LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Back in 1972, President Nixon signed Title IX civil rights measure into law, effectively banning gender discrimination in any educational program or activity receiving any type of federal financial aid.

Fifty years later, it’s clear the passage of Title IX fueled a profound growth in women’s sports. 

“My dad went to college for basketball,” said Bridgid Fox, a forward for the Eastern Kentucky University Women’s Basketball team. “My aunt went to college for basketball. My uncle went to college for basketball. So we’re pretty much a basketball family.”

She draws inspiration from her father.

“He coached me from when I was a young girl and made me the player I am today. So he’s just very supportive when it comes to women’s equality and Title IX,” Fox said.

Title IX went into law on June 23, 1972. Simply put, it required school sports programs to offer equal opportunities to women, similar to men’s programs.

Fox said she sees that equality today.

“Here at EKU, they do such a great job. They give equal opportunities, equal resources,” Fox said. “We work on the same facilities, so EKU really makes sure we have the same equality as the men’s team does here.”

She also voices her thoughts on areas for growth.

“Here at EKU, you definitely our like the fans for women’s games compared to the fans for men’s games,” Fox said. “There’s not as [many fans] but I understand… men’s basketball, they can dunk, more exciting, but I think here we’re really trying to get that up, get our fans. I think we will because we had a really good season compared to their last season.”

That work is never done to push the needle forward, said Associate Athletics Director for Fan Experience Rachel Slone who’s had a long career in sports information.

“We’ve come a long way,” Slone said. “We’ve added a lot of sports, a lot of positions related to those sports. Somewhere I would like to see an improvement is obviously equal pay for equal work. We still have some work to do in that area, so hopefully we continue to evolve, continue to add education, and continue to add new programs.” 

Programs that will help carry the next generation do what they love for 50 years and beyond.

“I love the game in general, but definitely all the relationships I’ve built, all the opportunities I’ve had over the past like 15 years of playing,” Fox said.

Even though Title IX went into effect in 1972, the NCAA said it took most of the first decade for regulations and policy interpretations for compliance in athletics to be debated and approved.