"Women making history" - Billie Jean King reacts to Alyssa Nakken becoming the first female candidate for a managerial position in MLB history

Billie Jean King has reacted to the news of Alyssa Nakken, the assistant coach of the San Francisco Giants, becoming the first female candidate to interview for a managerial position in Major League Baseball (MLB) history.

In January 2020, Nakken made history by becoming the first female full-time coach in MLB. Over the past four seasons, she has served as a major league assistant coach and in April 2022, she stepped up to the plate as the first-base coach for a game following an ejection.

The 33-year-old's interview for the managerial position came on the back of the San Francisco Giants' decision to relieve their former manager Gabe Kepler of his duties in late September. The decision was taken due to the team's disappointing road record of 3-14, which ultimately dashed their hopes of reaching the postseason for the third consecutive year.

Reacting to Alyssa Nekken's interview news, former World No. 1 Billie Jean King took to social media and wrote:

"Women making history! 👏 ."

"7 of top 10 highest paid women athletes are tennis players" - Billie Jean King takes pride in sport's progress towards fair prize money distribution

Billie Jean King at the Women's Sports Foundation Awards

Billie Jean King was among the prominent figures who actively protested against the disparity in financial rewards between male and female tennis players during her career.

As a result, they made the decision to separate and form the Virginia Slims women's tour, which ultimately transformed into the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) in 1973.

In 1971, a total of 19 Virginia Slims tournaments were organized, in addition to several other events sponsored by the International Tennis Federation, including the prestigious four Grand Slams. It was during this remarkable year that King set her sights on breaking the unprecedented $100,000 prize money barrier.

Billie Jean King embarked on an extraordinary winning streak, triumphantly clinching five consecutive Virginia Slims International titles. She skipped the French Open before facing a tough defeat at the hands of Evonne Goolagong in the semifinals of the Wimbledon Championships.

Undeterred, the 12-time Grand Slam champion made a remarkable comeback and emerged victorious in the 1971 US Open final against Rosemary Casals, for which she earned a total prize money of $5,000.

Later, at the Virginia Slims International tournament, Billie Jean King did not lose a single set on her path to title triumph. The remarkable achievement not only secured her 11th title on the Virginia Slims tour but also propelled her earnings to an impressive $200,000. She then went on to claim yet another title that year, concluding the remarkable year of 1971 with a staggering $117,000 in prize money.

The former World No. 1 took to social media to reminisce about her groundbreaking year and express her delight at the remarkable advancements tennis has achieved since then. She also highlighted the fact that seven out of the world's top 10 highest-paid female athletes are now tennis players.

"52 years ago today, I won $4K in a tournament, & became the first woman athlete to earn $100K in prize money in a single year. Today, 7 of the top 10 highest paid women athletes are all tennis players (Forbes). We have come so far, but the work must go on," Billie Jean King posted on X (formerly Twitter).