by Valerie Norton, Public Policy Fellow,
National Women's Law Center
Growing up, I was what one would call a “tom-boy” – an active girl who wasn’t into wearing dresses and getting my nails done, but rather someone who wanted to lace up her sneakers and go out and play any and every sport. Basketball, softball, and soccer were very much a part of my life year-round for the first 21 years of my life – from community leagues and summer camps, to high school teams and summer traveling teams, to college intramural teams. Looking back, participating and excelling in sports very much influenced the woman I have become today (who does now get her nails done – finally!).
Given all that, I don’t think it is too odd that one of my more distinct childhood memories is the first time I learned of Title IX. I was in 7th grade and was attending Stanford Women’s Basketball Camp, hosted by the acclaimed Tara VanDerveer (a women’s sports pioneer in her own right) and a number of role-model worthy team players. For a break in the daily drills and court action, we were taken into a classroom and spent the next hour watching a PBS Frontline documentary (“In the Game”) on the hopes, trials, and successes of the 1989-90 Stanford women’s basketball team in their quest for a national championship. In addition to telling Stanford’s inspirational story, it described the early days of women’s basketball (played in skirts and confined to certain areas of the court; no fouling, obviously), the passage and impact of Title IX, and the continued obstacles facing women's athletics. Only then did I start to fully comprehend the contributions and efforts of those female athletes who came before me and those who worked to bring about the opportunities that had been afforded to me – that I took for granted as a “given” – and that were so influential in my personal growth. I couldn’t have imagined a world in which I was only allowed only 3 dribbles, or in which schools did not field women’s teams. At the time of the documentary’s release (1994), there had been substantial development in the interest, opportunities, funding, and media coverage of women’s basketball thanks to Title IX, but there was (and for that matter, is) still a ways to go.
There are many more positive outcomes from Title IX – I won’t go into the details of the importance and value of encouraging girls’ participation in sports or the specific gains it has given me in my own life. Much has been written about the self-confidence, leadership, teamwork skills, and work ethic that are furthered by girls’ participation in sports, not to mention the healthy lifestyle it promotes at a young age, or the fact that girls who play sports are less likely to become pregnant, drop out of school, or do drugs. Instead I will say this: as someone who grew up playing sports and learned about Title IX along the way, I see a distinct trajectory and progression in women’s sports that would not have been possible without the passage of Title IX. Girls’ participation in sports has increased dramatically over the years, and they believe (rightfully so) that they can play whatever sport they want to at the highest level, with equal accommodations and opportunities.
The benefits Title IX has brought to girls’ athletics extend not only to those directly related to sports, but to life more generally as well. Thus, its lasting legacy lies in its fostering of the ability of girls everywhere to dream big and achieve their aspirations, in any of life’s pursuits. I should know.
