National Girls and Women in Sports Day: Support Title IX

February 6, 2008 is National Girls and Women in Sports Day, celebrated to honor the achievement of and encourage the participation of female athletes. Besides the obvious health and fitness benefits of participating in sports, adolescent athletes have better body-images and higher self-esteem.

Participating in sports helps girls learn to work with others to achieve common goals and accept defeat as well as success. Female athletes learn to set goals and trust their bodies and their own abilities. With all of the negative media hype around young female starlets, girls need all the help they can get.

Yet ever since Title IX, the 1972 Education Amendment declaring it unconstitutional to discriminate against females in school sports, was passed people have been trying to tear it down. Each school receiving Title IX funding should have a designated Title IX Compliance Officer - do you know who yours is?

June 23, 2007 was the 35th anniversary of Title IX, yet discrimination against girls in sports and female athletes continues, and in fact, Title IX has been watered down. Review your school's policies about female athletes and girls in sports and fight for equity for our daughters. A healthy future depends on it.

Thank you Michael for use of photo of MHS girls basketball.

Labels: female athletes, girls sports, Title IX

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