Is Aggie Pride for Men's Team Only?

Yesterday, my Women in Leadership class attended a panel discussion about women and athletics in honor of Title IX Day. Prior to this discussion, I had never actually heard of Title IX. It is a law that states

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. 

Though this law applies to all education programs and activities, it has probably most significantly affected young women's participation in sports. Though not a huge sports fan myself, I can see how the participation in sports has probably given a lot of girls and women confidence, team-building skills, physical fitness, health awareness, competitive drive, and a distinct sense of achievement. And if you are a woman who has enjoyed playing sports, you are probably a feminist.

Anyway, the panel member who I got the most from was the women's basketball coach for USU. She is young enough that she has always been able to benefit from Title IX, though she still sees some clear inequality between men and women in basketball. For instance, men always coach male basketball teams, but men also primarily coach female basketball teams. There are practically no female referees, not even for high school basketball. Plus, of course, women's basketball is less popular with the public. In fact, it made me sad to consider the fact that she told us that USU has among the lowest turnout of students at games compared to other schools the team visits. Looking at this in contrast to USU men's basketball team, where the aggressively loyal and huge number of fans is almost overwhelming, I wonder why USU has so few students that attend the women's games in comparison with other schools.

 Going to this panel has inspired me a little bit to bring up women's sports and basketball more often, especially to Aggie Basketball fans. If you've never been to a women's game, please go some time. Especially if you are a USU student, and can get in for free. Invite others to come with you. I know that the team and coach will appreciate seeing the numbers of people in attendance climb.