Women’s Sports Foundation Hosted The Billies, Recognizing Media Excellence in Women’s Sports and Physical Activity

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April 16, 2008

LOS ANGELES April 16 PRNewswire - The Billies hosted by the Womens Sports Foundation was held last night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel The Billies named for tennis great and Womens Sports Foundation founder Billie Jean King recognizes media excellence in womens sports and physical activity while simultaneously raising funds for the Foundation This years event that raised more than 1 million for the Womens Sports Foundation was attended by sports and entertainment industry influentials alike and ended with a special performance by Sir Elton John ESPN was a contributing sponsor for the eventThe Billies also celebrated the 35th Anniversary of The Battle of the Sexes a nationally televised tennis match played in 1973 between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs Lornie Kuhle Riggs coach and tennis great Rosie Casals both key figures responsible for promoting the match were on hand to help commemorate this history-making event Rosie Casals told the audience Once I looked into Billie Jeans baby blues that day I knew she was going to beat him Billie did in fact win the match paving the way for female athletes to become equal to men in the eyes of the mediaThe Billies winners were selected by a panel of womens sports historians journalists and media industry executives and were awarded and recognized in four categories Breakthrough Innovation Entertainment Journalism and Outstanding Journalist The winners in each category are as follows 1 Breakthrough and Innovation - Boom Boom Tap - Under Armour - Advertising Campaign - Under Armours first ad campaign developed for female team athletes 2 Entertainment - Chak De India - Yash Raj Films Produced by Aditya Chopra - A film depicting a group of girls who forgot what it was like to play simply for the love of field hockey 3 Journalism - Marathon Woman Running the Race to Revolutionize Womens Sports - Carol Graf Publishers Kathrine Switzer - The story of Kathrine Switzer who helped introduce womens marathon into the Olympic Games 4 Outstanding Journalist - Sports Broadcast Journalist Lesley Visser - for her extraordinary career as a sportscaster spanning more than 30 yearsAmong the attendees celebrating the nominees insightful depictions of womens sports at last nights Billie Awards were Event Co-Chair Kathy Smith Sharon Osbourne Aisha Tyler Master P Drew Lachey Keke Palmer Doug Savant Aimee Mullins Track Field Diana Nyad Swimmer Greta Eliassen Skiing Julie Foudy Soccer Lyn St James Auto Racing Mary Osbourne Surfer Michelle Kwan Figure Skating Rosie Casals Tennis Player Sarah Burke Snowboarding Tony Gonzalez Football and Tracy Austin TennisSir Elton John who is a long-time friend of Billie Jean King added excitement to the evening by performing for the guests His performance included a heartfelt rendition of Philadelphia Freedom a song he wrote for Billie Jean in 1974 In closing Sir Elton John saluted the female athletes who always put themselves on the line and rarely get the credit or recognition they deserve He added Hey ladies just know I am on your sideThe Foundation also announced at last nights Billie Awards that the Womens Sports Foundation will be opening the Billie Jean King International Womens Sports Center inside the Sports Museum of America in May of 2008 When open the center will be the first gallery in the United States dedicated to womens sportsAbout the Womens Sports FoundationThe Womens Sports Foundations work builds on Billie Jean Kings legacy as a champion athlete advocate of social justice and agent of change Recognized worldwide for its leadership expertise and influence the Womens Sports Foundation advocates for equality educates the public conducts research and offers grants The organization shapes public attitude about womens sports and athletes provides equal opportunities for girls and women and supports healthy lifestyles For more information please visit or About ESPNESPN the year-round leader in womens sports television coverage features a wide variety of events and sports including womens basketball soccer golf tennis figure skating softball action sports and much more ESPN Inc is the worlds leading multinational multimedia sports entertainment company featuring a portfolio of over 40 multimedia sports assets The company is comprised of seven domestic television networks ESPN ESPN2 ESPN Classic ESPNEWS ESPN Deportes to be launched around the new year ESPN Now ESPN Today ESPN HD a high-definition simulcast service of ESPN ESPN Regional Television ESPN International networks and syndication ESPN Radio ESPNcom ESPN The Magazine SportsTicker ESPN Enterprises ESPN Zones 8 sports-themed restaurants and other growing new businesses including ESPN Broadband ESPN Wireless ESPN Video-on-Demand ESPN Interactive and ESPN PPV Based in Bristol Ct ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC Inc which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN Contact Christina LeeIvy Mollenkamp Jaime McBeth ROGERS COWAN WOMENS SPORTS FOUNDATION 310 854-8100 516 542-4700 x112Womens Sports Foundation

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