16 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED | SI.COM
SCORECARDopportunity to continue that
aspect of Title IX’s legacy.
There have been plenty of
victories and abundant progress
made since 1972, but also setbacks.
The inequities at the NCAA
women’s basketball tournament
last year—widely publicized on
social media—were among them.
In most places, the resources
available to women’s sports teams
still lag behind those the men enjoy.
And three decades into my career,
I still go to meetings in which I
am the only woman in the room.
I’ve come to think about the
expansion of women’s and girls
sports in four different categories.
All of them have been inf luenced
by Title IX. With every one of these,
you can point to progress. And with
every one, you can also talk about
the work that remains.
The first is participation. The
massive growth in this area just
can’t be denied: Many more girls
and women play sports at every
level today than they did 50 years
ago. Though conditions aren’t
always equal, true parity is actually
possible to imagine.
The second is women as
spectators. I remember being part
of fan development conversations
in my early years at the NBA and
asking: Are women watching? Are
they buying our tickets and products?
Should we market to them specifically?
Now, men’s and women’s sports
alike take for granted that women
are part of their consumer bases
and can (and do) root forcefully
with their wallets. Title IX is at
least partly the reason why.
The third is the emergence of
women’s professional leagues
and highly competitive collegiate
competition. Had there not
been robust participation—
enabled by Title IX—in the lower
levels of women’s sports, therewould not be a WNBA or an NWSL
or the other pro leagues that seem
certain to be formed in the future.
Thanks to Title IX, women now
also make up more than half of
Team USA, with female Olympic
participation picking up steam in
many other nations as well.
The fourth is women in sports
leadership. Women aren’t just
playing; they’re key decision makersand are making their presence felt
across the sports business spectrum,
whether in leagues, college
conferences, national governing
bodies, networks and ownership
groups or at the brands that are
buying in. The example we’ve set in
the U.S. is inspiring women athletes
and leaders to press ahead globally
as well, no easy feat in places where
there is no legal counterpart toVIR
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