Let her play: An analysis of Title IX and the development of the modern female

The modern development of women’s sports in the United States begins in an opportunistic manner with the passing of Title IX in 1972 as an amendment to the 1964 U.S. Civil Rights Act. The multiple-decade impact of the renamed Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act is impressive—it allows women access to sports, and provided access to scholarships for them to obtain a post-secondary degree. Title IX also grew the pool of women athletes worldwide (mainly through U.S. college athletic recruiting) that would horizontally develop semi-professional teams and vertically develop younger women’s sports team as feeder systems. While acknowledging that Title IX has experienced controversy, missteps, and unintended outcomes as described in this article, this federal law is noted as the most successful civil rights statue in history. The direct application of Title IX has seen its days in court and on the field. Even with this colorful history, Title IX has educated generations of women and has brought reality to the words “level the playing field.” This article travels through the history of Title IX, summarizes key points, reviews issues and successes, provides relevant data, and closes with a current look at the law’s implementation.