Wheaties box salutes tennis legend Billie Jean King

The General Mills cereal has put the 20-time Wimbledon champion on their packaging.

Courtesy of General Mills

Wheaties, a General Mills brand, has announced its latest limited-edition box featuring icon and activist athlete Billie Jean King, a true Wheaties Champion.

While this is King’s first Wheaties appearance, she’s no stranger to firsts on and off the court. She is a highly decorated tennis champion—winning 39 major titles, including a record 20 Wimbledon championships—and was the first woman athlete to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She’s also the first woman to have a sports venue named in her honor, and the first woman to earn more than $100,000 in prize money in a single tennis season. Through her activism and drive, King has changed the perception of women’s sports.

“Billie Jean King has been defining what it means to be a Wheaties Champion for decades, as a true advocate for equality between men and women from the tennis court to the board room and beyond,” says Mindy Murray, brand experience director for morning foods. “We’re thrilled to recognize her on our newest Wheaties box cover and celebrate the strides she’s made for athletes everywhere.”

For more than 100 years, Wheaties has honored athletes who are champions in their sport and in the community, and King joins hundreds of prestigious athletes and fellow Olympians who have been celebrated with their own orange box.

“I am honored to be on the next Wheaties box to join the legacy of incredible athletes and the work we put in for our sport and our communities,” says King. “I’ve dedicated my life to equality for all, uplifting those around me and inspiring girls and women, in particular, to dream big. This box feels like a full circle moment as we celebrate the next generation of champions.”

While Wheaties continues to honor world-class athletes with its signature Orange Box, the brand is also celebrating athletes everywhere with its new Wheaties Protein cereal. This new innovation from Wheaties is the highest protein cereal offering from General Mills to date with more than 20g of protein per serving and is available in two delicious flavors, Honey Pecan and Maple Almond. Wheaties Protein is available now at select Walmart stores and will be on shelves at retailers nationwide beginning this spring.

The Billie Jean King limited-edition Wheaties Box will be available at retailers nationwide this month for a suggested retail price of $6.19.

General Mills is on the current Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery “Top 50 Snack & Bakery Companies” list. Click here to view the current “Top 50” rankings.

Jenni Spinner is the chief editor of Snack Food and Wholesale with more than 25 years of experience in business-to-business communications. She has written extensively about food production, safety and packaging; pharmaceutical drug development; concrete and masonry construction; and more. She holds a Bachelor’s in Communications from the University of Illinois. Jenni can be reached at spinnerj@bnpmedia.com.

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