with Billie Jean King. But we have just been exposed to incredible stuff and to learn.

25:32Not just the history of your life, but your history of what you've done for the US Open. And not only do I think that they should name the center after you. I feel like they should name the tour after you. On the W. That's a little more. I think everything should be made. You know, we do even this week. The Billie Jean King Ralph Lauren suite. We are ruined. You're never going to be able to live up to this. No, but what podcast and Ralph Lauren suite. It's been outfitted. Thank you. Thank you. And you're going to keep these right. Welcome to the party podcast. We showed up coming. We came for the tennis and we're leaving with an extraordinary wardrobe. Yeah. Thank you to Ralph Lauren suite for having us for housing. The welcome to the party show. I know we're lucky. We're so lucky to be able to do this. We're so lucky to be able to be reporting on the US Open. It's just a dream come true. We're not going to leave your side anyway. We're love the US Open. So we're just going to get on TV.

26:33Do you love it? We love the US Open. Yeah. I said I want to. I can't wait for Julian. Come on. We're believers. No, because the main thing. Is that we have equality. And I want everyone to have that. And so you're going to at least exceed you know when the players are playing. They're playing for the same. And we get a lot. We need more intent. We always want to hold it. So one in. Yes. I know we're now in the locker room. I like that we can do that. Now we're in the locker room. Is it the first one? No. Did you do a graduation? Yeah. Ready? One, two, three. Oosa, oosa, oosa. Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Welcome to the party is an independent production brought to you by Treat Media. Treat media makes art for humans who want to stay human. Initial digital is our production partner. And you can also watch our full conversations on the Welcome to the Party YouTube channel

27:34and follow us at Welcome to the Party Show on Instagram and TikTok. Thanks for listening.