After the passing of Title IX in 1972, the number of female athletes has doubled each decade, beginning with only 265,000 girls playing high school sports in 1972 (versus 3.6 million boys), growing to an astounding 3.2 million in 2011 (versus 4.5 million boys).

Not only are more are more women playing high school sports, the National Federation of State High School Associations reported that in 2014, 1715 girls played for their high school football teams, and 9904 girls competed on their high school wrestling teams (NFHS.org).

As the number and types of female athletes continues to grow, the need for accurate data on the injury rate, prevalence, prevention, and treatment outcomes continues to grow.  As our understanding and research continues to develop, the WSMI aims to make this information available to athletes, coaches and providers to aim to provide the best care for their female patients.

Keeping Female Athletes in the Game

a Timeline of Women's Sports 

WOMEN'S SPORTS MEDICINE INITIATIVE

Read on for an eye-opening perspective on the history of women in sports 

  



-----  776, BC    THE FIRST OLYMPICS WERE HELD
             

           . . .   



-----  1912         THE FIRST OLYMPIC GAMES THAT    

                ALLOWED EVENTS FOR FEMALE WERE HELD

                            Swimming and Diving (1912)
                            Track and Field (1928)


-----  1950        THE LPGA WAS FOUNDED

                            The Ladies' Professional Golf Association was founded in                      

                             1950 and has become the longest running professional                  

                             women's sports association.



-----  1972         TITLE IX WAS PASSED

               Title IX was the education amendment that 

              prohibited sex discrimination.

                        This required that schools:                                                 

                                 - Provide females with equal opportunities to play sports               
                                 - Give female athletes their fair shares of athletic 

                                       scholarship dollars
                                 - Provide equal benefits and services (coaching, facilities,

                                       etc) to male and female athletes

                              
-----  1973         THE WOMENS TENNIS ASSOCIATION WAS

                                  ESTABLISHED 

                             In 1973, Billie Jean King won the "battle of the sexes." This

                              was a famous follow up match to a challenge by Bobby Riggs,

                              a retired professional player who stated that women's tennis

                              was inferior, and that he could beat any woman in tennis, even

                              at his age of 55.  King defeated him in front of 90 million      

                              worldwide viewers.


-----  1997         THE WNBA WAS ESTABLISHED

                             Despite the establishment of a professional women's basketball

                             league, the gender gap continues to be evident.  The average

                             salary in the WNBA is $70,000, compared to $5.5 million in the

                             NBA. 


-----  2014        MO'NE DAVIS BECOMES THE FIRST GIRL TO PITCH A SHUTOUT IN THE LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES