Celebrating National Women in Sports Day

 

" No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. " Title IX 

    Sports, especially team sports, have always been a reflection of communities. We are proud to celebrate our sports community annually February 1 on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, for recognizing and fighting against gender disparity in athletics. We truly believe that sports matter and can benefit the human experience in countless ways; which is why we believe sports can and should belong to all. 

Today is a day to reflect on how far we have come as a nation in fifty years since Title IX has passed, which was created to help level the playing field by providing female athletes the same opportunity as their male counterparts in educational settings. 

 As the Women In Sports Foundation simply puts it, 

"A lot can change in 50 years. A lot has." 

While we have witnessed significant growth in the social equality issues women face in our nation, the disparity amongst male and female athletes still exist to this day, despite Title IX's impact.

Although women make up the majority of the student population in college and university settings, the college sport opportunities of females are smaller than that offered for males.  (College Sport Opportunities by Sex; 43.9% female compared to 56.1% male)."* "Collegiate women are doubly impacted by lack of opportunity and the correlating lack of scholarship dollars that are often associated with them."*

Further, the opportunity for females to pursue careers in coaching athletics at the college level also seems to still be coated with a glass ceiling, as only 41% of all female college athletic coaches had a female head coach in the 2020-2021 academic year.* 

There is a lot of progress to celebrate on this day, and a lot more change to continue to advocate for. Today, make sure you recognize the girls and women in sports of your life and fuel them for a better future for all! 

Happy National Girls & Women in Sports Day, from the Game Day Team! 

" Little girls with dreams grow up to become women with vision." 

Sources:

* "Fifty Years of Title IX," Women's Sports Foundation, 2023. https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/FINAL6_WSF-Title-IX-Infographic-2022.pdf