Celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day & Title IX HOSTED BY : THE INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF SPORT, SOCIETY, AND SOCIAL CHANGE AT SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY | SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA. USA. | February 17 - June 23, 2022

Title IX : The Results [thus far]

According to the Women's Sports Foundation, founded by Billie Jean King in 1974, fewer than 4% of girls played sports before Title IX.

Title IX addressed a gap in anti-discrimination legislation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned colleges from discriminating against students on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin. An amendment banned sex discrimination in employment. Until Title IX, women did not have legal protections against discrimination in higher education.

Under Title IX, colleges could not exclude women from certain classes or majors. They had to investigate and prevent sexual harassment on campus, which could negatively impact women's education. And every campus had to hire a Title IX coordinator to make sure the school complied with the law.

At first, colleges debated whether the new law applied to athletics. The NCAA, which dominated men's college athletics, argued that Title IX did not apply to athletic departments because those departments did not directly receive federal funds.

But proponents of women's sports pushed back. By the late 1970s, college athletics departments had to comply with Title IX or risk losing federal funding. As a result, colleges increased their investment in women's sports — and the number of female athletes skyrocketed.

Reports of disparities went viral in 2021 when athletes spoke out during the NCAA basketball tournaments. While the men's teams had a full weight room, the women received one dumbbell rack and one stationary bike. Furthermore, while the men dined at a full buffet, women received prepackaged food.

Title IX for Everyone

Title IX impacts more than sports. The provision also protects victims of sexual harassment and assault. It bans sex discrimination in programs traditionally dominated by one gender, promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM and vocational education, as well as many other fields. The law also prohibits colleges from denying admission to pregnant applicants and student parents.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TITLE IX AND THE NCAA'S ACTIONS BY VISITING THE LINKS BELOW:

How Title IX Impacts Women’s Equality in College Athletics

Gender Equality Remains Elusive in College Sports

Report: N.C.A.A. Prioritized Men’s Basketball ‘Over Everything Else’

The Wall of Song Project

Since 2019, the Institute for the Study of Sport, Society and Social Change and The Wall of Song Project have been inviting athletes, fans, students and community supporters to sing FEELING GOOD —the song made famous by Nina Simone— as an anthem of solidarity and a call to action for women’s sport and a more equitable, racially just community. Hundreds have already added their voices to our growing, inclusive video chorus.

This ongoing collaborative acknowledges, celebrates, and builds upon the deep legacy of Black athlete activism at SJSU. Through it, we explore the ways in which art and collective singing rituals can, despite our social realities, embolden our voices to support women’s athletics and work towards a more inclusive community— particularly for Black and Indigenous women, girls, and non-binary athletes of color, who live at the intersection of racial injustice and gender inequity.

Visit the Wall of Song Project's website at https://wallofsongproject.com/ to learn more about the collaborative art project, and how it acknowledges, celebrates, and builds upon the deep legacy of athlete activism at SJSU.

Wall of Song FAQ

WHY SHARE OUR VOICES FOR WOMEN’S SPORT?

While there has been some progress since the enactment of Title IX, we continue to see disparities in access, pay equity, working conditions, leadership and coaching opportunities, sports coverage (and the largely invisible work of athlete activists in women’s sports). We also have noticed the well documented ways in which collective singing can help to cultivate joint perspectives, charge our courage, and touch each other at a distance (as we have especially seen during this time of physical distancing.)

WHY SING “FEELING GOOD” RIGHT NOW?

Nina Simone sang about “a bold world, a new world” in 1965. The invitation is to be emboldened by Simone’s courageous and radical example in the midst of our own need for a more equitable and racially just kind of future.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The Wall of Song project is participatory and interactive. The first step invites athletes fans, students, and community supporters to sing “Feeling Good” online at https://wallofsongproject.com/sing-2/. It only takes a few minutes and you don’t need to be able to sing–it’s not a solo!

WHAT'S THE CONNECTION TO ATHLETE ACTIVISM?

San José State University is a unique place in which to launch and grow FEELING GOOD due to its legacy in athlete activism as the birthplace of the Olympic Project for Human Rights, a movement led by Dr. Harry Edwards and Ken Noel that culminated in the iconic protest of 1968 Olympic medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos.

Ways to Celebrate NGWSD

National Girls and Women in Sports Day is celebrated in all 50 states. The day is usually celebrated by organizing community events, award ceremonies, and other sports activities that inspire girls and women to play sports and be active.

A FEW IDEAS TO CELEBRATE NGWSD:

• COLLEGE ATHLETE VISITS. Arrange for college athletes to visit middle schools and other influential sites to discuss the life of a successful female in collegiate sports
• Create a leadership conference or series of visits with female coaches or retired players
• Proactively reach out to community organizations, such as Women’s Sports Foundation or Girls, Inc., that can connect you with girls who may need to hear messages of perseverance the most
• Throw a movie party that focuses on girls and women in sports
• Organize a book club with similar themes
• HOST A SPORTS CLINIC (also consider hosting a day of workshops for the sports that don’t always get the limelight!)
• USE YOUR VOICE... Contact your representatives in Congress and encourage others to do the same. Ask them to continue supporting girls and women in sports and Title IX. If you’re particularly passionate about the issue or have a personal experience, you might also consider writing an op-ed article or working with school or university representatives to raise awareness through printed posters that explain Title IX rights

50 MILES FOR CHANGE

Here at the ISSSSC, we have continued our celebrations to recognize the progress that women’s sports have made throughout history.

With the 50th anniversary of Title IX coming up on June 23, 2022, we want to acknowledge the progress Title IX has made toward equality for women, and women in sports in particular.

Our challenge 50 Miles for Change has a goal to encourage being active while promoting health and wellness as we track participants’ mileage to reach 50 miles.

This challenge has been promoted through social media and participants are encouraged to spread awareness of the initiative. As participants sign up, they are given access to a specific website which allows them to log their weekly mileage and progress toward the 50 mile goal.

Throughout the challenge, participants and our followers are reminded about the progress women's sports have made as a result of Title IX. The goal to reach 50 miles is to acknowledge the 50 years in which Title IX has been in place.

Call to Action

We want to acknowledge the progress that women's sports have made throughout history and the progress that is continued to be made. Our goal is for this to be acknowledged by community members while promoting health and wellbeing.

Thus, our call to action is to encourage community members to be healthy by participating in physical activity and striving to pursue a measurable distance of movement.

We encourage community members to be active in whichever ways are feasible and inspiring to them; Running, Walking, Rolling, etc.