But, for a long time, girls were not encouraged

to kick,

throw,

run,

jump,

shoot,

slide,

or hit like boys.

So, why did things change?

And how much have they changed?

Are girls and boys treated equally

when it comes to sports?

To begin to answer these questions,

we have to look back.

In 1972, Congress passed a law called Title IX,

which protected girls and women

from discrimination in schools,

colleges,

and universities.

This included discrimination in school-sponsored sports.

At that time, only 15% of college athletes were women,

and in high schools,

only 7% of athletes were girls.

Female athletes didn't get a lot of support either

and often had to provide their own uniforms and equipment.

It was Title IX that forced school administrators

to make sports more equal.

But what does equal mean in sports?

The government developed rules

to measure equality under two general categories:

participation

and treatment.

In the early days of Title IX,

the number of girls playing sports was so low

that it would have been very difficult

for schools to suddenly provide exactly the same number

of opportunities for girls and boys.

Instead, the government wrote rules

that gave schools three options, or tests,

to demonstrate fairness in opportunities for girls.

The three tests are

proportionality,

progress,

and satisfied interests.

A school can pick which test to follow.

Proportionality means that girls should receive

the same percentage of athletic opportunities

as the percentage of girls in the student body.

So, if 51% of students are girls,

then girls should have approximately

51% of the opportunities to play sports.

The second test, progress,

requires schools to make up for the days

when girls had fewer opportunities

by adding new sports for girls on a regular basis.

The third test asks if girls interested

in athletics are satisfied.

Under this test, a school must regularly ask

female students what sports they are interested in

and also take into consideration the popularity

of certain sports in the area

where the school is located.

It must, then, add teams according to the girls' interests.

Another important part of Title IX

is that it doesn't just look at how many

athletic opportunities are available to each sex

but whether those opportunities are of equal quality.

Specifically, Title IX requires equality

between boys and girls teams for things

like equipment and supplies,

publicity,

the scheduling of games and practice times,

and the quality and number of coaches.

Girls should also have equal access

to locker rooms,

practice spaces, and competitive facilities,

as well as medical services.

So, if the best time to play basketball is on Friday nights

because that's when most parents and fans can come,

then the girls and boys teams

should take turns playing on Friday night.

If boys teams play in a stadium with lights,

scoreboards,

and concession stands,

then girls teams must have the same opportunity,

either by sharing those facilities

or getting their own of equal quality.

But, as we all know,

just because a law exists

doesn't mean that everybody follows it.

School officials are responsible

for making sure there is fairness in sports,

but you can help, too,

by keeping an eye on your own school.

Look around.

Are there a lot more boys than girls who play sports?

Is the boys' soccer field better than the girls'?

Are athletic trainers available to all teams equally?

Does the baseball team get new uniforms every year,

while the softball team gets them every three years?

If you think there might be inequality in your schools,

you can approach a school administrator,

a parent,

or the Office of Civil Rights,

a government agency that makes sure schools

comply with Title IX

because equality is important for everyone,

both on the field and off.