Title IX - Celebrating 40 Years of Female Athletic Excellence

I had a great Spring and Summer playing softball. My teams didn’t win every game but we were very competitive and enjoyed many great victories. I made a lot of new friends, improved my skills, and most importantly gained an appreciation for a moment in US history that up until now I really didn’t know as much as I thought I did.

This summer marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Title IX legislation by then President, Richard Nixon. Thirty-seven words enacted into law 40 years ago have already had such a huge impact on me and will greatly impact my future. Title IX states that “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 educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”  While the specific legislation does not mention sports directly, the impact of Title IX has been most impactful in the high school and collegiate sports community.

The benefits that Title IX has provided to me and other young women have far exceeded accessibility to competitive sports programs. Title IX has created far more including role models and heroes to be inspired by and to emulate. Title IX has allowed girls like me to dream about the possibilities of life and to reach for the stars. Title IX has empowered me.

One of my favorite examples of a benefit of Title IX is the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) softball league. The NPF (www.profastpitch.com) showcases the best female fast pitch softball players in the world. It provides a forum for outstanding female athletes who parlayed opportunities provided to them through Title IX into professional sports careers. My hometown Chicago Bandits (www.chicagobandits.com) are the defending league champions and this August 23-26, 2012 they will play host to the 2012 National Pro Fastpitch Championship Series where 80 of the best female softball players in the world will compete for a league championship played in the first and only professional sports venue built specifically for a US women’s professional sports team, The Ballpark at Rosemont. Fittingly located at 27 Jennie Finch Way, the NPF, the Bandits, and the Ballpark at Rosemont represent the advances in women’s athletics that Title IX has made possible over the past 40 years. The stadium’s address namesake, Jennie Finch, is a US icon who has reached the pinnacle of collegiate, Olympic, and professional levels. Without Title IX, heroes such as she would not have been there to inspire me and other aspiring athletes to Dream and Believe.

As the summer begins to wind down, I encourage everyone to reflect on what a better world we live in because of Title IX. Please continue to support women’s athletics everywhere at all levels. Come out to Ballpark at Rosemont August 23-26, 2012 and help celebrate 40 years of women’s athletic excellence and cheer on my Bandits to another championship.