Billie Jean King is a feminist icon in the world of sports and beyond. The former World No. 1 tennis player stamped herself in history after winning a whole slew of accolades including Grand Slam titles.
She also famously defeated Bobby Riggs in the infamous “Battle of The Sexes” match.
But before her, there was “Charna Lee Diamond.”
This past weekend, Saturday Night Live spoofed the Untold Netflix series by introducing the story of Charna Lee Diamond (played by Sarah Sherman), a “brash feminist icon” who played before King.
“If any men out there think they have what it takes to beat me, let’s play. No more questions,” Diamond told reporters during a press conference in the sketch. That’s when Ronnie Dunster, played by host Jason Momoa, emerged as her challenger.
“I feel like I was an odd choice for Charna, because, at the time, I was the largest man to ever play tennis,” he says.
In their epic showdown, Dunster gets the first serve and blasts the tennis ball through the flesh of Diamond’s stomach as she lets out a yelp.
Sports reporter Louise Donovan re-lived the scene again and offered her commentary.
“We should have seen it coming,” says sports reporter Louise Donovan, played by Ego Nwodim. “He was 300 pounds of pure muscle and she was one of the lowest-ranked female players at the time.”
“Did I ruin it for women?” Diamond asked the crowd in footage from the event. She got up and refused to stop playing before asking for another serve. Dunster obliged … and well, it got to her head. Literally. He hit the ball at her face and it decapitated her.
“It was definitely the ****ing the weirdest game of tennis I’ve ever played,” Dunster said.
That wasn’t all SNL had to offer from the sports world this weekend.
After Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was suspended for five games after putting Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert into a chokehold on Tuesday night, he (played by Devon Walker) stopped by Weekend Update to give … an update. And to make a list.
[SNL]
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.