Home » Sports » Women's Basketball » We Will Play Sports

We Will Play Sports

© Colleen Bittner

"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." This statement was the beginning of a revolution in women's athletics.

Sheryl Miller, an Olympic gold medallist, once said, "Without Title IX, I'd be nowhere." This statement is true for most female athletes. Title IX has paved the way for many champions. Without it, the 1996 Olympic Women's Basketball team may not have earned the gold medal because they would not have had the experience they received playing in college. It is certain that there would be no American Basketball League, or Women's National Basketball Association. The emergence of women's sports has helped prove the role of women in our society. It was not that long ago that girls were expected to be ladylike all the time, wearing dresses and playing with dolls. Now it is acceptable for girls to be strong athletes, participating in what used to be considered `men's activities'.

Boys grow up with strong role models. They have sports stars and super heroes to admire. Up until a few years ago, girls had only Barbie and supermodels to look up to. Not that long ago there were very few female super heroes, and even fewer female athletes. A generation ago, only one in twenty-seven females participated in sports due to the lack of opportunities, encouragement, and confidence. Now, one in every two females plays sports. The success of the ABL, WNBA, and the other professional women's teams that are developing can be directly attributed to Title IX.

Title IX did not, however, change the attitude that sports were primarily a male activity. Women make up only thirty-four percent of the high school sports population. In college the figure is thirty-six percent. Most division I colleges have a sixty-forty male-female split, even though women make up the majority of the population. These young women have grown up with mothers who were allowed to play little, if any sports. Therefore, they did not encourage their daughters to participate in physical activities to the same extent that they encouraged their sons.

It wasn't until recently that television portrayed girls that were not boy-crazy, stupid, or "ditzy." As the growing interest in sports for girls increased, the media followed. Several television shows have several female characters that play sports.

The copyright of the article We Will Play Sports in Women's Basketball is owned by . Permission to republish We Will Play Sports in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.