“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 education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance…”
In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed Title IX of the Education Amendments into law, a measure that included the above language and in the 50 years since, has radically altered the course of girl’s and women’s athletics across America; Title IX also provides legal redress for girls and women who are victims of sexual harassment or rape on campus.
U.S. Women’s Basketball Team circa 2020
As to gender equity in sporting activities, while girls and women had been playing sports at schools and colleges across the country long before Title IX, there were gross inequities in both the number of sports—and funding—prior to its enactment.
Howard University’s women’s rifle team circa 1937…
As Title IX and Ol’s Hobbs are both now 50, I distinctly recall that by the time I started playing t-ball and basketball as a first grader in Maryland in 1978, I remember that the Allentown Boys & Girls Club, where I played, had sign-up sheets for the boys as well as for girls who wished to play softball or lead cheers during basketball games.
By the time I enrolled at FAMU High School (K-12) in the 80’s, during the fall the Baby Rattler boys played football while the girls played volleyball or led cheers; during the winter, our boys’ and girls’ basketball teams were dominant and, in the spring, the boy’s and girl’s track teams were equally dominant as well.
80's era FAMU High School varsity football team and varsity cheerleaders…
Again, such equity in opportunities was not always the case but thanks to Title IX, today, sports like flag football, swimming, golf, tennis, beach volleyball, and crew provide girls and women the same opportunities to exert themselves in physical competition—while developing skills that translate well to future professional endeavors as far as discipline and desire to succeed for a common team goal.
While I certainly grew up knowing all about Althea Gibson, the Florida A&M University alumna who became the first Black woman to win Wimbledon, and Wilma Rudolph and the Tennessee State University “Tiger Belles” who dominated track & field for over a decade during the late Jim Crow era, it is clear now that these legendary women were still in the minority on campus during their student days.
FAMU tennis legend Althea Gibson…
Legendary track Coach Ed Temple, track phenom Wilma Rudolph (third from right) and the Tennessee A&I (later Tennessee State) Tiger Belies…
Nevertheless, their success paved the way for the likes from Chris Evert to Venus and Serena Williams, from Florence Griffith-Joyner to Allyson Felix, from Mary Lou Retton to Simone Biles, to countless other women’s basketball, soccer, track, gymnastics, and golf pros who find themselves featured regularly on ESPN and the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine for their achievements!
USA gymnastics star Mary Lou Retton (left) and gymnastics legend Simon Biles…
And yet, with all that Title IX has done over the past 50 years to create gender equity in scholastic sports, there remains a significant gap in professional sports opportunities and pay for women’s players. Each year, I watch at rapt attention during the NCAA women’s softball tournament, but there is no paying equivalent to Major League Baseball—and its multi-million-dollar salaries—for the game’s star players.
Ditto for the WNBA, a disparity that has been in the news of late due to Brittany Griner’s work to earn money in the Russian professional leagues because the WNBA salaries are but a fraction of NBA salaries.
Women’s basketball star Brittany Griner is facing 10 years in a Russian prison for possession of cannabis oil…
While Title IX legislation bridged the gap at schools and colleges, I am not convinced that any Federal legislation would ever bridge the gaps in professional sports offerings and pay due to one word—capitalism. Sports, like any other business, are guided by basic principles of supply and demand and with the exception of women’s tennis, track, and the LPGA tour, there is little evidence to show that the buying public is as invested in women’s professional team sports.
Serena and Venus Williams have earned an estimated combined $350 million dollars on the tennis court. However, pay for women’s team sports lags behind their male counterpart.
Indeed, attendance at many WNBA games pales in comparison to the NBA and for skeptics I ask, do you have a favorite WNBA team? Do you own WNBA jerseys, t-shirts, or hats? If your answer is “no” to those questions, then such is the starting point that needs to be addressed so that women can get paid in full for playing the sports they love long after their student days are done.
Stay tuned for Part II: Title IX’s impact on sexual harassment and rape on campus!