Women Are Strong Enough To Overcome The Disadvantages in Sports

Each year, thousands of college students pursue athletics as part of their school career. As with all other aspects in life, scholarships and sport choices provide women with different opportunities than men. This has been a recurring issue ever since women began participating in university athletics on a steady basis. Although some changes have attempted to instill equality, today’s society still does not keep males from having the upper hand in the athletic world. Because of the lack of funding and opportunities, female athletes suffer unfair disadvantages to men in the area of athletics. Beginning in the mid 1960s it was apparent that female athletes were severely underfunded and outnumbered. People such as Billy Jean King, a female Olympic-level athlete, began speaking out about the differences in scholarship funding and availability. After years of petitioning, arguing, rallying and ranting, finally as a response to these gender discriminating accusations, an initial step was taken to close the gap between unequal collegiate level scholarships.

The leap began with the enactment of Title IX in the Education Amendments of 1972, and has greatly progressed from there. Title IX is one aspect of the Education Amendments that paved the way for female athletics. By banning sex discrimination in all aspects of academics and athletics, women were rapidly provided with numerous fresh and new opportunities. Though Title IX endorsed equity in both academics and athletics, most controversy fell under the attention of the athletic world. With the new attention being given to the women, universities and schools began exploring th...

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...ny more scholarship opportunities and sport choices than females. This issue of unfair treatment between male and female athletes is slowly being resolved, yet still has room for progression. Even though gender discrimination is clearly restricted in the United States, small, overlooked areas are still gliding under the radar. The area of collegiate athletics is clearly not women’s based area, and has been a recurring challenge since women began participating in athletics. Like Sheryl Swoopes says, “Be positive and work hard. It’s possible to overcome anything, if you’re willing to work at it.” Women are strong enough to overcome the disadvantages in sports, they simply need to keep trying and challenging and demanding. And in a country such as the United States of America, which is built on equality and individualism, why should impartiality stop before athletics?