A Generation After Title IX, Some Still Think 'Women Can't Play Sports'

It's been 37 years since Title IX was passed, opening doors for women and girls in higher education and sports. Yet you'd never know it from the views of some college students.

In an opinion piece for today's edition of the San Jose University Spartan Daily, staff writer Angela Marino admits to overhearing a male student complain about women's sports, adding that he doesn't think women can play sports. Marino points out that it's a common perception, and one that she's run up against:

A woman athlete...not only compet[es] against competitors during games, but...has to combat the entire male dominated sports media to receive its respect and get adequate coverage.

I have experienced this first hand.

I began playing golf when I was 10 years old. I was surrounded by older men who were more than a little skeptical of my presence on the course.

Today, when I go to the driving range I still receive awkward looks as I set up on my mat.

Male golf players stare at me as if I should have spent my Saturday afternoon shopping.

As a point of reference, Marino looks at the salaries of two top basketball players, one from the WNBA and one from the NBA. It's like comparing apples and oranges. The woman earns $87,000 while the man earns $20 million. Yet both play the same sport.

Marino writes, "Female athletes have the ability to be as influential as male athletes if given the same opportunities that male athletes have been given." She believes that bias exists because men are regarded as the dominant source of physical strength.

Can a man handle a strong woman? I think many can. Back in July I heard from a male reader whom I'll call Tom. He wrote to me directly, asking for advice:

Over the years summer ice hockey teams I played on would round out the  roster with a female or two. It was always a great addition to the  experience. I found a few of the women attractive, but I was married  at the time. My former wife and I split nearly two years ago....

One of my [current] co-workers played hockey [in college]....She  has a lot of the traits I found attractive in my former female summer  hockey league teammates....These women...have character and a good sense of themselves; it is easy to respect  them and be with them. Where can I find....women  who like hockey, appreciate good education, and the other traits these  women have?

According to the Women's Sports Foundation, Tom's observations pick up on a key difference between women who play (or played sports) and those who did not participate in team play:

Girls and women who play sports have higher levels of confidence and self esteem and lower levels of depression...[They] have a more positive body image and experience higher states of psychological well-being than girls and women who do not play sports.

We have an entire generation that has grown up enjoying the benefits of Title IX, yet some outdated ideas still linger.

So why does Tom value his co-worker's sports-oriented background while Marino's male student belittles women's sports? Possibly because he's still a student and has yet to understand the value  that women who possess 'team sport' skills bring to the work environment.  As Donna Lopiano argues in an article for the Women's Sports Foundation:

Women without sports experience are disadvantaged in the work setting....It is no accident that 80% of the female executives at Fortune 500 companies identified themselves as former ""tomboys"" - having played sports.

Whether or not women who don't play sports are disadvantaged at work, one fact is true -- women's sports continue to grow; and as more strong, capable, and fierce competitors like Serena Williams emerge from the world of women's sports, their talent and abilities will be close the gender gap Title IX has fought against for a generation.

Related article:
Title IX - What It Is, What It Covers, How It Came to Be Passed