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Old Team Tuesday is a weekly feature taking a look at former teams that have gone by the wayside. This week’s edition magnifies one of the pioneering franchises in women’s sports. ********************************************** The effects of the women’s liberation movement and Title IX on American society are nearly impossible to ignore. What were once considered traditional roles are now continuously challenged and overhauled in the name of equal opportunity. In the 1970s, few women were more synonymous with these efforts than Billie Jean King. After disrupting the pro tennis scene with a torrent of 30 combined Grand Slam victories before her 30th birthday, King defeated Bobby Riggs in the highly-publicized “Battle of the Sexes.” Riggs had managed to beat Margaret Court just a few months prior – the top-ranked female player in the world at the onset of 1973. King’s status – even before her triumph over Riggs – gave her a uniquely powerful voice in sports and beyond. S...

Old Team Tuesday is a weekly feature taking a look at former teams that have gone by the wayside.  This week’s edition does not look at the history of a single team, but revisits the entire scope of professional baseball in Buffalo as a whole. ********************************************** Over the course of 140 years, the city of Buffalo has seen everything professional baseball has to offer, whether it be a great triumph or a heart-wrenching loss. Most Western New Yorkers will recognize the Buffalo Bisons as the region’s primary baseball team, and as a beacon of continuity and stability. However, the rocky years of the early 1900s and the turmoil of the 1960s almost wiped out the city’s baseball culture forever. --- Notable and National --- In 1877, a new franchise named the Bisons played their first season in the New York State Association, finishing with a record of 3-11. Because of their dreadful record, the team folded following the season. Howev...