"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."
– On June 23, 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments Act was enacted by Congress.
Despite having no mention of or reference to sports, Calli Sanders, senior associate director for sports administration at Iowa State, says this seemingly innocuous amendment to the Education Act of 1972 was a watershed moment for girls and women in sports.
“When the realization was made that this legislation applied to sports, there was significant growth in participation opportunities for girls and women,” Sanders says. “And beyond just the numbers, the opportunities have become more meaningful — the quality of the experience has been improved when you think of scholarships, facilities, operating budgets, quality coaching, and media attention to name a few. We continue to strive for even more and better opportunities but the impact of Title IX over the last 50 years is staggering.”