Evolution Of Women's Sports

There has been a dynamic and continuing growth of women's sports since the late 1960s. Triathlons, marathons, soccer, aerobics, weightlifting, rugby, skiing, two professional basketball leagues (although one folded in late 1998), athletic clubs, and even cheerleading are among the many sports available to women, none of which existed a century ago and few of which existed a generation earlier. The passing of the Educational Act of 1972, specifically Title IX has paved the way for women in sports. For today’s young women role models are available and willing to promote not only their sport but also their gender.
In the late 1960s the modern feminist movement, a youth culture, and other sources of social unrest unsettled both the nation as a whole and the sports world in particular. Billie Jean King defied international tennis tradition and authorities at Wimbledon in 1968, when she demanded an end to under-the-table payments; then she defeated another symbol of patriarchy, Bobby R...