Love Middle Life is a blog focused on women in the middle of life…and I can’t help but be excited about how far we have come and the amazing achievements of current women athletes in my lifetime.
I tend to be a sports fan that jumps on the bandwagon of the excitement of sports competitions when they are down to the final games…the Super Bowl, World Series, and this past weekend, the Women’s NCAA Championship. Well, I wasn’t alone on Sunday, as 9.9 million of us tuned in for the NCAA Tournament final – a record TV audience for a women’s college basketball game.
The main draw for this LSU and Iowa State showdown was Iowa star, Caitlin Clark. In her March Madness run, she broke records galore and is a McDonald’s All-American and a multi-award winning Player of the Year. It was an exciting game, to say the least. And I’ve also become enamored with Kim Mulkey, the Hall of Fame LSU coach. Her talent and eye catching outfits are a winning combination. If you haven’t checked out these two and so many others who are emerging on the scene, take a minute and learn a little more about them.
Women and sports have come a long way, indeed.
The integration of women into sports is a result of long developments and debates…for something like 120 years. At the Olympic Games in 1896 women were not allowed to participate, as we were considered the ‘weaker sex’. Oh. Boy.
Of course, the biggest game changer for women and sports is Title IX. Title IX, the law best known for its role in gender equity in athletics and preventing sexual harassment on campuses, was signed into law in 1972. I was five. It was signed by President Richard Nixon after being shepherded through Congress in part by Rep. Patsy Mink, a Democrat from Hawaii who was the first woman of color elected into the U.S. House.
Watching the takeoff of women’s college basketball is pretty cool to witness in real-time. It is an exciting time for women’s sports, and I’m going to continue tuning in and cheering on all of these great athletes!