.Sep 17, 2024, 09:18 PM ETWASHINGTON-- Billie Jean King will become the 1st individual girls's professional athlete to be rewarded the Legislative Gold Medal.Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania as well as Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey introduced Tuesday that their bipartisan laws had passed your house of Reps and would certainly be sent out to President Joe Biden for his signature.The bill to honor Master, the ping pong Hall of Famer and also activist, had actually already passed with one voice in the Senate.Sherrill, a Democrat, mentioned in a declaration that King's "life time of advocacy as well as hard work modified the garden for girls as well as ladies on the courthouse, in the class, and also the place of work." The bill was actually launched in September 2023 on the 50th anniversary of Master's success over Bobby Riggs in the "Struggle of the Sexes," still the most-watched tennis suit of perpetuity. The medal, granted by Our lawmakers for notable accomplishments as well as contributions to community, has recently been offered to sportsmens, consisting of baseball players Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente as well as golf players Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer.King had actually already been awarded the Governmental Award of Independence in 2009. Fitzpatrick, a Republican, states she possesses "faulty barriers, led unexplored roads, and inspired plenty of individuals to stand up proudly with tenacity as well as conviction in the fight for what is right.".