9 More Films "Based On True Stories" That Missed Out The Best Part

7. It Could Have Been Fixed - Battle Of The Sexes

There's a lot about the central match in Battle Of The Sexes that sounds like it's too ridiculous to be true - particularly in terms of the ludicrous pageantry of the event and the rampant, cartoonish sexism on show - but if anything, the film actually played down how silly it all was. With a little more commitment to reality, it might have been even more enthralling, in that respect.

But more egregiously left out was the fact that the match may have been fixed, which changes the dynamic of the story entirely. Sure, Bobby Riggs admitted after his defeat to Billie Jean King that he underestimated his opponent, but a Tampa golf instructor called Hal Shaw later revealed that he had overheard renowned mob attorney Frank Ragano discussing a plan to fix the match with crime bosses Santo Trafficante Jr and Carlos Marcello.

Riggs - whose son admitted he had ties to people involved with the mafia - allegedly had major gambling debts and Shaw's allegation also suggested that he would have had them paid off in return for throwing the game, to allow the mobsters to win handsomely.

King, has since dismissed the fixing claims as the vengeance of bruised masculine ego, but not even entertaining the idea vaguely cost the film some quality.