In 1896, Stanford University did not have a men's basketball team. However, it did have a women's team that played one of the first recorded women's intercollegiate basketball games against the University of California, Berkeley. It only took three years for both universities to ban the teams. It took another 76 years before women were given a chance to fight for equal funding and opportunity in college athletics legally.
This year marks the 53rd anniversary of Title IX's passing. While the fight for equality continues, the first week in February allows women to reflect on their time spent playing, watching and working in athletics as they celebrate National Women and Girls in Sports Day.
NGWSD, annually observed during the first week of February, was established as a unique occasion to honor women's sports and raise awareness of the potential of girls and women in sports across the country. For several students at Ohio University, the day is also about reflecting on where they came from and what it means to be a woman in sports.
Mia Pitaway, a junior at OU and president of the club gymnastics team, noted a growing interest in women's sports.
“It's definitely getting better,” Pitaway said. “I wouldn't say it's to the same level as men's (as) there's always going to be the Super Bowl and football, but I've heard a lot more about women's basketball in the past couple years and (sports) like that."
When reflecting on her time in sports and NGSWD, Pitaway said realizing what she has overcome was important.
“Going through body changes in gymnastics, because we wear the leotards, and you can see everything … and still thinking, 'I can still be strong. I can still be in this sport,' It is really important to me to see that," Pitaway said.
Gwen Spaliatos, a member of the OU Womxn's Rugby team, said she noticed a lack of attendance at women's sporting events growing up and felt there was not as much support for them.
“(At) every basketball game, the only people in the crowd for us would be our family,” Spaliatos said. “Then when you go into a guy's game, the girl's teams would be there, and they would have the cheerleaders there, and the stands are just filled.”
Despite the lack of outside support for athletics growing up, Spaliatos said since joining the rugby team at Ohio she has found lifelong friends.
“We've all experienced heartbreak on the field together, and you know what it is like," Spaliatos said. "You're getting beat up together ... and just have to keep each other's spirits high."
Spaliatos said the rugby community is growing, and people like Ilona Maher are helping to get more women interested in sports.
"There's a new rugby club coming to America, and that's really nice," Spaliatos said. "America is the biggest place for sports and professional sports, so it's just different.”
While professional athletes are often looked at for inspiration, Sarah Dudenhoeffer, a student at Ohio and president of the Girls Club, said her cousin was the person who got her interested in working in sports. She visited her cousin, who worked for the Carolina Hurricanes during her senior year of high school.
“I got to talk with her and take a tour of the stadium with her, and she was just kind of like, 'If you want to work in sports, you 100% can do it. I believe in you,'" Dudenhoeffer said.
Dudenhoeffer said she reflects on NWGSD from both an athletic perspective and an organizational perspective as she currently works for the DI Hockey team at OU.
“Playing a sport is one thing but being able to see the behind the scenes and what goes into making an Instagram story look really good, or … just seeing the behind the scenes, is super special and something not everyone can appreciate is like they're just a fan," Dudenhoffer said.
Ella Coxe, an MBA and MSA candidate, said her path to where she is now was not an easy one. When she started working in athletics, she felt like she was not often taken seriously.
"I felt like I would never get any credit," Coxe said.
Coxe did her undergrad at the University of North Carolina and noted that when she joined the sports administration program, there were not many women in her class. Still, as time passed and a few more were added, it empowered her.
“I finally started to tell myself I belong in this room. I belong here. I belong to have this credential around my neck," Coxe said.
Coxe said her favorite part of NGWSD was seeing women come together and recognize each other's work and the inspiration they create for younger generations.
“Being able to see all the younger girls run around with the hockey sticks or play with the soccer ball and be in the audience so wide-eyed,” Coxe said. “It's really enlisting in our new generation to say, 'I'm a girl; I can do this too,' and that's super empowering to recognize.”
As women continue to push for more equality and legislation to protect themselves both in and out of the sporting industry, NWGSD serves as a reminder of the strength, determination and potential women bring to the world of sports and beyond.
“Working in sports has really taught me that I can do anything I put my mind to," Coxe said. "If you are confident in yourself, if you work super hard for something, you belong in that, belong to have that press pass around your neck.”
