21st Century Fox’s Washington, D.C., public affairs team hosted an advanced screening of Fox Searchlight’s “Battle of the Sexes” earlier this week, along with the Washington Kastles tennis team and the Women’s Sports Foundation.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), an avid tennis player, joined Washington Kastles founder and owner Mark Ein to introduce the film. Sen. Capito highlighted the important role that Billie Jean King played in breaking down cultural barriers, both in the U.S. and around the world.
Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) Chief Advocacy Officer Deborah Larkin spoke about the importance of ensuring all girls have access to sports and highlighted 21CF’s longstanding commitment to furthering that cause with more than $1 million in donations in recent years. Building on that, 21CF will partner with WSF this year on several custom activations in conjunction with the film’s release that further greater inclusiveness in sports.
“We applaud 21st Century Fox and Fox Searchlight for producing this important film,” Deborah said. “It will have a huge impact on [those in] the current generation who are not familiar with the male chauvinism of the ‘70s that sadly still affects equality for all.”
The film recounts the real-life 1973 Battle of the Sexes, when Billie Jean King (played by Emma Stone) beat former world No. 1 player Bobby Riggs (played by Steve Carell) in three straight sets, propelling women’s tennis onto the world stage.
