On February 7, the Marymount community as well as sports platforms everywhere celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day. This day commemorates the achievements and perseverance of females in sports. 

National Girls and Women in Sports Day originated in 1987, originally as a way to remember Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her achievements and work for equality.  

Today, this day commemorates much more as it celebrates the enormous achievements of girls and women on the field, on the court, in the water, on the turf, in the sand, on the mat, and on the track. This special day is organized yearly by the Women’s Sports Foundation, (WSF) an organization that fights for equality in the playing field. 

For years, women’s sports were categorized as recreational, and not competitive. This meant that women did not have fair opportunities to compete in their desired sport, as men did. This stemmed from the belief that women’s bodies were not made to handle physical exertion because of menstruation, coined by Dr. Edward Clarke in the late 1980s. However, women fought back, one of which being Katherine Switzer who became the first woman to finish the Boston Marathon despite attempts of shoving her out of the race. 

In addition, the presence of Title XI, an amendment made in 1972 prohibiting gender discrimination in all educational programs and activities, has heavily aided female participation in sports.  In 1971, the 30,000 women in college sports made up a mere 15% of all college athletes. Additionally, just 2 percent of college athletics budgets funded women’s sports. By 2021, women made up 44 percent of NCAA student-athletes, a major increase over the past 53 years.  

This day is celebrated nationally by hosting informational sessions in schools, having fundraisers such as a 5k to raise awareness on the history of gender discrimination in sports, and much more. The NGWSD foundation also holds numerous sports games throughout February at both high schools and college campuses to celebrate females in sports. 

There are many foundations and organizations along with WSF that promote female participation, one of which being On Her Turf, the first NBA show providing dedicated coverage to Women’s Olympic sports. This podcast highlights women and their male allies in their respective sports journeys. 

Marymount has joined the fun by celebrating with two events this year. One of the two was a movie watch party on February 7th in Pavilion, and another was a Gatorade presentation on health for female athletes. 

As we celebrate this day, remember the history of strong girls and women who have fought for your participation in athletics as well as the millions of other female athletes all over the world! Cheers to 37 more years of celebrating this amazing day!