Next month marks the 40th anniversary of a federal law called "Title IX." While the landmark legislation had a great impact on college athletics, it was intended to open doors for women in all aspects of society.

Enacted in 1972, Title IX basically says "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

As the play-by-play announcer for Washington Husky women's basketball between 1990 and 2001, I witnessed plenty of gender inequity. One glaring example was at the University of Southern California.

The "Women of Troy" featured stars like Cheryl Miller, Lisa Leslie, and Seattle Storm post Tina Thompson. They were far more successful than the Trojan men's program, but were relegated to play games in a poorly lit, aging, intramural gymnasium.

I can recall a number of times when the visiting players had to change uniforms in a women's restroom. University staff had to usher out a volleyball or badminton class in order to play Pac-10 basketball games.

The Southern California guys not only played in the Los Angeles Sports Arena, but their coaches were paid far more than their female counterparts.

"I know when I went to USC in 1993, there were obvious changes being made because of Title IX," Thompson said, recalling that difficult time. "Coach Marianne Stanley sued the university, and while she didn't win, and her contract was not renewed. The school was obviously doing little things to make sure they were up to task."

Women's locker rooms all of sudden started getting remodeled and better gear began arriving. Today, both USC men and women teams play in the modern Galen Center.

Thompson and Storm guard Katie Smith both appreciate the pioneering women who had to play professionally overseas before the WNBA was created in 1996.

"I don't think either of us grew up thinking this is what we'd be doing for this period of time in our lives," Smith said. "This has really been a surprise and a blessing. That's why I'll do whatever it takes to make sure the league is around forever."

Athletic scholarships for women have grown enormously over the past four decades. Smith is currently working on her masters degree to become a registered dietician.

Before Title IX, the percentage of women becoming lawyers and doctors was roughly eight percent. Today, it's about 48 percent. Parents who once saw their daughters becoming housewives now have no limits to what their girls can dream and achieve.

While that law 40 years ago opened many doors for women athletes, the wage disparity is still an issue. A beginning WNBA player is paid approximately $38,000. A first year NBA player gets a minimum $490,000.

Tina Thompson welcomes the discussion about Title IX, but wants to make sure it's for the right reasons.

"A lot of generations have missed the true meaning of it. If you're not being treated fairly, whether it's at the Boys and Girls Club, or a fortune 500 company, Title IX is in place to make sure women get the same opportunity as everyone else. I am proud that I'm a product of Title IX."

Follow Bill Swartz, 710 ESPN Seattle

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  Snout wrote...

  "Relegated to poorly lit...blah blah blah."

  May 10, 2012 6:51 pm

  Please. If nobody is willing to watch you play in person or on TV then it's a waste of money for the AD. Why not complain that even today women's sports are "relegated" to the back part of the sports page or the last part of sports news broadcasts? Why not just force us to also buy a ticket to and attend a women's sporting event if we want to buy a ticket to a men's event? That makes about as much sense. And how many athletic departments at smaller schools had to cut sports to accommodate Title IX BS???? Yeah, that's fair. Athletics should not be about equality. It is about the pursuit of excellence. Provide an excellent product and people will come.

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  rocknrolldrew wrote...

  It's all about perception

  May 10, 2012 11:55 pm

  People don't think women can play sports. My grandmother played basketball and was forced to stand in one area because people thought the ladies would hurt their 'lady parts'. My mother played on the first women's national championship team and the final game was watched by 15 people. Now the woman's world cup gets a pretty good audience. Things are changing slowly and title IX has helped that. Some day perceptions will change and we might have equality.

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  tlmbrt wrote...

  Now women

  May 11, 2012 1:07 am

  can enjoy concussions too!!

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  NW observer wrote...

  Title IX

  May 11, 2012 7:54 am

  Title IX has certainly helped women's athletic programs - and they needed help. The debate at the time revolved around eliminating football from the balance equation, since it includes such large numbers of men and pays the bills for everything else on most campuses. That argument was not accepted and the result was to eliminate some men's programs to help the balance of numbers, plus a concerted effort to find some additional sports that women were interested in. My conversations with UW sports administrators indicate that that was ( and is) not an easy task. Title IX should be celebrated and it is, but make no mistake, there was a cost and there continues to be.

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  eric von zipper wrote...

  Why the athletic apartheid?

  May 11, 2012 9:32 am

  The "fairest" thing, the levelest of playing fields, is to simply have one team in each sport where anyone can try out and only the best players, male or female, make the team. No more second class citizens...no more "glass ceiling". This is fairness at its most elemental.

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  flipper wrote...

  Title IX paved way for women...

  May 11, 2012 10:57 am

  at the expense of Men's sports. Many wrestling, baseball, lacrosse, rugby and many other mens college programs were cut to support Title IX.

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  mnpat wrote...

  Title IX did some good things and did some bad things

  May 11, 2012 10:57 am

  There would be no WNBA if it wasn't for the subsidies they receive from the NBA. The would be no college sports if it wasn't for the revenue producing men's sports of Football, Basketball and in some universities Hockey. There has never been a thank you to those revenue producing sports. The sad thing about women’s programs is after 40 years none have ever finished in the black….always in the red with some sports spending20 times as much, as revenue is produced, seldom if ever do you see the walk on female athlete. So while there are some good things that came out of Title IX, there should also be a point where results are required as well. Do female athletes only participate because of the scholarship or because they want to participate?

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