“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 educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

On today’s 50^th anniversary, June 23, of Public Law 92-318, more commonly known as Title IX, I reflect on the many hours spent investigating this legislation and its connection to the sport industry for my master’s thesis oh so many, many years ago. Doubtful anyone has any great interest in reading that masterpiece saved on a 3.5-inch floppy disk, but if you are just unable to contain your curiosity, I’m sure someone could devise a way to retrieve it. However, the purpose of my post today is to express my gratitude for those 37 Words, words that likely opened doors into the world of sports for me, and ultimately my career. Although those 37 Words encompass a far greater reach than just athletics, and seem to be often misunderstood, I’m grateful for the many women and men who found meaning and purpose, who chose to Take Courage and engaged in trailblazing a new path ahead.

Personally, the obstacles that arose for me navigating interscholastic and intercollegiate athletics seemed to have had less to do with discrimination and related more to practical logistics. Fortunately for me, the Lord placed in my path a school principal (John W. Scott), academic administration (like Maggie Nell Brewer), numerous athletic directors, and coaches who were willing to take a chance on me and allow me avenues to pursue this God-given desire to be engaged with sports, Bench Warmer and all! The motives for my research interest was related to how we could practically encourage more women to enter the world of athletics and stay once they began raising children. My desire was to navigate how to duplicate the networking opportunities that men seemed to find so easily and where women seemed to struggle.

Although the wheels of progress on cultivating Relational Equity seem to move a little slower in opening up opportunities for women, my hope is that those who choose a calling in sport will have a similar experience as mine of abundant personal, professional, and spiritual relationships. Many men and women have advocated for me, encouraged me, and inspired me to remain in a career field that brings excitement, forges relationships, and creates bonds for life. My identity will always be enmeshed as a Munford High School Cougar and a Union University Bulldog—no matter where I am because of the people who crossed my path along the way.

Even people I have never met have invested in my career through their gift of writing and leadership, including Joan Cronan, who made history as the first female athletics director for the entire program at Tennessee. Her book entitled Sport Is Life With the Volume Turned Up has insightful life and career advice for both men and women, including a daily leadership philosophy that I have tried to mirror in my own career, as I shared in the post Attitude and Gratitude. The 37 Words of Title IX, along with personal experiences as a female in a male-dominated arena, were influential in forming the leader Cronan became;  and the Ripple Effect continues, as she passes on her wisdom to my generation, and hopefully, my generation will persist in paying forward the legacies established by other pioneers in the world of sports. May the women following in our footsteps experience few limitations as they seek to follow a calling on their lives.

In closing, I would like to add that as powerful as those 37 Words are to opening doors that allow people to flourish in their sport career, I would offer an even more impactful source to an abundant life that often comes in short phrases of wisdom—and that source is Scripture. Whether you search for King Solomon’s wisdom in the book of Proverbs or memorize vital reminders from Psalm 139, I have Holy Confidence you will find your own, very personal 37 Words that will guide the way to your personal flourishing life—sport related or not!

This post is dedicated to my late friend, Lisa Caudle Hutchens, who would have celebrated a birthday yesterday. She was so influential as my professor, coach, and friend. Happy Birthday, Lisa!

Reference:

Cronan, J. (2015). Sport is life with the volume turned up: Lessons learned that apply to business and life. University of Tennessee Press.