ABSTRACT
Sport documentaries, docudramas and feature films have long been the narrative domain of male athletes, both real-life and imagined. However, this cinematic paradigm was challenged in 2017 with the release of Battle of the Sexes and I, Tonya. Battle of the Sexes focuses on the iconic tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, while I, Tonya focuses on figure skater Tonya Harding’s presumed implication in the clubbing of Olympic hopeful and rival Nancy Kerrigan. This chapter explores the intersecting narratives in these seemingly polar opposite films, which centre on two athletes who reigned in their respective sports and then lost the admiration of their fans and, in the case of King when her lesbian relationship came to light, the support of her sponsors. Using a post-feminist rhetorical lens, this chapter examines how both films serve as redemptive vehicles for King and Harding and help fill the gendered void in the sports film genre.
