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As many of you may know, the anniversary of Title IX is TODAY. While this piece of legislation sought to grant equal opportunities for both boys and girls in all federal funded programs, it made the most impact in the world of sports. Before 1972 it was rare that girls had opportunities to play organized sports. And even if they did, the school or organization rarely provided adequate facilities.

Having grown up in a time where boys and girls have equal access to most resources, hearing about such a lack of infrastructure was appalling to me.  As I grew up I took these resources for granted because I assumed women always had these rights. I mean, how could they not? How could a school fund the boys’ athletic team and not the girls? In my mind it didn’t add up. I’ve played soccer my whole life.  I’ve always had a locker room to change in and a field to play on. It wasn’t until my sophomore year in high school that I was even aware of Title IX and its impact. I mean it was my high schools girls’ soccer team that won CIF, State, and League…Sorry boys! We were simply the better team. But if it weren’t for Title IX my teams’ accomplishments wouldn’t have been possible.

It’s important to concentrate on why Title IX is still relevant today and the ways Title IX will continue to make an impact in the future. Simply put, sports scholarships allow students to get a college education for little to no money. Without Title IX this opportunity would only be available to boys. The passing of Title IX has allowed hundreds of thousands of girls to obtain a college degree – and with this degree doors open and opportunities become available.

I look around at all the great women I have as role models – and most of them played sports when they were younger. They are now successful collegiate players, professional players, executives and entrepreneurs. Where would they be without Title IX?

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Nike via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Nike.

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• Soccer
• Sports
• SportsPLUS
• Discrimination/Title IX
• History

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