A quick shout-out to Title IX

As much as I am a fan of comic books, superheroes, and science fiction, I’m also a sports fan.  And in these early days of the Rio Olympics, it makes me want to give a quick shout-out to one of the great equalizers in United States athletics, Congress.  Because, way back in 1972, Congress passed an amendment to several federal laws, including the Higher Education Act of 1965, and President Nixon signed it into law.  (Think about that the next time you consider Watergate, presidential arrogance, or the fact that Nixon was basically an unrepentant jerk.)

That amendment came to be known simply as “Title IX,” and it provided that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”  That means that any educational institution that receives federal funds and, realistically, that’s pretty much all of them, cannot distinguish between male and female versions of the same sport.  And that has paid dividends for the United States in these and prior Olympics, particularly in team sports.

The U.S. has the best women’s soccer team in the world, according to FIFA rankings.  They are the current World Cup champions, and they won the gold medal at the London Olympic games.  As an unabashed fan of the team, I will say that their playing style can be remarkably fluid, while still retaining a physical crunch, when they play at their best.  They are favorites to win gold in Rio.  The U.S. women’s basketball team is even more dominant.  In their case, the question is less whether they win gold than whether anyone can even provide a serious challenge.

Bear in mind that the U.S., although it has professional leagues for both women’s soccer and basketball, does not devote tremendous energy or funds to those sports at the professional level.  These athletes may ply their trades overseas during the regular season, or they may do so in front of small crowds at home, but they are still some of the best in the world.  And I suspect they have Title IX to thank for it.

A few days ago, I wrote that governments run on money.  So does sports.  (Actually, doesn’t just about everything?)  Title IX ensures that women’s sports in the U.S. get a fair shake in terms of funding at the collegiate level, and that is the fire in which greatness is forged.  The results seem to be speaking for themselves.  The U.S. soccer team has won both its games in Rio (Go Carli Lloyd! Go Dash!), and USA basketball just took its first game in a match-up that wasn’t even close.  It is hard to imagine that the results would be the same without allowing these athletes the right kind of funding, which leads to the right kind of training and coaching, during their developmental years. So, here’s to Title IX, and to many more titles.