Champions of equality: A series of lessons learned in leveling the playing field
The 6th Annual Awards
- Best Athlete Storytelling
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of equal prize money for men and women at the US Open, USOpen.org honored the milestone and Billie Jean King—the courageous champion who helped to drive the effort for pay equality in tennis—by inviting prominent women in a variety of fields both inside and outside of sports to write personal essays on their respective paths to success and their efforts at shattering the proverbial glass ceiling. Thirty women, from King herself to women in sports, journalism, politics, entertainment and business submitted essays offering insight on their journeys and inspiration for those seeking to follow in their footsteps.The series proved immensely popular with readers and was a perfect complement to the tournament’s celebration of leveling the playing field for all.
How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?
The goal at the onset of the series was to get 10-12 notable women to contribute essays. In the end, 30 women contributed, each eager to share their personal stories of success and detail the inspiration of King’s pioneering efforts in that success. That level of eagerness to contribute was testimony not only to King’s impact on both sports and society, but also spoke to the many ways in which the sport of tennis has been at the forefront of impacting change. It was a unique venture for the website, reaching outside the lines to include such a wide array of successful women in an effort to invigorate and inspire future generations to reach higher and dream bigger. All of the individuals featured in the series had their own journeys, but were inspired by Billie Jean King and others to fight for equality and open doors for the next generation.
Objective
In 2023, the US Open celebrated the 50th anniversary of equal prize money for men and women players at the tournament—a historic first for tennis’ four Grand Slam events—while also recognizing the pioneering champion who helped make that happen: Billie Jean King. As part of that celebration, USOpen.org featured an essay series in which a variety of women in sports and in other fields shared their own personal stories of success and detailed the barriers they’d overcome to achieve that success. The series, which began with an essay from King, included 30 individual essays from a diverse range of authors, each noting the inspiration of King in their respective career efforts while offering their own words of advice and encouragement for women seeking to follow in their footsteps. By incorporating women from other sports, as well as women in the fields of entertainment, politics, news and business, the USOpen.org team hoped to shed light on the impact King’s pioneering efforts at leveling the playing field has had on the success of other women’s efforts to shatter the proverbial glass ceiling, while positioning the sport of tennis as an inspiring leader in empowering women to achieve.
Strategy & Execution
The series was designed to give its contributing essayists a platform to tell their stories and facilitate a conversation on equality, while recognizing the work that others have done for equal pay and advancing gender equity in their own respective pursuits. In addition to sharing their experiences on and off the field, the essayists hoped to inspire audiences to persevere and fight for their own goals, and remind readers how far we have come—and how far we have to go—in pursuit of equality. The essayists were also chosen for their diversity in experiences, ensuring that many different identities were represented to provide a range of viewpoints across race, age, ability, sports and industries, exposing readers to stories that spoke to their own experiences while opening their eyes to the experiences of others. Additionally, the publishing schedule from May through the US Open’s final week of competition in September was implemented to build excitement among readers and fans, and to keep the Open’s theme of equality at the forefront throughout the summer. The personal voices helped to make the essays more accessible and engaging reads, while educating readers on the impact of tennis and King in inspiring generations of successful women.
Organizations
- USTA
Links
Credits
Mark Preston
Senior Director of Corporate Communications
USTA
Victoria Chiesa
Managing Editor, Corporate Communications
USTA
Haley Fuller
Content Editor, Corporate Communications
USTA
Arthur Kapetanakis
Communications Consultant
USTA
Tom LaDue
Director, Corporate Communications
USTA
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 6th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 6, 2024 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
