2008 Woodie Awards
Drama Sports
How Far Women's Sports Have Come
Jose Ortiz
Issue date: 12/11/03 Section: Sports
In 1971, there were less than 300,000 women participating in high school sports. Now, more than 30 years later, that number is up to 2.8 million. What's the difference? A bill enacted in 1972 called Title IX disallowing discrimination based on gender in athletics, or academics.
Yes, women's sports have come along way since the days of I LOVE LUCY. Just ask Mia Hamm and Michelle Akers of the women's national soccer team, who led the U.S. team to Olympic glory and the world championship, establishing the United States as the premier women's soccer team in the world.
All female athletes have a woman by the name of Billie Jean King to thank for the tremendous strides that they have made. In 1972 she defeated Bobby Riggs, in the famous battle of the sexes, and put female sports on the map. Since then, the WNBA was created, Title IX was enacted, and there are four times more women competing in intercollegiate sports.
But they still have a long way to go. In universities, male athletes still receive 58,000 more opportunities to play, and receive $133 million more in athletic scholarship assistance. There are still no female coaches for any male sports teams, professional or collegiate, yet male coaches are quite prevalent in female sports, like Bill Lambeer coach of the WNBA champion Detroit Shock. Those women who do coach average an annual salary of $86,119, while men receive an average of $115,586.
According to Martha Burk, Chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations, the Title IX bill is "an under-the-radar assault by the Bush administration." This is because men are now claiming reverse discrimination for low profile sports. Since the passage of Title IX, 350 wrestling programs have been cut.
The three objections to Title IX are as follows. The first is that schools are eliminating men's sports in order to comply with the law. Sort of a stealing from Jack-to-pay-Jane scenario. The second is the quota set, and the third is that women don't really want to play sports as much as men do anyway.
The bill cannot be challenged, as women's sports have become highly popular so what will likely happen is a change in some regulation or clause in the document. Overall male sport participation has increased, not decreased, as there has been a net gain of 36 men's teams between 1982 and 1999. Also in the 20-year span beginning in 1981, for every two sports opportunities added for women, there has been 1.5 added for men.
The bottom line is that women are gaining more and more power with each passing year, and are receiving even more opportunities. Men have become so accustomed to being over privileged to the big gym, or to more sports glory, that the 50/50 opportunities somehow seems unfair. Yes women sports have come a very long way and are continuing to make tremendous strides but they must continue to fight because the ever present male authority is opposed.
Yes, women's sports have come along way since the days of I LOVE LUCY. Just ask Mia Hamm and Michelle Akers of the women's national soccer team, who led the U.S. team to Olympic glory and the world championship, establishing the United States as the premier women's soccer team in the world.
All female athletes have a woman by the name of Billie Jean King to thank for the tremendous strides that they have made. In 1972 she defeated Bobby Riggs, in the famous battle of the sexes, and put female sports on the map. Since then, the WNBA was created, Title IX was enacted, and there are four times more women competing in intercollegiate sports.
But they still have a long way to go. In universities, male athletes still receive 58,000 more opportunities to play, and receive $133 million more in athletic scholarship assistance. There are still no female coaches for any male sports teams, professional or collegiate, yet male coaches are quite prevalent in female sports, like Bill Lambeer coach of the WNBA champion Detroit Shock. Those women who do coach average an annual salary of $86,119, while men receive an average of $115,586.
According to Martha Burk, Chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations, the Title IX bill is "an under-the-radar assault by the Bush administration." This is because men are now claiming reverse discrimination for low profile sports. Since the passage of Title IX, 350 wrestling programs have been cut.
The three objections to Title IX are as follows. The first is that schools are eliminating men's sports in order to comply with the law. Sort of a stealing from Jack-to-pay-Jane scenario. The second is the quota set, and the third is that women don't really want to play sports as much as men do anyway.
The bill cannot be challenged, as women's sports have become highly popular so what will likely happen is a change in some regulation or clause in the document. Overall male sport participation has increased, not decreased, as there has been a net gain of 36 men's teams between 1982 and 1999. Also in the 20-year span beginning in 1981, for every two sports opportunities added for women, there has been 1.5 added for men.
The bottom line is that women are gaining more and more power with each passing year, and are receiving even more opportunities. Men have become so accustomed to being over privileged to the big gym, or to more sports glory, that the 50/50 opportunities somehow seems unfair. Yes women sports have come a very long way and are continuing to make tremendous strides but they must continue to fight because the ever present male authority is opposed.