A Slam-dunk for Women's Sports

On Tuesday, July 30, 2002, Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks made history with a slam-dunk. Although the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) has been around for five years, this was the first dunk-shot ever recorded during a professional game.

There's much debate about whether sports viewing audiences care much for the women's league, because the intensity and excitement of play doesn't match that of their men's counterpart - the NBA, founded in 1949. After all, one slam-dunk in five years is a low number compared to several counts in one NBA game. However, few disagree that this was a milestone event in the world of athletics. After all, it wasn't until 1938 that a men's basketball player - about a year after the creation of the now-extinct National Basketball League - made the first one-handed shot, the most common form used today.

Women have routinely struggled for support and recognition in athletic endeavors, often being compared to men's capabilities rather than standing tall in their own right and abilities - allowing fair play to sort out the competition. Even in the 21st Century, when equal rights might seem like a no-brainer to many Americans, inequalities still persist, in the field and on the court.

In this week's lesson, you'll shoot through a timeline of sports history and track important events. You'll also learn about Title IX (pronounced, "Title 9") - the guiding principle in gender equity sports that affects every student's school, local recreational leagues, college programs and professional sports associations.

From the Beginning

Women have been participating in sports for quite a while - some historical cases go back as far as 776 B.C.! Start at the beginning, at the History of Women in Sports Timeline, hosted by the St. Lawrence County Branch of the New York State of AAUW (American Association of University Women). Explore each decade and millennium year, and write down some of the events that you think are most interesting. Which activities do you do now or would you like to do in your lifetime? Maybe climb14,410-foot Mt. Rainier in Washington like Fay Fuller did in 1890? Play tennis or ice hockey? Enjoy the challenge of alpine skiing? What did you think were the most amazing achievements and why? How do you think this history has contributed to these sports today - for both men and women?

Make sure to stop on the 1960-1979 page to note the years 1972-1975. Several significant events happened during this time, including the creation and activation of the law called Title IX, which basically made sure that federal funding going to public schools be used fairly in sports programs for both male and female students.

Geena Davis Takes Aim at Title IX

Before 1972, schools generally favored sports for boys only, often excluding girls completely from participation. Although the situation has come a long way, 30 years later some unfairness still exists. So much so, that actress and archery competitor Geena Davis is speaking out for the rights of women athletes. Visit her site, Geena Takes Aim at Title IX, hosted at the Women's Sports Foundation. Find out a little more about what this law means at Title IX: What is it? Then find out why Geena Davis supports women's sports so strongly, and read some Unbelievables! - stories about in-your-face discrimination against female athletes. Whether you're a boy or a girl, how would you react if you were in that person's shoes?

Next, start scrutinizing your own school. Go to Grade Your School section. You may have to do a little research, but try filling out the School Report Card form to examine and compare your sports programs. What similarities and what differences do you notice? What do you think is fair or unfair about the current conditions? What do your peers think? Have you ever seen or heard about any conflicts over inequality in your sport activities? How do you think experience and support in school sports impacts the stability and skill-level of professional leagues?

Also familiarize yourself with Geena's Eye on the Media section. How well do you think media coverage - in newspapers, magazines, and on TV - fairly represent women's sports? How much do you think their coverage influences what people think about them, or how well the teams feel supported?