Women in Sports free essay sample

Alexis Bryant June 6, 2011 Ms. Frasier Pd. 5 Women in Sports Women participation in competitive sports and other physical activities was limited in the U. S. until Federal Legislation, mainly know as Title IX, became law. This law required American society to recognize women’s rights to take part in sports. During the time periods before 1870, activities for females were on the recreational level. Then later in the 1800’s and early 190’s, women started forming clubs that were athletic in nature. Early college sports for women were largely unrecognized by historians because competition was among college students and not institutions. Competitions included intramural, club, sorority matches, and the occasional play day, which were special dates where women competed in sports and activities against students and teams from their own school. Women were not active in intercollegiate sports until the introduction of basketball at Smith College in 1892. The first teams to compete in intercollegiate athletics were University of California, Berkley vs. We will write a custom essay sample on Women in Sports or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Stanford and University of Washington vs. Ellensburg Normal School in 1896. Competitive events for females increased in the early 1900’s. The women’s suffrage movement in the late 19th and 20th centuries resulted in the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920. The first feminist movement resulted in uncertain gains for women in sports and intercollegiate competition. In 1966, the Division for Girls and Women in Sports (DGWS) appointed Commission on Intercollegiate Sports for Women (CISW), to aid in conducting intercollegiate competitions. In 1969, a schedule of national championships for women’s sports was announced. This schedule included gymnastics and track and field. Later in 1970, swimming, badminton, and volleyball were added then finally basketball in 1972. Women, however, wanted an institutional membership organization similar to the NCAA. This brought the replacement of the CIAW by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) in 1971. The AIAW focused on women student athletes’ education rather than their athletic performance and rejected the NCAA’s â€Å"win or die† attitude. After the passage if Title IX, the NCAA became concerned by what it thought was a potential weakening of its position as the dominant and controlling body of intercollegiate sports. The NCAA watched the growth of women’s athletics and wanted to increase financial base and political power that could only be gained by gaining control over women’s intercollegiate sports, and also by forcing the AIAW out of control. The NCAA decided to for the NCAA Women’s Committee and to not include the AIAW. In 1974 the NCAA met with the AIAW as an attempt to convince the AIAW to affiliate them with the NCAA. But the NCAA did not see the AIAW as an equal and thus refused 50-50 joint union and equal representation at policy making levels. The NCAA became a powerful rival for the AIAW due to its wealth, political influence, and long history. Then it finally decided to introduce women’s championships for intercollegiate sports by offering institutions sponsoring women’s sports, a proposition. The decision made by the NCAA eventually led to the end of the AIAW. The NCAA reserved almost 3 million dollars to support women’s championships. The AIAW was unable to keep up with the NCAA’s incentives and the loss of media rights, membership, income, and championship sponsorship forced the AIAW out of commission June 30, 1982. During this year women’s championships also officially became a part of the NCAA. Following Title IX, females have become more involved in sports. Their participation in college athletics has increased from 15% in 1972 to 43% in 2001. Young girls’ participation in their high schools athletics has increased from 295,000 in 1971 to 2. 8 million in 2002-2003. In 2004 the average number of teams being offered for females per college/university was 8. 32. Today the NCAA sponsors 40 women championships, 38 men’s, and 3 combined in all three divisions. It’s clear that women’s involvement in sports was slow to take off, and not until the beginning of equal rights movements and Title IX, did women officially find a place in sports.