The sports community has always struggled to realize the leadership roles of women but even if unrecognized women have been involved in sports leadership since the 1960’s. In more recent years there has been more of an emphasis on the growth and increased excitement for female athletics and because of this, there has been an advance in women’s leadership roles, although still underrepresented. Even with the growth of involvement women still account for less than half of the coaches for women’s college sports teams and only 26.9% of positions for international sports federations are held by women.
“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,” Title IX
The purpose of Title IX is to give women athletes the right to equal opportunities in educational institutions that receive federal funding. The three parts of Title IX are effective accommodations for students’ interests and abilities. The “laundry list”, includes equipment and supplies, traveling allowances, coaching, and practice and competitive facilities. The last part is athletic financial assistance such as scholarships. The Title IX Civil Rights Act was signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon on June 23, 1972.
This spring all eyes are going to be on Kansas City’s National Women’s Soccer League team whose games will take place in the new $120 million stadium which is the first-ever sports facility built exclusively for women’s sports. The stadium is a testament to the return on the investment potential of women’s sports. Now sports team owners aren’t just operating the teams but are now investing to grow the all-around profit. The only majority female-founded and run professional sports team in the world is the Angel City Football Club. 30 of the 41 investors of the club are female, and the club was originally founded by three females.
The Chicago Bears are known for their male players and investors but not many people know that the team is owned by a woman named Virginia Halas McCaskey who took over the team when her father died and has been closely involved with the franchise since its inception. Dan Pompei, a pro football writer said, “Nobody has seen as much NFL history up close as she has,”. The WNBA’s Sue Bird joined the ownership group of the Seattle Storm in 2024. With a career of 20 years playing for the WNBA and will continue to put effort in building the community around women’s sports.
To continue the women population growth in sports and advance into leadership roles, people are going to need to pay attention to the women in sports fields and they are going to need more male allies to be more intentional about putting women in the spotlight
