Citation

Stone GL. Sports Health 2022; 14(6): 793-794.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/19417381221129265

PMID

36317472

Abstract

As the country celebrates 50 years of Title IX, we are excited that Sports Health is publishing this issue as a contribution to that celebration. The approach toward women in sport has changed significantly in the past 5 decades. In 1972, Journal of the American Medical Association published an article confirming that participation in the “Olympic Games had no harmful effects on the birth functions of women.”11 That year, 1059 women competed in the Munich Olympic Games compared with 6075 men.9 Since then, the worldwide Olympic community has reflected the shift after Title IX in the United States. Last year at the Tokyo Olympic Games, almost half the competitors were female: 5498 women compared with 5985 men.2

These numbers reflect a continually changing attitude toward girls and women in sport and broader participation at all levels. At the high school level, girls comprised 7% of varsity athletes in 1972 and 43% in 2019. At the college level, that number grew from 15% to 44%.1

I competed internationally in rowing from 2006 to 2021, including the Olympic Games in London, Rio, and Tokyo. I am fortunate to have trained and competed recently, standing on the shoulders of the women who came before me. My coaches in high school and college were all women. Boathouses at which I rowed had equal spaces for women and men, and our equipment was always the same level. Everyone raced 2000 meters. I always enjoyed the comfort and support of performance sports bras. I know that it was not always this way, as my mom is one of those giants from the early days of women’s rowing …

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; *Sports