Billie Jean King’s Efforts to Promote Tennis in Underprivileged Communities

Billie Jean King’s Lifelong Mission to Open Tennis Doors for Underprivileged Communities

Billie Jean King is one of the most transformative figures in the history of sports — not only for her 39 Grand Slam titles but for her unrelenting activism. Long before equal pay for women in tennis became a mainstream cause, King was on the front lines demanding parity. Yet perhaps her most enduring legacy is the quiet, consistent work she has done to promote tennis among underprivileged communities. From inner-city courts to rural recreation centers, King has built pathways into a sport often seen as exclusive, expensive, and unapproachable. Her belief that tennis can be a vehicle for empowerment, education, and social mobility has guided decades of programming, foundation work, and personal advocacy.

This article examines the full scope of Billie Jean King’s efforts — from early foundation work in the 1970s to ongoing initiatives today — and explores how she has used her platform to ensure that zip code, income level, and race never determine a child’s access to the court.

When Billie Jean King founded the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in 1973, her immediate goal was to secure equal prize money and professional opportunities for female players. But from the start, King viewed the WTA as more than a players’ union. She saw it as a platform for community outreach and social change. In the organization’s charter, King embedded the principle that professional tennis had a responsibility to grow the sport at the grassroots level, especially among children who lacked access to courts and coaching.

During the 1970s, King personally participated in clinic tours that brought WTA players into public parks and community centers. These events were not ceremonial photo opportunities; they were extended teaching sessions where children from low-income families received rackets, instruction, and exposure to professional role models. King understood that visibility matters. When a child from an underserved neighborhood sees a professional athlete up close — when they shake hands, receive a compliment, or hit a ball — it transforms the sport from an abstraction into a tangible possibility.

The Original Women’s Sports Foundation

In 1974, King also co-founded the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF). While the foundation focused broadly on advancing the lives of girls and women through sports, King insisted that racial and socioeconomic equity be front and center. The WSF provided direct grants to community organizations that could not otherwise afford tennis equipment, court rentals, or coaching stipends. King used her celebrity to fundraise aggressively, channeling corporate dollars into neighborhoods that tennis had historically ignored.

The WSF’s early work created a blueprint that King would later refine in her own foundations. The principles were simple: remove financial barriers, provide quality instruction, and connect participants to a broader community that reinforces positive life choices. Those principles remain the foundation of every program she supports today.

World TeamTennis: A Democratic Model

In 1974, King co-founded World TeamTennis (WTT), a league built on a fundamentally different philosophy from traditional tennis tournaments. WTT was designed to be more accessible and less intimidating than the elite circuit. Matches featured co-ed teams, shorter formats, and a carnival-like atmosphere intended to make tennis feel less like a country-club pursuit and more like a community event.

King used WTT to fulfill her community outreach goals in a direct and structural way. Each WTT franchise was contractually required to participate in local youth clinics and school-based programming. In cities like Philadelphia, Sacramento, and Springfield, WTT players fanned out into public parks, recreation centers, and Title I schools to teach tennis fundamentals. For many children, these clinics represented their first exposure to a racket sport. King ensured that the clinics were free, that equipment was donated, and that transportation was provided when necessary.

The WTT’s Civic Commitment

King’s ownership stake in WTT teams also gave her direct control over charitable programming. She personally oversaw initiatives that provided thousands of free lessons annually to children in low-income households. The league’s “Tennis Across America” initiative, launched in the 1990s, formalized these efforts and expanded them to hundreds of additional sites. King insisted that WTT teams measure success not just by championships but by the number of youth participants from underrepresented demographics. This community-first ethos set WTT apart from more traditional tennis organizations and established a precedent that other professional leagues later adopted.

In 2014, King launched the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative (BJKLI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing inclusion, diversity, and equity across all sectors. While the BJKLI operates beyond tennis, King has consistently used the initiative to fund and support sport-based programs in underprivileged communities. The organization’s core thesis is that sports are a powerful lever for social change — and that providing access to tennis, specifically, can produce outsized benefits for young people who face systemic barriers.

Through the BJKLI, King has partnered with public school systems, municipal recreation departments, and national youth organizations to place tennis programming directly into communities that lack private clubs. The initiative funds coach training, equipment purchases, and facility upgrades at sites where tennis would otherwise be absent. King is personally involved in selecting grant recipients, prioritizing organizations that serve predominantly low-income and minority youth.

Partnerships with the USTA Foundation

King has worked closely with the USTA Foundation, the charitable arm of the United States Tennis Association, to support its National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. NJTL is one of the largest youth tennis and education programs in the United States, serving more than 450,000 children annually across hundreds of chapters. King has served as a spokesperson, fundraiser, and strategic advisor, using her influence to channel resources toward chapters in the most underserved zip codes.

Her involvement goes beyond fundraising. King has visited NJTL sites in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New Orleans, spending hours on court with children, listening to their stories, and advocating for increased federal and corporate support. She has testified before congressional committees on the importance of sport-based youth development, using data from NJTL programs to demonstrate that tennis participation correlates with improved academic performance, higher graduation rates, and reduced involvement with the justice system.

Programs Specifically Targeting Underprivileged Youth

Over the past five decades, King has launched, funded, or championed a wide array of programs designed to remove the barriers that prevent low-income children from playing tennis. Some of the most impactful initiatives include:

Junior Tennis Clinics in Urban Neighborhoods

Starting in the 1980s, King organized free junior tennis clinics in cities including New York, Detroit, Oakland, and Washington, D.C. These clinics were held on public courts — often in neighborhoods where the nets were torn and the asphalt was cracked. King arrived with new rackets, balls, coaching staff, and a clear message: tennis belongs here. She personally demonstrated drills, played points with children, and ensured that every participant left with a racket of their own. The clinics were designed not as one-time events but as entry points into ongoing programs. Each clinic concluded with information about free weekly lessons, transportation assistance, and scholarship opportunities for talented players.

Scholarship Programs for Talented Young Athletes

King has been a driving force behind tennis scholarship programs that help underprivileged youth attend elite training academies, summer camps, and college preparatory programs. Through partnerships with organizations like the Elite Tennis Academy and the Chris Evert Foundation, King has helped dozens of young players from low-income backgrounds receive full scholarships to programs that would otherwise cost thousands of dollars per year.

These scholarships cover not only tennis instruction but also academic tutoring, fitness training, and mental health support. King has argued that to truly level the playing field, tennis programs must address the whole child — not just their backhand. Scholarship recipients are mentored by former WTA and ATP professionals, many of whom were themselves from underprivileged backgrounds. This creates a powerful cycle of representation: children see themselves in their coaches, and that changes what they believe is possible.

Partnerships with Schools and Community Centers

King has worked aggressively to place tennis programming directly into public schools and community centers. She has partnered with organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and YMCA to bring tennis curricula to after-school programs. King funded the development of a simplified teaching curriculum specifically designed for large groups on limited court space. The curriculum uses modified balls, smaller nets, and creative drills that allow up to 30 children to participate simultaneously on a single court.

In addition, King has advocated for the construction of public tennis courts in underserved neighborhoods. She has personally lobbied city councils and state legislatures to allocate funding for court resurfacing, lighting, and fencing in communities that lack basic recreational infrastructure. Her argument is straightforward: you cannot grow the sport if there is no place to play. In several cases, King has helped secure private matching funds to accelerate construction timelines.

Impact: Quantifying the Change

Measuring the impact of King’s efforts requires looking at both numbers and stories. On the quantitative side, participation data from NJTL and related programs shows a consistent increase in the number of children from low-income households who play tennis regularly. According to USTA Foundation reports, the number of youth participants from households earning under $50,000 per year has grown by more than 60% since 2010. The percentage of Black and Hispanic participants in USTA-sanctioned junior programs has also risen significantly, though parity remains elusive.

On the qualitative side, King has received hundreds of letters from adults who credit her programs with changing the trajectory of their lives. Many of those who attended her early clinics went on to college, some on tennis scholarships. Others became coaches, teachers, or community organizers who now run their own tennis outreach programs. The ripple effect is substantial. Each child King reached has, in many cases, reached dozens more.

Recognition and Awards

King’s community outreach has earned her numerous awards beyond tennis. She has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, and induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. In 2021, the USTA recognized her contributions to grassroots tennis by naming a community tennis initiative in her honor. More recently, the BJK Leadership Initiative received a multi-year grant from a major sports foundation to expand its youth tennis programming into ten additional cities.

But King has consistently stated that her greatest recognition comes from seeing children from underserved backgrounds compete at high levels. When a young player from a program she supported plays a junior tournament or earns a college scholarship, King treats it as a victory for the broader movement.

Continuing the Fight: King’s Current Work

Billie Jean King is in her eighties, but she has not slowed down. Her foundation continues to raise money for community tennis programs, and she remains personally involved in strategic decisions about where resources are deployed. In recent years, King has focused on digital access and remote coaching, recognizing that many underprivileged communities lack not only courts but also qualified instructors. She has funded pilot programs that use video analysis apps and remote coaching platforms to bring high-quality instruction to rural and urban areas alike.

She has also become a vocal advocate for public funding for recreational infrastructure. In congressional testimony and media appearances, King has argued that tennis courts, like libraries and parks, are essential public goods that government should fund equitably. She points to research showing that access to green spaces and recreational facilities correlates with lower rates of obesity, crime, and depression — and that these benefits are most pronounced in low-income communities.

The Next Generation of Leaders

King has invested significant energy in developing the next generation of tennis activists. She mentors young professionals of color who are working in sports administration, nonprofit management, and community organizing. Through the BJK Leadership Initiative, she funds a fellowship program that places early-career leaders at tennis-focused nonprofits serving underprivileged youth. These fellows receive training in program design, fundraising, and advocacy, with the explicit goal of building a pipeline of diverse leaders who will carry King’s mission forward after she steps back.

King has also used her platform to elevate the work of other athletes who are doing similar work in their own sports. She regularly amplifies the voices of current players who speak out about equity, access, and representation — including Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, and Coco Gauff. King sees their activism as evidence that the torch has been passed and that the fight for inclusive tennis will continue.

Conclusion: A Legacy Built on Access

Billie Jean King’s efforts to promote tennis in underprivileged communities are not a footnote to her career; they are central to her life’s work. From founding the WTA to launching the BJK Leadership Initiative, King has consistently used her power, wealth, and visibility to tear down the barriers that keep low-income children off the court. She has not simply donated money — she has shown up, coached, lobbied, and organized. She has insisted that tennis is for everyone, and she has built the institutions to make that belief real.

The results are visible in the thousands of children who have picked up a racket because of her programs, and in the hundreds of community leaders who now carry her vision into their own neighborhoods. King’s legacy is not just the 39 Grand Slam titles or the equal pay she won for women. It is the public court in a low-income neighborhood where a child picks up a racket for the first time and discovers that they belong.

To learn more about Billie Jean King’s ongoing work, visit the Billie Jean King official website, the BJK Leadership Initiative, the WTA, and the Women’s Sports Foundation.