Kings and Queens

Billie Jean King at the season kickoff of World Team Tennis, this week between the Philadelphia Freedoms and the Washington Kastles in King of Prussia, Pa.

Despite some of my misgivings about the state of the sport, it's been a great year or two for tennis coverage (I haven't seen this much attention since its heyday in the late '70s and early '80s). The fun continues with “Billie Jean King: Portrait of a Pioneer,” which kicks off the eighth season of Logo's landmark gay documentary series, “Real Momentum,” on Saturday, July 18, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. (You may recall the Tennis Channel had an outstanding piece on Martina Navratilova earlier this summer as part of its Signature Series.)

“Billie Jean King: Portrait of a Pioneer” takes a closer look at the personal and professional life of this sports legend; focusing on everything from her record 20 Wimbledon titles and defeat of Bobby Riggs at the famed “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973, to her struggle to accept her sexual identity after a former lover sued her for palimony in 1981. (King admitted the affair in a televised news conference that literally changed my life, but called it was a "mistake" as her husband, Larry, sat with an arm around her. Of Larry she said: "He's my husband, my lover and best friend.") The gripping documentary recognizes her not only as a player, but a promoter and an innovator (World Team Tennis) who has done more to advance the cause for women’s sports than any person before or since.

The following week will be the television premiere of “Ptown Diaries,” a new documentary narrated by award-winning actor Alan Cumming, that takes an in-depth look at Provincetown, Mass., and how it came to be “the” travel destination for throngs of gay and lesbian vacationers. This film festival favorite documentary identifies Ptown as the gay capital of the Northeast and a place of refuge throughout its history starting with early pilgrim settlements. The documentary demonstrates how the keystone of the town -- freedom -- has allowed it to develop into a culturally rich area where famous artists, musicians, authors and playwrights launched their career and transformed popular culture. “Ptown Diaries” will air on Saturday, July 25, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.