Game, Set, Match

“A great read. . . . Ware sews together the histories of women’s sports and feminism, using feminist icon Billie Jean King as the thread. Particularly compelling is her recounting of the tennis star’s battle with her own homophobia and that of society.” —Ms.

“Well-written and -researched. . . . The book matters precisely because it digs into the messy, even uneasy relationships between King and women’s liberation leaders, and more broadly, between advocates for women’s athletics and second-wave feminists, bringing together histories that have for too long been considered separately.” —Women’s Review of Books

“A book that works on multiple levels. . . . Cogently argues that the passage of Title IX may actually have impeded the creation of a level playing field. It’s a tribute to how much has changed that much of the book’s content will be shocking to readers under 30; it’s also a measure of how much remains to be done, given the 'separate but equal' approach that still dominates sports today.” —Kirkus Reviews

“If you read one book, make it: Game, Set, Match. . . . As Susan Ware’s biography of her shows, King’s fight against sexism in sports might be her biggest accomplishment.” —Shape

“In Game, Set, Match: Billie Jean King and the Revolution in Women’s Sports, the role of a pioneer and much of the leveling legislation she inspired — namely the NCAA’s title IX provisions — is gamely told by women’s history scholar Susan Ware.” —Publishers Weekly

“A Publishers Weekly Top 10 Sports Book.”

“Ware astutely places King at the vortex of the change in women’s rights, gay causes . . . and sports professionalism, leaving no doubt about King’s place in 20th-century women’s sports.” —Library Journal

“Ware’s view of history should be read by women of all ages — those who lived through it and survived it as well as (perhaps especially) the younger ones who benefited by it.” —Story Circle Book Reviews

“[A] winning combination of biography and social history.” —Vogue

“The value of this book is its readability and its innovative use of King as a central figure to bring the history of women’s sports to life. Recommended. All readers.” —CHOICE