Progress, and More To Achieve: Celebrating National Girls & Women in Sports Day
Today, February 6, 2019, is an important day on the calendar.
A day that — apropos, readers? — all too often historically gets overlooked.
Today is the 33rd annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day, which is a project powered by our pioneering friends at the Women’s Sports Foundation. “For more than three decades, this celebration has empowered women and girls to get moving, reap the benefits of physical activity and push past their limits both in sports and in life,” their website says. “The confidence, strength and character gained through sports and physical activity are the very tools girls need to become strong leaders, in their own lives and in the world.”
NGWSD began as well in 1987 as a way to celebrate 1984 Olympic Games volleyball team captain and silver medalist Flo Hyman (1954–1986), both for her sporting accomplishments and for her, “dedication to promoting equality for women’s sport.”
In addition to spotlighting the late, great Hyman, today is also a good day to spotlight as many as possible of our most decorated athletes. Legends such as Billie Jean King, Venus and Serena Williams. Allyson Felix. Florence Griffith-Joyner. Kerri Walsh Jennings. Lori Ochoa. Lindsay Vonn. Michelle Kwan. Abby Wambach. Mia Hamm. Lisa Leslie. Candace Parker. Mary Lou Retton. Missy Franklin. Janet Evans. Lisa Fernandez. These are just a tiny handful of the many bold-face names of my lifetime — and these are just some of the Americans on the list, much less a global group. And time after time, the contributions of these top athletes off the field have been more impactful than their successes on the field.
Today is also a day to reflect on Title IX. A day to talk about eliminating gender gaps in education, opportunity, access and pay. A day to celebrate girls and women who went from Ballers to Bosses. Women like, Anita L. DeFrantz, IOC member and President Emeritus of the LA84 Foundation; Beth Brooke-Marciniak, Global Vice Chairwoman of Public Policy at EY; Gail K. Boudreaux, President and CEO of Anthem Inc.; or Meg Whitman, CEO of Quibi and former CEO of Hewlett-Packard.
Here at the LA84 Foundation, where I serve as President and CEO, we believe in the power of sport to change lives and make kids Life Ready. We have made a priority to increase the number of girls playing sports, and of female coaches, in Southern California for just that reason. Today we will be hosting a breakfast for a crowd of approximately 150 of our partners, friends and allies to thank them for their work in promoting and supporting girls and women in sport. Our special guest speaker today — a baller to boss in her own right — is the incomparable coach of the 7-time National Champion UCLA women’s gymnastics team, Valorie Kondos Field. She will be sharing her experiences as coach and mentor; talking about her team’s championships over decades; and demanding systemic reforms to forever halt the abuse and assault that took place against so many of the athletes in the sport she has devoted herself to. “Miss Val” will be interviewed by Carrlyn Bathe of Fox Sports West.
But, you know what? Here at the LA84 Foundation, perhaps there’s really no such thing as a national girls and women in sport DAY. For us, it’s every day.
We are making a difference; 50% of kids participating in the youth sports programs funded by LA84 are girls — for the third consecutive year. This is up from 36% before 2016, thanks to a conscious effort by us and our partners in the #PlayforAll Movement. LA84 has made it a focus to fund programs that prioritize increasing girls participation, and funding girls-specific programming in the following sports: soccer, basketball, volleyball, running, rugby, softball, gymnastics and equestrian.
Some of the organizations we fund that are girl-centric that I’d like to give a shout-out to today are:
· Taking the Reins, girls equestrian program
· ICEF, girls rugby program
· Beyond the Bell, 163% increase in girls participation rates across their sports programs, which are in every LAUSD middle school
· Dodgers RBI, 49% annual average growth since 2014 in girls participation in softball and baseball programs
· Girls Row LA, “a waterway to college,” to use their tag line
· Girls on the Run LA, whose national organization aims to serve 2 million girls by 2021
· Exposure Skate, introducing girls to skateboarding
If you can find seven more minutes today, take a look at these three videos, of how the International Rescue Committee San Diego helps refugee girls feel at home through soccer; of a young coach already giving back in a community of need; and of a younger still adaptive sports athlete winning on the field and pushing hard for change off the field as well.
And of course, there is the outstanding Girls Play Los Angeles initiative from Mayor Garcetti, spearheaded by First Lady Amy Wakeland and the City of Los Angeles, promoting gender equity in play at all City Parks, across multiple sports. In just one year, from 2017 to 2018, the number of girls playing rose by 22%. They are now expanding their focus to increasing the number of female coaches.
Playing and coaching are intricately linked. Here at LA84, we have also funded coaching education programs in track and field and soccer, to increase the number of licensed female coaches. Research has shown that there is a strong correlation between having female coaches/mentors and keeping girls in the game. We’ve also held women’s coaching convenings on our campus. (Special mention to our friends at WeCoach — formerly called Alliance of Women Coaches — for bringing national focus to increasing the number of women coaches, and conducting training and clinics across the country.)
This is a Movement, but there is still more to accomplish. The LA84 Foundation Youth Sports Survey, Los Angeles County, 2018, is the latest iteration of a biennial research project undertaken by the Foundation. The survey tracks how many kids from what demographics play what sports and for how long. Data is available for girls participation, boys, and overall. The data shows that girls’ participation increased from 73% in 2016 to 79% in 2018. This positive finding, however, may be influenced by the addition of “Cheer/dance” as a separate, selectable sport choice. The 2016 survey also documented this activity, but did so under the rubric of “Other sports.” In any case, girls’ participation rate still trails that of boys, with 85% of boys participating in sport compared to 79% of girls.
In short, there has been much progress. So, on this 33rd National Girls & Women in Sports Day, we are going to gather and pause and swap stories. But don’t worry, all of us together at our campus this morning — as well as those around the nation who are engaged on the front lines of change — are going to get back to our work the second the eggs, fruit and coffee are gone. We believe the best way to honor progress is to continue to provide equitable access to sports for all girls and women. Please join with us @LA84Foundation.
