This summer we celebrate 50 years of Title IX—a game-changer for women and girls in sports. Before this crucial federal protection, girls made up only 7% of high school athletes. With virtually no sports scholarships available to women, female college athletes taped together uniforms. And they faced blatant discrimination, on the court and off. Indeed, 60 years ago, a young girl playing her first tournament at the Los Angeles Tennis Club was forced to step out of a group photo—because she was wearing shorts, not a skirt.
When she arrived at college, she noticed many male athletes received athletic scholarships, but there was no financial assistance for female tennis players. Nationwide, female athletes received 2% of college athletic budgets.
To make ends meet, she had two jobs—one as an elementary school playground director and another handing out equipment in the locker room—despite being one of the best tennis players in the nation.
