A $5,000 check won by Billie Jean King 50 years ago helped create Women’s Sports Foundation

NEW YORK (AP) — Billie Jean King’s $5,000 check sure went a long way for women’s sports. King used the money from a sportswoman of the year award to launch the Women’s Sports Foundation 50 years ago in 1974. Since then, the foundation has invested more than $100 million to help girls and women gain opportunities and equity in sports. On Thursday, Kind attended a celebration at the Empire State Building. The iconic landmark will be lit in the foundation colors of blue, red, pink and yellow. The WSF will hold its annual awards dinner Oct. 16 in New York and celebrate “50 Years of Changing the Game.”