Women in Sports

First Modern Olympics

Apr 6, 1896

First modern Olympics took place on April 6, 1896. Since the games started in Ancient Greece, the first modern game was held in Athens. Although this game was reborn, not many rules had changed. The new rules were like the old ones. The participants were males with wealth. These games were for gentlemen. Males in the working class were not considered gentlemen. Women participation in the Games was not allowed.

Second Olympics

May 14, 1900

This was the first Olympics that allowed women participation. It was the second modern Game and was held in Paris, France. Golf and tennis were two sports women in the 1900 Olympic Games participated in. Charlotte Cooper (in the picture) won gold in tennis and Margaret Ives Abbott won gold in golf.

First Woman to Swim English Channel

Aug 6, 1926

Gertrude Ederle Swims the English Channel 1926 On August 6, 1926 Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to swim the English Channel and complete the race. The record for this race, which was set by a man, held its place for over 50 years. Gertrude was a very young and powerful swimmer. In this race she set a new record almost two hours faster than the old one. She won first with a time of 14 hours and 31 minutes.

Jackie Mitchell

Mar 28, 1931

March 28, 1931 was the date when Jackie Mitchell signed a contract with the Chattanooga Lookouts baseball team. She was a very talented pitcher. She was very young she was taught the "Drop Pitch". This pitch would start at one level and then drop down a little bit before being hit. On April 2, 1931 her team played against the New York Yankees. On that same day she stroke out Babe Ruth.

Louise Stokes and Tydia Pickett

Jul 30, 1932

These two women were the first African American women to qualify for the Olympics games in 1932. Although they both were able to race in the track and field events, the coach only picked white women for the team. Louis Strokes (in the picture) and Tydia Pickett did not participate in the Olympic Games that year. The Games started July 30, 1932 without them.

Womens Professional Baseball

Apr 1, 1943

Women in BaseballDuring WWII many star baseball players left to go to war. Baseball took a huge hit. In the spring of 1943 Philip K. Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs, formed a women’s baseball league. There were 15 players to a team. This game was a mix of softball and baseball. Many people were amazed with how well women were able to play baseball. After the war the games declined in popularity and the organization was disassembled.

Basketball for Women

Dec 18, 1971

Basketball was introduced to women in 1892 by Senda Berenson Abbott a physical educator. When he introduced this game there were certain rules that applied that did not apply in basketball when men played. The court was divided into three sections with assigned sections for each player. Women were not able to hit the ball from another player or hold the ball for more than 3 seconds. In 1971 the rules of the game started to resemble more of the basketball games we see today.

Title IX

Jun 23, 1972

Women Athletics and Title IXTitle IX was passed on June 23, 1972. This requires gender equality for boys and girls. This does not only apply in sports, but it applies for every educational program that receives federal funding. After this law was passed many women were able to obtain athletic scholarships. Title IX stated: No person in the United States shall on the base of sex excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal funds.

First Olympic for Women in the Marathon

Aug 5, 1984

The First Gold This was the year women would be allowed to participate in the marathon at the Olympic Games. Two weeks before Joan Benoit qualified for the Olympic Games she had knee surgery. After her surgery very few people thought she could compete, let alone win the race. During the 1984 marathon Joan Benoit showed great strength and power. She won the marathon in the Games held in Los Angeles.

1992 Olympics: Barcelona, Spain

Aug 7, 1992

In the 1992 Olympics on August 7th Jackie Joyner- Kersee won the gold medal in women's heptathlon. She proved to be the greatest track and field athlete of all time, regardless of gender. Sports Illustrated voted her the greatest athlete in the 20th century. Including the gold medal in 1992 she also won two other gold metals, one silver, and two bronze during her participation in that Olympic game and others.