Over the weekend, Division II West Chester celebrated the 50th anniversary of women's athletics at the university. One of the oldest women's varsity athletics programs in the country, West Chester serves as a poignant reminder of the struggles women waged on behalf of gender equity.

In my position at the NCAA, I've had the unique opportunity to meet many pioneers in women's athletics. As someone born after the adoption of Title IX, it's sometimes easy to take for granted the sacrifices that men and women made to give me an equitable life.
For the 35th anniversary of Title IX, I helped produce a feature called, "What does Title IX mean to you?"

I interviewed women and men from several generations, asking them to reflect on the impact the legislation made on their lives.

"One of the most frustrating things in the world is to be given a gift--a talent--and not being given the opportunity to express that gift," two-time Olympic softball gold medalist Dot Richardson told me as she recounted the coach that suggested she dress as a boy in order to play little league. She refused and instead opted for softball.

As a kid Donna Lopiano, former CEO of the Women's Sports Foundation, had the dream of pitching for the New York Yankees. She was crushed when she was told she couldn't play little league because she is a girl. "I don't think there's anything worse than a child being told they can't pursue their dreams," she said. (Lopiano was recently named to an International Baseball Federation panel, which will push to make women's baseball an Olympic sport.)

When Senior Associate Commissioner and Chief of Staff of the Horizon League Alfreeda Goff began her track and field coaching career, some parents were reluctant to allow their daughters to participate, fearing that rigorous physical would prevent the girls from having babies later in life.

Beyond the stories of struggle, misconceptions and opportunities lost, there was an overwhelming fear that the current generation fails to grasp the importance of Title IX.
"I've had an opportunity to work with undergraduate students, graduate students, young professionals and I'm amazed at how few fully understand what Title IX is," said former NCAA Senior Vice President Judy Sweet.

When my grandmother went to college (an unusual feat in its own right in 1942) women were trained for supportive roles. According to the Report Card on Gender Equity, before Title IX, most medical and law schools limited the number of women admitted to 15 or fewer per school.

Fifty years isn't that long ago, but it's incredible to me how far our society has come since West Chester first introduced women's athletics. Is it really a bad thing that my generation can't fathom a time when women weren't given the opportunity to explore their athletic and academic abilities?

Is that progress?

If we don't understand the history of Title IX and the shared sacrifices of those who helped enact it, is the future of gender equity at risk?

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