Traditional narratives of sport posit winning as the defining goal in ways that can feel and be exclusionary to young people and result in a lack of enjoyment and subsequent decision to avoid or discontinue involvement in sport. This is particularly true for girls and young women who participate in sport at lower rates and quit at higher rates…

The current debate swirling around the inclusion of transgender individuals in sports is a complex and nuanced issue. This article reflects on how athletic organizations have historically dealt with this dilemma, as well as covers key legal battles that have surfaced in recent years in secondary schools and universities across America. With the…

Gender policies in sports have expanded considerably in most countries in recent decades. Nevertheless, the implementation of these policies in sports organizations is by no means an automatic process. This article explores what happens when gender equity policies are applied in an university sports organization. Participatory action research over…

Sex segregation is a core organising principle of most modern sports and is a key element in the marginalisation and subordination of girls and women in sport and beyond. In this article I explore the only Olympic-level sport which is not organised around sex segregation--equestrian sport--in order to consider the implications of sex integration…

Despite the role that female athletes at the community college level played, it is interesting to note that there is little in the way of a comprehensive history of women's college sports at two-year institutions. To situate the current state of gender equity in athletic programs in two-year institutions in context, this article presents a brief…

This article examines the current state of gender equity in athletic programs offered at two-year institutions. Two overarching questions have guided the research done for this article: (1) How successful have two-year institutions been in responding to the mandate of Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1964? and (2) How will the…

Gender-equity advocates gathered at a conference in Cleveland last month to discuss looming challenges in women's sports. Next month the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is scheduled to hold a hearing on Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The meeting will focus on the most controversial means of compliance with the law. Institutions can…

Last week, commissioners of the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics organized a meeting to tackle recruiting problems and gender inequalities in college sports, but another topic--the high pay of football and men's basketball coaches--came up repeatedly. This article reports on what the commission intends to do in order to…

This research examines the phenomenon of sexist naming of women's athletic teams at four-year colleges and universities in the southern United States. Drawing on theoretical and methodological insights from feminist scholarship on gender and sports, gendered language, and intersecting systems of race and gender inequalities, the author analyzes…

The government agency responsible for enforcing gender equity in college sports is falling down on the job, according to a report released by the National Women's Law Center. Over the past five years, the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights -- the administrative guardian of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the law that…

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 state, "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". This provision paved the way for student-initiated…

Donna Lopiano, women's athletic director at the University of Texas at Austin, describes her six-year struggle to develop a competitive collegiate athletic program which provides equal opportunities for women in sports. (SK)

Reviews the evolution of opportunities for females in college athletics at four-year institutions, including the impact of Title IX and subsequent court decisions. Analyzes the roles of various athletic associations. Examines Title IX initiatives implemented by dominant athletic associations. (MKA)

Introduces theme issue of this journal on the psychosocial influences on girls and women in sport and physical activity, focusing on the work of Dorothy V. Harris who battled for equal sporting opportunities and benefits for females. The papers are written from a feminist perspective. (SM)

This paper uses Peggy McIntosh's (1983) interactive phase typology as a descriptive model within which to characterize contemporary sport with respect to certain gender issues, accepting gender as dynamically and culturally constituted. The paper discusses possibilities for transforming sport by enhancing the appreciation of sport and enriching…