When President Richard Nixon signed Title IX into law in 1972 a dramatic change in female participation in organized sports ensued. That law actually did not mention sports as it had a more encompassing purpose in education. However, it soon led to an explosive expansion of womens’ sports. For younger generations it is perhaps difficult to grasp how profound the change was for girls and womens’ sports. Throwing out national statistics about the difference in the number of men and women participating in organzed sports before and after Title IX may not be sufficient to fully understand that change. Which is why Papa’s 1959 high school yearbook has been consulted.
Nine sports for boys were offered at my high school. Counting “B” teams in football, basketball and cross country there were twelve teams. A lot of opportunity for boys to play a sport. It seemed natural to me. Boys were used to playing sports long before high school. I played in grade school and in junior high. In the 1959 yearbook many boys were pictured as participants. Tennis had ten team members while football had sixty-one.
However, there were no teams for the girls. None. Zero. The closest sport at school for females was co-ed intramural bowling. The world of sports after Title IX changed very quickly. Not just in high school and college but also on local recreation fields. In the grade schools and junior highs. Your mothers and peers were eager to sign up for localy offered sports. It was like a dam burst. Ball fields and indoor areans expanded. After enduring coaching boys soccer, Papa spent 7 or 8 years coaching girls soccer. (What a change! Asked to gather around me to hear my wonderous insight, the boys scattered like marbles in all directions. When I first made that request to girls, they hustled into perfectly formed rows.) My memory is that there was plenty of opportunity in sports for young girls after the 1970’s. Now, there are pros, college scholarships, and other school teams in addition to thousands of girls playing all manner of sports on a recreational basis. Current news reports discuss conflicting definitions of equality in womens’ sports. Be aware that such hot topic discussions were not on the mind of many folks in 1959. I have proof from a yearbook. It’s a good marker of the enourmous advancement that Title IX brought to females in sports. A change worth celebrating.