Billie Jean King is keynote speaker at the APTA’s 2015 NEXT Conference. (Image courtesy of MYLAN World TeamTennis.)
Tennis great Billie Jean King, whose career includes 39 Grand Slam tennis titles, is the keynote speaker for the 2015 APTA NEXT Conference, scheduled June 3-6, in National Harbor, Md. King will address attendees at the conference’s opening event June 3.
King rose to prominence in the 1970s, and was spotlighted by the media in 1973 as she squared off with professional male tennis player, Bobby Riggs, in a “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match which King won. She was also recognized as one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by LIFE Magazine.
A media release from the APTA describes King as “a trailblazer,” and “a perfect fit for NEXT, which is defined by its innovative content and access to the physical therapy profession’s forward thinkers.”
King is reportedly the first female athlete in any sport to earn $100,000 in a single season ($117,000 in 1971). Among King’s other distinctions is becoming commissioner of World TeamTennis in 1984, which positioned her as the first female commissioner in professional sports. King also became the first female athlete to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, presented to her by President Obama in 2009.
The website for MYLAN World TeamTennis, which King reportedly co-founded, describes King as a leader in the fight for LGBT equality and recognition, as an advocate for those infected by or at risk for HIV/AIDS, and as a member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, among other endeavors.
Complete information to register for the NEXT Conference is available online at the event website.
[Source: American Physical Therapy Association, MYLAN World TeamTennis]
