In the not so long ago, olden days (ask your mom what it was like for her or an older aunt), girls almost NEVER got to play sports at school. If they did, it was because THEY organized it - not the school! There was NO money for programs for girls - ONLY for boys!!! And when girls did play sports, people didn't cheer; they called them Jocks and they meant it as an insult! We do NOT want those days to come back EVER again. The National Women's Law Center and Act For Change warns us that according to news reports, the Bush administration is planning to reopen long-standing Title IX athletics policies that have expanded opportunities on the playing field and in college scholarships for millions of female athletes. Title IX requires schools and colleges receiving federal funds to give women and girls an equal chance to play sports and to treat men and women equally when it comes to benefits such as athletic scholarships, coaching and facilities. What can YOU do?
Take ACTION! Tell President Bush what you think! (Be sure to scroll down to the action letter.)Now, tell your Senators and Representatives!
While you're in a taking action mode, thank ESPN for the 40 hours of women's sports programming they aired in celebration of Title IX. Lack of media coverage (only 8% of all sports coverage) in women's sports is a HUGE issue. If there is no TV coverage, THEN there is no money for developing pro opportunities for women. AND if women's sports products aren' t advertised and professional sports events are not televised, THAT sends a message to the public that women's sports aren't as good or as important as men's!!! Need I say, this is a B-A-D message?
Celebrate!Famous women athletes like Jackie Joyner-Kersee tell
us why Title IX has been so important for the last 30 years, why we should
HOLD ON to it!
. . . brought to you by the Women's Sport Foundation
Speaking of celebrating women in sports . . . Academy Award winner Holly Hunter hosts a new show on Lifetime Fridays, at 5 PM ET. Every episode highlights one of the WNBA's most accomplished players and explores how female athletes have gained from Title IX.
Not just sports . . .
Listen to this segment from NPR's, June 6, 2002, Morning Edition that explores the NON-sports impact that Title IX can have on girls.
And finally - Educate!To quote the Tribune-Review in Pittsburgh, PA - "To some, Title IX is a quota law, designed to destroy men's sports by unfairly favoring women. To others, it ensures every girl a chance to play sports in school, a dream deferred for most women until the 1970s." Make sure the females AND males around YOU understand that Title IX is a GOOD thing!