As a little girl growing up an athlete, I always dreamed of becoming a professional athlete, breaking all the records known to man, and being the best of the best. Throughout the years it quickly occurred to me that this was just not as easy as one may have thought. After switching from sport to sport, trying to find where I would excel, I realized the odds were not in my favor due to the fewer opportunities that female athletes had compared to their male counterparts. Sophomore year of high school, when I realized what I was good at, I worked harder than I had in any other sport, so colleges would notice me. My dream came true when I was eventually recruited by a D1 NCAA collegiate rugby team, but respectfully declined to come to the University of South Carolina. After playing rugby for USC it was quickly evident to me that the women’s rugby team had to work harder to prove themselves to the university compared to the men’s team, even though we are ranked higher on a national level. With the men being provided better field conditions, equipment, more playing opportunities, and funding I decided to find out why this inequality was still present in the 21st century. One issue in society that many are not aware of or concerned about, that is highly relevant today, is the inequality of women in sports. Women have been undermined extensively, facing unequal treatment throughout history in the world of sports. After extensive research, it was evident that no major advancements were made in the improvement of equality within the areas of pay, advancement of women into professional sports, and media coverage of women’s sports after the enactment of Title IX. 

Throughout history women have been suppressed and constantly forced to fight for their rights. Around the time of 1848 and the Women’s Rights Movement, it seemed as if women had turned a corner. However, it took another 124 years for women in sports to gain acknowledgement, equal right to participate in sports and the hope to even be comparable to men in their programs through the enactment of Title IX. In 1972, the enactment of Title IX was intended to exclude discrimination on the basis of gender under any education program although women still faced inequalities such as fewer scholarships, opportunities to succeed, and only a small margin of media coverage on national television. 

Amanda Ottaway wrote a more contemporary article, published by ‘The Nation’, to discuss the impact of Title IX on women in sports. Ottaway interviewed many female athletes and, from their perspective, shared how women were still striving to reach professional levels and the pay grade equal to that of male athletes even after the enactment of Title IX. This article also proposes that Title IX could have a larger impact and actually create the ideal sports world between men and women if the media were not as prevalent in society as it is today. Ottaway writes, “According to the Minnesota’s Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, Women’s Athletics receives only about 4 percent of all sports media coverage.”  It was also found that the majority of sports reporters were male. This is detrimental to the women’s media coverage because male reporters are often biased and very sexist towards female athletes. Ottoway’s statements and opinions were in no way meant to undermine the improvements that have been made since the enactment of Title IX. However, the media has not improved or helped women excel in the world of sports.  

Although media is extremely prominent in society, we may not be able to change that but, there are ways to use the prominence of media in society to make a positive image of women in sports. Percentages of women who participate in sports have increased greatly since the enactment of Title IX, which could be credited to the prominence of media. There has been more opportunity for women to participate in sports although they have not received worldwide recognition. A way to improve this would be to promote women’s athletics through more endorsements, advertisements, and t.v. coverage. Also, hiring more female coaches, trainers and reporters would significantly increase the amount of respect women receive in the sports world. 

Some would argue adding more women to the sports world would negatively impact the males in the sports industry or athletic programs. However, Alia Wong addressed this in the article, “Where Girls Are Missing out on High School Sports.” Wong proposed the idea that female athletes were being placed at a huge disadvantage when Title IX was enacted. In the article Wong interviewed Susan Greenberg and Linda Flanagan, writers for the American Sports Council, who agreed with her stating, “Title IX has come with serious costs for female athletes because they’ve increased the health risks for players and prompted a drop in the number of women coaches, among other ramifications.” This statement was not supported by any statistical information of facts; therefore, there is opinionated bias in this article. Later on Wong addresses how to improve gender inequality in sports. It has been statistically proven that Southern states have a larger margin of inequality in regards to sports than northern states. Wong proposed that we try to integrate southern and northern states more in the sports world. Teams will only improve by playing other teams better than themselves and it would be beneficial to learn from each other, possibly providing more opportunity for the women in southern states. Integrating southern and northern sports teams would also allow for higher rates of opportunity and advancement for women coming from more recognition across a wider range of areas.  

An interesting facet of this topic that peaked my interest as a researcher was how different systems of governments throughout the world motivate women and help their female athletes become successful whether it is in the world of sports or in the business world. Eliana Dockterman wrote an article titled “Male and Female Athletes from Nations with Empowered Women Win More Medals” explaining her outlook on this matter. The United States was ranked 47th out of 130 nations in their measurement of the Gender Inequality Index. This indicates that Title IX did not have as much of an impact in the United States had hoped for when it was created. Women have received more medals than men in the Olympics ever since they were allowed to compete in the games, though many are not aware of this because the media and coverage of the Olympics is extremely skewed towards men’s sports. This is a prime example of women not receiving the attention and credit they deserve for their hard work and capabilities. 

Expanding on the idea of inequality between different systems of government, inequality in sports is prevalent all over the world. Shamila Kohestani, the captain of the first women’s Afghan national soccer team spoke on her struggle and dedication it took to lead her to this spot. Afghanistan undermines their women to the extent that Kohestani stressed how the simple human rights women in the U.S. do have are taken for granted nearly every day of our lives. Without sports she would have settled to become the “ideal” housewife woman of Afghan but her perseverance and love for the sport drove her to make a name for herself. Kohestani has a higher level understanding of inequality that made her speech highly resourceful. Leading by example is a characteristic that will allow women to gain more of their rights and excel in the areas they are passionate about. Kohestani provides a source of hope for all women who have struggled with any sort of inequality and provides an example of overcoming any challenges placed in your way. In society, women have been consistently faced with challenges but not all have been overcome. Kohestani has the potential to continue her movement and lead women to equal pay, opportunities, and equality in sports no matter the system of government or level of equality.

An example of women in leadership and someone who provides a source of hope for female athletes is Dr. Sharon Misasi. There is a very small amount of female coaches in the sports world and this is the main reason for a lack of female sports in the media. Male dominance in the sports world has caused male athletes to undermine and disrespect women placed in a coaching or leadership position on the field. Misasi writes, “Competition is highly based off how athletes perceive their coaches.” Therefore, that is the equivalent of our generation stating male athletes cannot be successful without a male leader who will lead them to the level of confidence needed.  Misasi also found women coaches are less likely to approach their male athletes. One can assume this is due to the level of respect that is not developed between male athletes and female coaches. With the new insight provided from Misasi’s research it was important to analyze how to solve this issue. One way to start placing women in leadership positions is to place women in the media in areas such as journalism and reporting. This would allow women to be more respected by men then lead them to be placed in coaching positions. With media acknowledgement women would gain significant ground in equality and respect in the sports world and with more female coaches, leaders, and media presence; more opportunities for advancement will become available for female athletes. 

Beyond the media, respect, and Title IX role of inequality in sports there is also the consideration of the biological factor. Yes, it is proven that men are genetically built for some things more so than women but that does not mean women cannot do everything that men can and vice versa. Jean O’Reilly, a doctor in the subject of English and American Studies discussed the physiological, biological, and psychological issues of women in sports. Such as how a women’s genetics and/or the stereotypes that come with this, may be what is causing such a gap between men and women’s athletics.  O’Reilly’s topic could have been the reason for inequality between men and athletics many years ago. The stereotype of women not being capable all things men can do cannot be supported with the science of genetics. As previously mentioned, the Olympics were a large turning point for this area of inequality. Once women entered the Olympics they dominated the same sports as men and proved themselves, yet still no recognition. Science has provided our society with more fortunes than we could know and medical advances have allowed men and women to excel in areas of athletics immensely. Although, it has brought about much controversy as to whether genetics and biology of women is valid as to why there has always been a large margin of inequality. It can be argued that the gender gap was also started from this stereotype. If this main factor is resolved, the idea of inequity between men and women would be deniable.  

A topic that is highly relevant to my generation currently and most of society is aware of, is the opportunity for collegiate scholarships among men being much higher than for women. O’Reilly was also highly pressed on this topic and states, “Today across the country sold out basketball games at universities attract thousands of spectators to watch athletes whose four years are paid for by athletic scholarships.” O’Reilly establishes the fact that men’s sports already have the popularity and as a society we support those who are being paid to go to school by attending these events but forgetting about the women. “This spectacular transformation in the funding and prominence of women’s sport highlights the personal and physical power of young women coming of age in an area of entitlement, in which the right to play sports and receive resources commensurate with men’s sports is rarely disputed” (O’Reilly). This quote accurately describes how many people are blind to the fact that women are highly aware of this issue but continue to remain silent. At the University of South Carolina, the fan base is a prime example of this. The Women’s basketball team is ranked #1 in the SEC whereas the Men’s team is #8 yet the student section is never empty for the men, and almost always empty for the women. To change this the school should promote women’s sports more, and provide more of a reward for attending. In the bigger picture, the media should promote female athletes and solve this issue for all levels of sports. The more popularity, the more money as well. Sponsorships and advertisements will come out of this promotion and female athletes will be paid at a higher, more respectable rate. 

It has been established that women must fight harder for what they believe in, work harder for their success, but continue to accept the lack of attention given by the media. This has shown women that everything is not handed to them. As a young athlete who has grown to a college level athlete, I am thankful for the inequalities I have faced in the world of sports. Title IX has provided the opportunity for women to participate in sports but life has provided women encouragement to be better than those who enable those inequalities. Many recommendations have been made as to how we can overcome these inequalities although none have been put in place. The first and last effort to equalize male and female sports was the enactment of Title IX in 1972. Title IX failed to end discrimination specifically at the collegiate level, creating a systematic problem across the United States. No matter how much women are encouraged at a young age and throughout their lives it is the harsh reality that no matter the amount of work, time, or experience the pay will be unequal and the opportunities are limited. The glass ceiling is a concept that is referenced to represent the invisible barrier that keeps women from continuing to rise and become highly successful. This is an extremely applicable term in the world of sports due to women’s lack of opportunity to become professional athletes and the low pay grade even if they do make it there. For future reference, the solution to this problem starts with education. Educating the public on this topic will bring about awareness and change. Bridging the gender gap will bring equality and peace not only in the sports world but all over the world. Title IX was the start to something that could have exploded in to a revolution of new equality and opportunities but it is not too late to bring that about. The inequalities faced by women will be the motivating force that leads women to an era of success. 
