Hal, what do you tell people who will say this is impossible to believe 40 years later?

Yeah, I probably would say the same thing.

I just know deep in my heart what I heard,

and I wanted to make sure that I could set the record straight,

and that the world know that this was not what it seemed to be.

The Battle of the Sexes was one of the most iconic moments in sports.

When tennis star Billy Jean King beat Bobby Riggs on national television, it was a victory for women everywhere.

But what if the match wasn't what it seemed? Today, ESPN investigative reporter Don Van Nata Jr.

tells the story of how a single tip led him down a path involving a golf pro, the mob, and an Olive Garden parking lot.

And he answers the question. Was the whole thing a racket?

I mean it, times. It's Thursday of March 26th. This is ESPN Daily, presented by ADT.

Today, with live sports pretty much at a standstill, we're starting a new series of stories I'm calling ESPN Daily Essentials.

Basically, every now and then, I will be inviting reporters to come on our show and tell the best ESPN stories of all time, including today's piece, The Matchmaker.

Don, how are you?

I'm doing great, Mina. How are you?

I'm better now that we get to talk about one of my favorite stories ESPN has ever published.

A piece you wrote a few years ago about the Battle of the Sexes, which is, of course, the infamous tennis match where Billy Jean King, a woman's champion, played Bobby Riggs,

the former men's champion. Now, people know this story, but not everyone knows the story behind it

and how there was actually a crazy mystery involved that you said about to solve. But before we get

to that, can you remind people what the Battle of the Sexes was?

The Battle of the Sexes was a tennis exhibition in September of 1973.

They came at a perfect moment in American history.

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