# What's the small pin or image on Billie Jean King's tennis dress? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 24, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-small-pin-or-image-on-billie-jean-kings-tennis-dress/809470 "2018-02-24T16:24:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-small-pin-or-image-on-billie-jean-kings-tennis-dress/809470/1 "2018-02-24T16:24:19Z")
Recently saw the movie “Battle of the Sexes” about the tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, and was puzzled by an item on the dress BJK wore - an [image is here](http://www.threadsmagazine.com/app/uploads/assets/uploads/posts/68998/BillieJeanKingTennisDress_xl.jpg), but I can’t figure out what the small pin/embroidery on the left collar is. Is it the figure of a person? Looks to me almost like a small person with a scarf blowing in the wind, but I have no idea why that would be decorating a tennis dress. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-small-pin-or-image-on-billie-jean-kings-tennis-dress/809470/2 "2018-02-24T17:07:28Z")
[Here](http://res.cloudinary.com/ithf/image/upload/v1507728603/ii78imdhwbynzt8oahxz.jpg) is a higher-resolution image–a woman in a skirt with a tennis racket. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-small-pin-or-image-on-billie-jean-kings-tennis-dress/809470/3 "2018-02-24T17:17:38Z")
Thanks! I couldn’t figure it out from the lower-resolution image. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-small-pin-or-image-on-billie-jean-kings-tennis-dress/809470/4 "2018-02-24T17:19:05Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [Here](http://res.cloudinary.com/ithf/image/upload/v1507728603/ii78imdhwbynzt8oahxz.jpg) is a higher-resolution image–a woman in a skirt with a tennis racket. Ah, OK, now I see it. The figure is in a very strange posture. I wonder why? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-small-pin-or-image-on-billie-jean-kings-tennis-dress/809470/5 "2018-02-24T17:27:49Z")
Looks like an embroidery patch. Maybe whoever made it just wasn’t especially good at it. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-small-pin-or-image-on-billie-jean-kings-tennis-dress/809470/6 "2018-02-24T17:37:53Z")
It kind of looks like a child’s drawing that someone converted to an embroidery patch. There’s probably a story there. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-small-pin-or-image-on-billie-jean-kings-tennis-dress/809470/7 "2018-02-24T17:53:48Z")
[Here](http://www.threadsmagazine.com/2017/10/03/tennis-dress-worn-by-billie-jean-king-in-battle-of-the-sexes-match-needed-last-minute-sparkle) is an article about the dress. It isn’t mentioned specifically, but the patch is probably part of the last-minute decorating. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-small-pin-or-image-on-billie-jean-kings-tennis-dress/809470/8 "2018-02-24T20:04:59Z")
Moved to the Game Room. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-small-pin-or-image-on-billie-jean-kings-tennis-dress/809470/9 "2018-02-24T20:47:20Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Ah, OK, now I see it. The figure is in a very strange posture. I wonder why? Looks like she’s just about to serve. [https://youtu.be/vaWl2HBBOKY?t=13s](https://youtu.be/vaWl2HBBOKY?t=13s) ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-small-pin-or-image-on-billie-jean-kings-tennis-dress/809470/10 "2018-02-24T20:53:47Z")
It is on the dress in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History but she was wearing it before that match. In the movie she is wearing it at the press conference to announce the match. I have seen photos from finals were she was wearing it. [Here](https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/london-england-miss-billie-jean-king-waves-with-her-partner-news-photo/515303596#/771973london-england-miss-billie-jean-king-waves-with-her-partner-picture-id515303596) she is wearing it at Wimbledon with Rosie Casals after winning the doubles. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-small-pin-or-image-on-billie-jean-kings-tennis-dress/809470/11 "2018-02-24T23:26:53Z")
Rosie’s wearing one too. Looks to me like the woman is bouncing the ball before the serve, although the right (racket) arm is in an odd position. I’d expect it to be straight, racket pointed somewhat diagonally toward the ground.