Today is National Girls and Women in Sports Day, a time to acknowledge the achievements of female athletes and recognize the positive influence of
sports participation for women and girls.
Last year alone saw some incredible "firsts" for women in
athletics: unstoppable pitcher Mo’ne Davis made headlines as the
first girl to pitch a shutout in Little League World Series history, and
went on to be the first Little League baseball player to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. Former WNBA player Becky Hammon became the first full-time female
assistant coach for the NBA,
while Michele Roberts was named executive director of the National Basketball Players
Association (NBPA), becoming the first
woman to lead an American union of male athletes. Amélie Mauresmo was hired to coach
Andy Murray, one of the top tennis players in the world, which made her the first
female to coach an elite male tennis player.
Even with the incredible achievements of women in athletics –
including Mo’ne, Becky, Michele, and Amélie – we are still battling an
overwhelming amount of discrimination and harassment for girls and women in
sports. So today is also a time to talk about the progress we’ve yet to make.
Professional cheerleaders are lobbying for basic employment protections like
worker’s compensation insurance and overtime pay. Women soccer players in this
summer’s Women’s World Cup are being forced to play on artificial turf (an inferior material to the natural grass on which male players compete) after
organizing body FIFA essentially ignored
their gender discrimination lawsuit. And female athletes are routinely
asked questions – usually moments after an awe-inspiring achievement – that focus
on fashion, beauty, and motherhood rather than their sport, performance, or
athletic abilities (see: Twirlgate).
Legal Voice has a long history of protecting equal access to
athletics. In fact, you could say our organization is built on sports: in our
very first case, Blair v. WSU, we won equal access to sports facilities and programs
for the women of Washington State University and set a national precedent. Since then we’ve helped the Alaska
Firebirds hockey team gain equal access to ice time, successfully advocated for
school districts to change slow-pitch to the more competitive fast-pitch
softball teams (increasing access to scholarship opportunities for girls), fought
policies that exclude girls from playing on boys’ teams based solely on their
gender, and more.
Back in 1972 Title IX gave women and girls equal access to
education programs and activities, including sports. We are steadily enforcing
Title IX by monitoring our region for equality in athletics to ensure every
girl has access to the sports she wants to play. But here’s how you can help:
- Know the facts! Did you know that Title IX requires equality in every facet
of athletic participation, including equipment, practice facilities, and the
quality of coaches? Or that a girl must be allowed to try out for the boys’ team
if her school doesn’t offer a girls’ team in that sport?
- Start a team! If
your school or athletics league doesn’t currently offer a girls’ team in a
certain sport, ask the administrators what it takes to start one. Sometimes you
can make positive change simply by bringing inequality to the attention of
decision-makers.
- Be the best! Don’t let
anyone stop you from playing the sport you want to play. Show the world what it
means to do something “like a girl” by being the best you can be! Better yet,
remind yourself or a loved one to never give up with a fabulous Legal Voice “Fights Like a Girl” t-shirt!
We’ll continue to work for your right to play. So go out and
show them what you’ve got!
Sarah MacDonald is Marketing & Communications Manager for Legal Voice where she strives daily to keep you in-the-know. While she's never been a particularly athletic individual, she eagerly awaits being selected to participate in the Puppy Bowl.
Photo courtesy of Danny Ngan Photography.
Photo courtesy of Danny Ngan Photography.
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