The June 22nd issue of Sports Illustrated is a must-read for sports fans. It’s dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Title IX which changed the face of sports, especially for females, forever.
The first article I read was about Val Ackerman who was 12 years old in 1972 and a typical girl playing catch with a football or baseball with her dad and brother in the yard, but not competing because the only competition available was an occasional swim meet and cheerleader tryouts at her middle school where she failed to make the team.
Well, this frustrated cheerleader took advantage of Title IX and after playing college and pro basketball became a lawyer, first working for the NFL and now is the Commissioner of the prestigious Big East Conference. Wow!!
After I read about the changes Title IX brought for girls my mind went to a story I’ve repeated dozens of times about my grade school experiences in the 1950s at Gridley.
It goes like this. “Steve, were you the best athlete in your grade school?”
My answer was always “No, I was the third-best athlete in my class of 19! The two best were Doreen and Norma hands down and this was verified because they were always chosen first in softball, volleyball, dodge ball even tag or hide and seek.”
The sad part is those girls had no chance to become outstanding players on teams because girls didn’t compete. They would have been amazing!
Now fast forward a few years when we moved to Emporia for my eighth-grade year. Girls didn’t play sports here either and I don’t know if my friends Jan, Karen, or Nancy even wanted to. It never came up. They were active, two cheerleaders one even a Queen, but no sports.
Here’s a fact I’ll share. All of Paul and Odessa Terry’s kids attended Emporia High including Beverly and Barbara who finished in the sixties. The Terrys had three sons. brothers Martin, John, and Charles that all played Division I NCAA basketball. Father Paul played basketball on a state championship team coached by Alfred Smith in the thirties.
There’s yet another story there for another time.
Quite a family tree! Do you think those girls might have excelled given the chance? And I’m sure there were many other girls who could have done well.
The good news is much has been corrected, but not everything is equal, and since I’m in no position to judge having a boy-dominated family I am excited that girls do have many more opportunities and many are taking full advantage.
Credit both Emporia pubic schools and ESU Athletics for being leaders in implementing these opportunities for girls.
Title IX was just 37 words tucked away in an Education bill in 1972, but it has made our world a better place to live.
I’m Steve Sauder
