By: Savanna Peters

  • 776 BCE – Women not allowed to compete or watch first Olympic Games so created the first sanctioned women’s athletic competition, the Games of Hera. [1]
  • 1900 – First time women compete in Olympics.[2]
  • 1911 – Helene Britton first woman to own major league baseball team. Big deal because males primarily ran business during 1911.[3]
  • 1931 – Virne Mitchell first female pitcher in professional baseball history. Showed girls could play with the boys.[4]
  • 1943 – All-American Girls Professional Baseball League created. Women were not supposed to have professional careers outside home, showed new side.[5]
  • 1972 – Title IX of the Educational Amendment signed, created great deal of progress in equality for women in sports.[2]
  • 2007 – The Wimbledon tennis tournament announces will pay equal prize money to men and women for the first time. Feat for women given the debate over equal pay between men and women.[6]
  • 2008-’10 – UConn Women’s Basketball has 90 game winning streak. Longest winning streak in college basketball history.[7]
  • 2012 – Pat Summitt retires. Most wins of any college basketball coach. Outstanding career in a male dominant field. [8]
  • 2012 – First time women of U.S. Olympic team not only outnumber the men on the team and win more medals.[9]

[1] “The Women: Were the Ancient Olympics just for Men?” Penn Museum. Web. 25 Jan 2014. <http://www.penn.museum/sites/olympics/olympicsexism.shtml>.

[2] “FAQ: When did women first compete in the Olympic Games?.” Olympic.org. Olympic Movement. Web. 25 Jan 2014. <http://registration.olympic.org/en/faq/detail/id/135>.

[3] Thomas, Joan. Baseball’s First Lady: Helene Hathaway Robinson Britton and the St.         Louis Cardinals. . St. Louis, MO: Reedy Press, 2010. 3. Web.             <http://www.amazon.com/Baseballs-First-Lady-Hathaway-    Cardinals/dp/1933370548>.

[4] Cronin, Brian. “Sports Legend Revealed: Did a female pitcher strike out Babe Ruth and     Lou Gehrig?” Sports Now (2011): Los Angeles Times. Web. 25 Jan 2014.

[5] GrawOzburn, Clement. “The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball       League: Pioneers in Their Own Right.” UW-L Journal of Undergraduate             Research. (2004): 1-2. Web. 25 Jan. 2014. <http://www.uwlax.edu/urc/JUR-            online/PDF/2004/grawozburn.pdf>.

[6] Clarke, Liz. “Wimbledon Relents, Will Award Equal Pay.” Washington Post Sports          (2007): The Washington Post. Web. 25 Jan 2014.             <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/content/article/2007/02/22/AR2007022200271.html>.

[7] 2010 Jackson, Melanie. “Memorable wins on the record run to 90.” ESPN.com 2010.       ESPN. Web. 25 Jan 2014. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/news/story?id=4952208

[8] 2012 Ghianni, Tim. “Pat Summitt steps down as Tennessee women’s basketball     coach.” Chicago Tribune (2012): Chicago Tribune. Web. 25 Jan 2014.             <http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-04-18/sports/sns-rt-us-basketball-   summittbre83h15w-20120418_1_pat-summitt-tennessee-lady-vols-tennessee-        director>.

[9] Nhan , Doris. “U.S. Women, Title IX Win Big in Olympics.” National Journal (2012): National Journal. Web. 25 Jan 2014.             <http://www.nationaljournal.com/thenextamerica/education/u-s-women-   title-ix-win-big-in-olympics-20120813>.