Important Women in Sports

By: Gracen Chaney

There has always been a secret difference in female vs. male sports. It was never the lack of competitiveness or dedication from female athletes, but it was the way they were underrated and underestimation of their abilities that pushed them to be the best they can be. Sexism has also played a role in sports and has always been an issue but, in the past several decades that bias about females has decreased tremendously. The decrease in bias would have never happened if these powerful women didn’t do the impossible and fought for their equality in sports. These women, along with many more, deserve extreme recognition for their strength and bravery.

Billie Jean King

Tennis player Billie Jean King was born in 1943, which was a very segregated time. Being the child of Bill and Bobby King, Billie was not born into feminism. In fact, she was often told as a child to get into a more feminist sport but, she was drawn to tennis, which happened to be a dominantly male sport. As she grew up, she started to see the issue of sexism in society and in the sport she loves. The issue really began to impact her career when she was in college.

“While her tennis career grew, she attended Los Angeles State College for three years… It was here that Billie Jean’s eyes began to open up to the inequalities faced by women in society… As a talented amateur tennis player, she was denied access to a college scholarship simply because she was female.”

After being denied due to her sex, Billie went on to become one of the most well-known athletes in history when she challenged, and beat, Bobby Riggs. He was a very successful male tennis player who taunted all female tennis players. This match led to great advancements in female sports when King beat Riggs in three sets, with 90 million worldwide viewers watching the match. This match is known today as “The Battle of the Sexes” and was such a significant event that is commonly referenced in the modern day and has even had movies made about it.

Billie went on to win many more matches and titles. Towards the end of her career she called Bobby Riggs her hero in an interview because of how much he pushed her and helped her accomplish her goals. She continued making history and influencing all females around the world.

Billie Jean King plays for the Philadelphia Freedoms in 1974 (Photo by Boris Spremo/Toronto Star via Getty Images) (https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/09/16/billie-jean-king-archive-historical-society/)

Danika Patrick

Danika Patrick is one of the most recognizable professional athletes in the world. She is most well known for her passion and dominating the racing world. Patrick made a name for herself when she set records and started winning titles in a male dominated sport. For this, she was named on TIME’s “100 Most Influential People” list and has been featured in many other magazines. She also has been in a record-setting 14 Super Bowl commercials, which is more than any man.

Danika’s racing story began when she was only 10 years old and immediately fell in love with the sport after receiving a go-cart. From there, she has won multiple first place medals and wins on loop. Many people know her because of her 4th place finish at the Indianapolis 500 and becoming the first woman to lead laps and score a top-five finish in the historic race. A couple of years later, she made history again being the first woman to win a major-league open-wheel race. As time passed Danika was even more of a force to be reckoned with, as she continued winning and became a fan favorite year after year. In 2017, Patrick decided to retire with her “Danika Double”, where she competed in two marquee events that were cornerstones of her career: the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500.

Although Patrick retired, she didn’t stop being successful in the racing world. She grew stronger and more influential and later decided to become an entrepreneur and business owner. She recently released “Warrior”, her clothing line and began writing lifestyle books. Danika Patrick really showed the world that a man’s sport is an insignificant phrase that shouldn’t hold young women back.

Danica Patrick hopes to cash in on her personal lifestyle brand once she completes her motorsports career.PHOTO BY LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC (https://autoweek.com/article/nascar/retiring-nascar-star-danica-patrick-hopes-have-cooking-show)

Pat Summitt

Pat Summitt was the head coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of Tennessee, where she gained 1,098 career wins, which is the most in college basketball history upon her retirement. She also led her team to eight NCAA championships, the third most of all time. She received an astounding amount of significant awards in her time, leading her to become a five-time Naismith Coach of the Year, a three-time WBCA Coach of the Year, and an eight-time SEC Coach of the Year along with many more titles.

Before Summitt was a coach, she was a player herself. In fact, she received a silver medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal as a member of the United States Women’s National Basketball Team. She began her coaching career about a decade later where she coached the team to a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics.

Pat was obviously extremely good at what she did but, she was also the only female to have such statistics. The Sporting News placed her at number 11 on its list of the 50 Greatest Coaches of All Time in all sports. She was the only woman named on the list. She was placed on this list because in 38 years as a coach, she never had a losing season. After she retired, she continued to motivate others to success by writing multiple books about her team, her successes, and her life. Pat was an inspiration to many, and even after her unfortunate passing, she still is.

Tennessee coach Pat Head (later known as Pat Summitt ) on the bench during a game against Kentucky in Knoxville, Tennessee on Feb. 25, 1978. Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated/Getty Images /Lane Stewart (https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/barbara-barker/pat-summitt-wa

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Mia Hamm

Mia Hamm has been a role model for female athletes since the beginning. Hamm is known as one of the greatest female athletes of all time, and held the record for most international goals scored by a soccer player until 2013, when fellow American Abby Wambach broke her record. Hamm has inspired young girls to pursue their athletic abilities and was one of the first female athletes to be compared to the men seriously, majorly advancing female sports. She continues inspiring young American’s today by advocating for equality and equal pay between men and women. All in all, Mia Hamm has inspired this generation of athletes and deserves continuing recognition.

“And to see that confidence grow in a young girl is so important because I think boys are naturally encouraged to do those things, and the opportunities to do it for our daughters is so important.”

Feminism has come a long way in the past several decades and along with activists, politicians and other influencers, we have athletes to thank. Without these female athletes and many others, where would we be? The way feminism in sports has decreased in the past decade, hopefully shows that feminism will be abolished from sports in the next decade.

Photo Credit: Sideline Sports Photography © 2006 (http://www.miafoundation.org/about-mia)

“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” -Michelle Obama