Looking Back:
Women in Sports
“Celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day” (Feb. 1)
This special day was established by President Reagan in 1987. The topic is great fun for me, because I have witnessed a lot of the girls in sports ‘movement’, you probably have too. It is also fun because of my two favorite female athletes, my wife, and daughter. As a boy in North Missouri, I watched girls play half-court basketball. It was assumed they couldn’t or shouldn’t be playing full court because of female “issues”. In high school, girls had few athletic options. The Glee Club was their main ‘sport’. I did not know until later that women had to force themselves into most sporting events. Women have been doing daring things to push the ball forward. Pun intended. I recently realized that part of the reason women’s sports were slow to develop was the subtle belief by some folks that it was not proper for boys to watch girls, that are not fully covered, play sports. (You know what I mean?) Well, those folks should not watch modern beach volleyball. Right?
Early stuff: Cal vs Stanford in women’s basketball in 1896. Standford won 2-1. Really? Three years later women’s basketball was banned. The attitude toward women in sports was stopped before it really got going. But women were not to be denied.
Olympics: In 1896 zero women were in the first modern Olympics. It was felt a woman’s place was to cheer on their men. In 1900 twelve women entered in tennis and golf, 1996 nearly 4,000 participated in many sports. At the London Olympics, for the first time, every competing country included female athletes in its delegation, with a total of 4,847. In 1991 parity in Olympic Sports was required. When this happened participation of women went from 21% to 40%. It is fun to note that women formed their own Olympics and it ran from 1922 to 1934. As it became more and more popular the IAAF (men’s organization) decided to absorb the event, but they still allowed only five events. Silly, right?
Firsts: In 1926 Getrude Ederle swam the English Channel. In the ‘88 and ‘92 Olympics speed skater, Bonnie Blair, was the most followed athlete (male or female). In 1931 a daring women tennis player wore shorts playing at Wimbledon, (A big scandal.) In 1932 Amelia Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic, Also in 1932 Babe Didrikson shines at the ‘32 Olympics. Her head-first high jump was banned. Junko Ishibashi was the first woman to climb Mt. Everest (1975). In 1976, the gymnast, Nadia Comaneci, scored a perfect 10. In 1977 Janet Guthrie competed in the Indy 500. In 1985 Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod, In 1993 Julie Krone was the first women jockey to win a TC horse race. In 1994 the Tonya Harding vs Nancy Kerrigan ice skating scandal was the top news story. In 1996 the first women’s basketball training center was started. In 1986 we saw the first women play in a men’s pro Basketball league. In 1996 the WNBA was formed. On Feb. 4, 2023, the Komers saw an MSU Lady Bears game with two of the three refs being female. I heard some of you moan. You are right- that is no longer unusual.
Baseball: In 1889 Lizzie Arlington became the first woman to play Professional baseball. In 1931 Jackie Mitchell pitched against a pro men’s team (striking out Ruth and Gehrig). That is amazing, right? In 1943 the first women’s professional baseball league was formed. (The movie, “A League of Their Own”, is a must see). In 1972 Bernice Gera was the first woman to umpire a professional baseball game. In 1989 Victoria Brucker was the first girl to start in a Little League World Series. We have seen several since. Women’s softball is now wildly popular.
Marathon: In 1967 Katherine Switzer lied about being a girl to become the first woman accepted into Boston Marathon. When discovered they tried to physically throw her out. In 1984 Benoit won the first Olympic Women’s Marathon.
In 1972 President Richard Nixon signed the Title IX Education Amendment. The law provided a way for women to fight for equal funding and opportunity in athletics. Remember, Title IX was not just for sports, but for any discrimination in education that was using Federal funds. On the heels of Title IX (1973), the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ took place. It was a super big deal. Well known tennis players Billy Jean King beat Bobby Riggs and the women’s movement took a giant leap forward. In 1973 the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) was formed. In 1974 King formed the first Women’s Sports Foundation.
Soccer: In 1996 the US women won the first Olympic women’s soccer championship (over 76,000 poured into the stadium). In 1991 the first women’s soccer World Cup was played (USA won 2-1). In 1999 the women’s soccer World Cup sold out NFL Stadiums. In 2000 the first women pro soccer league was formed. The finals of the 2012 Olympic games and World Cup between the United States and Japan shatter the record as the most watched soccer game in American history. It drew 25.4 million viewers worldwide. The women’s pro soccer team in KC (the Current) announced they were building the first ever stadium designed for women. Patrick and Brittany Mahomes are part owners. In pro sports, equal pay for the ladies is their next battle.
2018 Missouri established girls wrestling as an MSHSAA Sport. Our Cardinal girl wrestlers are doing great. Apparently, they are not as fragile as many thought. Keep going ladies.
