45 years ago this summer, Congress passed Title IX, a piece of legislation, 37 little words, that opened the floodgates of opportunity for girls and women across the U.S.
Title IX was supported by both Democrats and Republicans and signed into law by Richard Nixon. It became a federal law that required that girls and women have equal access to sport on campuses across the US. And it was a law that would allow a little girl in Greenville, SC to shed the tomboy moniker and instead become an athlete, just an athlete.
That law, Title IX, has gotten lots of little girls and full-grown women, all across the nation, out of the stands and onto the fields. It’s a law still at work today, supporting students as they address the problems of campus sexual assault. And it is a law that continues to have implications far beyond sports, radiating out to board rooms, court rooms, war rooms and yes, some day even oval rooms.
And that little girl from SC? She grew up to become a business woman, one whose confidence was fueled by sport, and whose company is now named Title Nine.
Missy Park, Founder
How did the Title IX legislation change your life?
Images courtesy of Game Changers, the unsung heroines of sports history.
I was in high school when Title IX passed and there was resentment in HS and also through college from the Men’s Athletics departments and the male athletes. They absolutely did not want to share the resources previously allocated just to them and mocked the idea that females would even want or need athletic programs.
In grammar school, the boys had full on uniforms for baseball and a paid coach. We girls went to JC Penny’s to cobble together the semblance of volleyball uniforms, a yellow Hanes pocketed t-shirt and navy shorts. Our volubteer coach was one of our moms.
Nevertheless, I persisted and I am an athlete!!
I graduated high school in ’76. Wasn’t a sport person. My college had a women’s volleyball team(my first letter!). Most memorable-I was on the Woodsmen Team(forestry college). Myself & another teammate(female) competed in the “chop the tree down” competition. We beat 2 guys from West Point(‘nuf said) 🙂
I was in high school when Title IX was passed, and participated in whatever sports were offered at the time. I wasn’t a gifted athlete but the enjoyment of being physically active stayed with me ever since, so like many “T9 babies” I’m still pretty active and fit. I remember a common school board argument was (still is) “we can’t afford this.” But considering what the obesity epidemic is costing society, how can we not afford it? We also raised strong, active, healthy daughters. Title IX wasn’t a cost, it was a smart investment!
In 1995, California was the first state to have an official women’s pole vault for high schoolers. This single change, shaped my entire life. I placed 3rd in the state meet, which lead to me being recruited to college were I eventually became a 4 time all American and national champion. I then went to the Olympic Trials and placed in the top 10. Because of my success so many doors were open to me and my husband (who I met on the track team in college). With out title IX and all of those who fought for it way before me, none of this would have been possible. Thank you for all you have done for women in sports and equality all around!
I graduated from college in 1976. When I speak with women of the same era regarding athletics, we often laugh about what was offered to us in sports during our high school years. Through my college years I watched as women emerged in sports and I was in awe. My daughters were fortunate to benefit from Title iX as are their daughters. Times have changed for the very best.
Niether I nor my teenage daughter are into sports, but Title IX has still impacted our lives. My daughter was sexually molested on campus on the first day of her sophomore year of highschool. I was unaware until this year that Title IX applied to more than sports and could have helped us at the time. My knowledge came too late, but you can bet I’m better prepared now!
Liz, thank you for sharing this important story. So very sorry that this happened to your daughter.
When I was 5, I asked my Mom if I could become a boy. I was devastated to have been told I couldn’t play baseball with the boys because I was a girl. Later, I was a 5th grader who loved soccer. I was the only girl on the team. I got to practice with our team but then when we competed with the other school I wasn’t allowed. It was 1962. Title IV has opened the wonderful world of sports to girls and women.
Thank you for sharing this. We wish we could go back and play baseball with 5 year old Paula!
Because of Title IX Bates College finally started a women’s XC ski team (it had a Division I men’s team). I adored the sport and got my husband and then our sons doing it. I worked in that field for several years. Then our boys grew up in the Bill Koch Youth Ski League, racing with and becoming friends with boys and girls from all over Maine and New England. We ALL XC ski passionately still. I always say that Title IX changed my life.
It’s so amazing to hear how it has personally impacted women. For you to have found your passion because of this law is amazing! Thanks for sharing.
I have a ton of Title IX stories but in keeping with Jen’s story from the early 1990s, I’ll share this one. I took over the Varsity girls basketball coaching job at a suburban Chicago high school in 1991-92. We have two campuses and one sports team. The boys played in a field house with a hardwood main floor surrounded by rubber at our East campus. We also played in a field house with a hard wood floor at the West campus but it was surrounded by concrete with a thin layer of glue mixed with sand to eliminate the slipperiness. The boys had two square glass backboards on their main floor while we had two metal fan backboards. I had to threaten to call the Office of Civil Rights in Chicago in order to get backboards equal to the boys. The gender discrimination didn’t end there and we’re still fighting it but one story is enough for now. (The west campus finally got rid of the concrete in 2015.)
Keep fighting Lisa! It’s coaches like you that make all the difference for women and girls in sports (and life).
I wrote this story a couple years back for the Seattle Times. It discusses the profound impact of Title IX and high school sports on the lives of my high school teammates. Happy Anniversary Title IX!
http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/high-school/no-question-title-ix-has-made-an-impact-but-work-remains-take-2/
Great article! Thanks for sharing your personal story and that of your teammates. Title IX really has made such an impact.