In the 50 years since Title IX became federal law, the United States has made strides in promoting opportunities for women athletes, but not much progress has been made yet, a panel of legendary women athletes and coaches said during a discussion on September 29. June at the Bexley Public Library.
Title IX is a 1972 federal civil rights law that prohibits gender discrimination in any school or education program that receives federal funding.
Prior to the passage of Title IX, “only 7% of high school girls participated in a sports team or club sport, said panel moderator Kristin Watt.
Watt is a lawyer, a 1986 women’s basketball captain in the state of Ohio, and a longtime analyst for the team’s radio broadcasts.
“Since Title IX, the percentages have increased with more than 1,000% of girls now participating in sports in K-12 and 614% in colleges,” she said.
Other panellists included Stephanie Hightower, 1980 track Olympian and the first female recipient of a scholarship to Ohio State University; Linda Shetina Logan, executive director of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission; and Sue Ramsey, a 1974 graduate of Bexley High School, first female scholarship recipient at Indiana University, championship coach at the University of Dayton and Ashland University, and a member of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.
In addition to winning the 1980 Olympics, Hightower is a four-time US 100-meter hurdles champion and a five-time US 60-meter hurdles indoor champion. She was also an NCAA and Big 10 hurdles champion.
In her four years (1977-80) in Ohio, she was undefeated in the Big 10 competition.
Hightower said Title IX ushered in incremental but steady progress.
“It was a slow grind, but you could see the point – we had our own trainers, we had our own changing rooms,” she said. “We had some amenities, but we didn’t have all the amenities the men had.”
Ramsey said she noticed more opportunities after Title IX passed during her sophomore year at Bexley High School.
“When I went to high school, they didn’t let girls play any sport except volleyball,” Ramey said. “I played volleyball and in my second year they let us play the rest of the sports.”
Ramsey said Title IX paved the way for her career in basketball. Among her many career achievements, Ramsey went on to coach a Division II women’s basketball team at Ashland University. Her teams had a record of 501-364 over 20 years, finishing at .500 or better in 16 of them and winning a Division II national championship in 2013.
“My freshman year (in high school), myself and two other teammates volunteered to be managers of the (men’s) basketball team,” she said. “The three of us would beat the base five (men’s basketball team players) and beat them. Maybe we should have played. I don’t know.”
Logan said fans — particularly those in central Ohio — have played a significant role in advancing women’s sports since Title IX. She said the enthusiasm of fans has helped Columbus attract major events such as the 2021 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship and the 2018 NCAA Women’s Final Four Basketball Championship. It was also a factor in turning the city toward the end of the decade. named finalist to host the Final Four.
“Whether it’s sold out crowds or the number of (TV) viewers has increased and there are new competitions, everyone has played their part,” said Logan. “I think because of the two or three generations that have come up since Title IX, they’ve seen – you have to see it to believe it – that there are so many more opportunities. We are a great city that will really stand out for women’s sports. ”
Despite progress over the past 50 years, there is still much work to be done to continue to promote gender equality in sport, the panelists said.
“When you have a daughter, you want her to have the opportunity to exercise, just like you did,” Ramsey said. “Title IX is just about opening the door to opportunity.”
