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Barbara Hedges, athletic director at the University of Washington, delivered this year’s Louise McBee Lecture on Oct. 12. She addressed the role of sports in making higher education possible for more women and minorities. Some highlights:
“During my 30 years in a university setting, I’ve witnessed a major transformation in athletics in higher education. We have moved from an emphasis on athletic competition to an emphasis on the total person . . . meant to prepare the student-athlete for the rest of their lives, . . . without regard to gender, ethnicity or age. . . .
“While female athletes prior to 1972 were able to claim many firsts, they were given few opportunities to participate in sports. . . . In 1971, one year before Title IX, a Connecticut judge upheld a state law barring girls from competing on a high school cross-country team, even though there was no girls’ team. In his decision he said that sports builds character in boys, but we do not need that kind of character in our girls. . . .
“Although applicable to all aspects of education, the effects of Title IX are most in evidence in athletics. . . . Prior to Title IX, one in 27 girls participated in high school athletics; today it is one in three. . . .
“The status of minorities in sports has undergone a similar transformation. . . .
“Athletic talent is the resource that provides a means to an end for some individuals. . . . Education can level the playing field. Sports can also level the playing field. . . . In the world of sport, the rules are the same for everyone.”
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