This article will explore issues related to women, athletics, stereotypes, and opportunities that are/are not available to women in the professional athletics arena. Indeed, racism and sexism are traditionally (and continue to be to a large extent) entrenched in American society, as well as institutions. Numerous laws have been passed regarding this practice, with Affirmative Action being the most notable, as well as others. However, from a legal, social and political perspective, women are still stereotyped as the weaker sex, and inevitably this mentality continues to impact women in US society, as well as capabilities within other aspects of society . It is my intention to address these variables both individually and as intertwined units. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the world of sports, or athletics, we have seen proof of this particularly in the Olympics. The Olympics are the epitome of sport for all people, male, female, as well as color and ethnicity around the world. Title IX was supposed to change the world, and it did: The number of women participating in college sports has increased dramatically since the law was enacted twenty-five years ago. But the world changes slowly. USA Today looked at 303 Division I schools to see where Title IX has taken us over these twenty-five years and found that men still get the most money. Taken together, the results are like a joke of good news and bad news. The good news: The number of female athletes has increased 22 percent since 1992. The bad: For every dollar spent on women's college sports, three dollars are spent on men's. Female athletes receive only 38% of scholarships, 27% of recruiting money and 25% of operating budgets. It's encouraging to see the increases for women, but very disheartening to see that they don't actually share the money equally. The monetary side of the registry still receives the large amount of money, says Patty Viverito, chair of the NCAA's women's athletics committee. The newspaper looked into the matter in detail in late 1995, when it reported the 107 Division IA school's 1994 numbers. Since then, the Equity In Athletics Disclosure Act has required all universities to report data on men's and women's athletics. The federal law went into effect on April 1, 1997. To ensure that a college is compliant with Title IX, the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights uses a three-step test to make its determination. A school is compliant if it passes a single prong. One club is asking its school to show a history of continually expanding its women's athletics programs. Another questions whether the interests and abilities of the female athletes have been catered for. The only measurable question asks whether the percentage of female athletes in a school is substantially proportional to the percentage of women in undergraduate enrollment. While the rules do not specify what substantially constitutes proportionality, some out-of-court settlements suggest that falling within five percentage points may be sufficient. USA Today found that of 28 of 303 Division I-A schools, only 9% passed the proportionality test. This includes 9 of the 108 Division I-A schools, which are made up of top-tier football schools. This is the same number approved in 1995. (Brady and Witosky, p, o4C) Some critics have argued that Title IX has no enforcement powers. Historically, a lawsuit has been necessaryby athletes to obtain corrective action. For example, the Black Women In Sports Foundation received a $50,000 grant from the Athletic Footwear Association to conduct a program that will introduce African American girls and women to golf and tennis and to each other in ten cities across the United States. The program starting soon will train women of color in the elements of the sport and mentoring techniques. Then mentors will be matched with girls who are interested in learning the sport. We want to create relationships that continue as the adult and child learn the sport together,” said Gina Sloane Green, President and Executive Director of the Foundation. We are not trying to recruit adults who are expert gamers. Instead, our adult mentors need only a strong interest in learning the game and a desire to make a contribution to a young person's life. The cities chosen for the program are: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and Washington DC. The foundation hopes to engage between 100 and 150 mentors and children in each city during the first year. Local coordinators and instructors are being recruited to lead a series of clinics. They will be held first for adults and then for adults and children together. The adult mentor is then responsible for registering the child in a local sports program and providing transportation. We plan to organize scholarships for local organizations and programs so that children can continue to play and learn for as long as they want, Green said. The Black Women In Sports Foundation was founded in 1992 to increase opportunities for African American women at all levels of sports, from participation, to lifetime careers. In 1993, she produced a video, titled Amazing Grace, Black Women In Sports, encouraging young women to pursue career opportunities in sports. The Athletic Footwear Association sponsors the video. (Walter, p. A-8) In my opinion there has been an ongoing effort to advance women in sports. Much of this has to do with so-called civil rights, or providing equal opportunities to US citizens. Civil rights, affirmative action, etc., have been the tradition for the last 20 or 30 years and, fortunately for women in sports, have served as a factor in the advancement of women in sports. Recently, Timer Incorporated announced that it would debut the first proof issue of Sports Illustrated Women/Sports on April 21. The magazine, aimed at women ages 18 to 34, will be sent to 450,000 female Sports Illustrated subscribers and women selected from a Time Warner database, and 250,000 copies will be sent to newsstands for sale. The first issue will have more than 100 editorial pages and 70 advertising pages. The new magazine would be published twice in 1997 and completed in 1998. Grumpy old men are said to have prevailed at the Olympics for generations. However, when we look at Atlanta, we can see a new leaf turning. There were 36% more women competing at the Atlanta Games than at any previous Olympics. Most of the recognizable names on the American team were women. Jackie-Joyner-Kersee, Janet Evans, Mia Hamm, Shannon Miller, Gail Devers, Rebecca Lobo, etc. Two new Olympic sports for women were added this year: soccer and softball. For the first time, American basketball has put women under professional contracts for one year to coach an Olympic team instead of rounding up all the college stars at the last minute. In track and field, the 5,000 meter race replaced the 3,000 for women and the triple jump was added for women, to more closely resemble the men's program. There.