JUNE: Celebrate the 45th Anniversary of Title IX

by The Women’s Sports Foundation

This June we celebrate the 45th anniversary of Title IX, the landmark legislation providing girls equal opportunities to become leaders. The Women’s Sports Foundation works diligently to protect Title IX and to give women the support they need to reach the top.

The 1972 Olympics, held two months after the passage of Title IX, saw 84 women compete for the U.S., representing 21% of the team. At the 2016 Rio Games, more than half of the U.S. Olympic team was female. The nearly 300 U.S. Olympian women in Rio was the highest number of female athletes to ever represent a single nation. We can thank Title IX.

Photo credit: The Women’s Sports Foundation

“It’s kind of crazy to me that I’m now an Olympian and went from being told that I couldn’t even do this sport at one point,” said Adeline Gray, U.S. Wrestler, and WSF athlete. As a middle school student, Gray was told she could not compete in wrestling because there was only a boys’ team. She persisted, advocating for her rights under Title IX, eventually landing a position on the team.