As always, I'm a bit late to the party. But hey, look at the last post. I've been slightly preoccupied lately.
Anyways, this country is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Title IX. And all those retrospectives on women in sports got me to thinking about how Title IX has impacted my life. Now I was never much an athlete. I played a couple of seasons of t-ball and enjoyed my summer swim league. I joined the cross-country and tennis teams in junior high, but didn't play any sports in high school since I was an oh-so-cool band geek. I did row for almost a year in college, but I was absolutely positively horrible. So yeah, not an athlete.
Even though I didn't directly benefit from Title IX through access to a soccer field or a basketball scholarship, this legislation has still played an indirect but important part in my life. Title IX made sports socially acceptable for women. It wasn't automatic, but over time it became "normal" to see girls playing sports. And so even though I never earned a varsity letter, I grew up in a world where an active young woman is not a freak. My hobby of running is not seen as some extreme sport--it is normal. This social acceptability of fitness is crucial in a sedentary society with high rates of obesity. Now granted, there's still much to be done with respect to fitness. However, without Title IX I think things would be even worse.
And now, as I prepare to bring a child in to this world, I'm even more grateful for Title IX. If this baby takes after either of his/her parents, well, let's just say we won't be welcoming any college coaches on recruiting visits. But that doesn't matter--this baby can enter a world where children of both genders can play sports and learn that fitness and physical activity are FUN and worthwhile and part of a normal, healthy lifestyle. And there's not much more I can ask for my child.
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