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Glory goes with women's gold
U.S. teams want to stake a bigger claim to the nation's consciousness.
By JOHN ROMANO
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 13, 2000
SYDNEY, Australia -- On the cusp of the 21st century, it would seem a reasonable ambition to have male and female athletes share the stage equally while vying for the public's attention. So, if it is not too much trouble, could we ask the women to please step aside and let us see some men.
An exaggeration? Perhaps. Oversimplification? For sure. But the premise is not far from the truth. American women asserted themselves at the 1996 Olympics andhave moved closer and closer to the front of our consciousness. That is not Michael Johnson on the covers of Time and Newsweek. That is not Lenny Krayzelburg's biography in the bookstore's front display.Marion Jones is the chic pick as the 2000 Games' breakout star, and she is just one of several females who could be making the late-night talk-show circuit after the Games are over.
NBC plans heavy coverage of the women's soccer team in its gold-medal defense. Ditto in softball. Weightlifter Cheryl Haworth and blind distance runner Marla Runyan also will be featured attractions.
"I think 1996 was a breakthrough year for women in sports. They didn't knock down doors; they kicked down doors," basketball player DeLisha Milton said. "The basketball team showed everyone they were women of power. They showed we don't have to sit at home any more. We want to show we deserve the same respect that the men get."
That type of recognition still is a long way off, if it ever comes. But what '96 did was showcase women's teams for the first time. Individuals shone in previous Olympic Games -- gymnasts, figure skaters, swimmers -- but team sports were largely ignored. That changed in '96 when the women's basketball team showed more flair and class than the so-called Dream Team II on the men's side. The dramatic gold-medal victories in softball and soccer also made those sports appear to have a viable role in the marketplace.
Within a year of the '96 Olympics, the WNBA and the ill-fated American Basketball League were under way. The Women's Pro Softball League also was born in 1997. Next year the Women's United Soccer Association begins play.
"The changes for women in sports have been tremendous in our lifetime," softball player Dot Richardson said. "With Title IX, it gave us a chance to have a great education. And then we were able to live the Olympic dream. Now we have a chance to have a professional career in sports. It's wonderful."
No single factor is more responsible for the current landscape than Title IX being signed into law in 1972. Title IX forced schools receiving federal money to spend equal amounts on men's and women's sports programs.
In 1972, female participation was a rarity. Now it is commonplace. The number of women on the 1972 U.S. Olympic team was 96. This year it will top 250.
Weightlifting, tae kwon do, water polo, pole vault and the hammer throw are new Olympic events for women this year. Triathlon debuts with competitions for each sex. Gymnastics has long been a staple of Summer Olympic viewing, but it could be overrun by women playing traditionally masculine sports.
"There are going to be a lot of expectations on women's sports this year because of what happened in '96," said softball player and Treasure Island resident Michele Smith. "But that's good; that's what we need to grow. Every year we need to see it get a little better."
This could be a critical year in that respect. The WNBA was an unqualified success early, but attendance dippedlast season. The WPSL made the curious choice to suspend play this summer while the U.S. softball team played a cross-country barnstorming tour.
If the basketball, softball and soccer teams approach the same level of excitement as '96, the league profiles should be boosted. If they don't, it could cost them valuable momentum.
"I don't think men have totally jumped in and accepted the idea of women playing pro sports," said Teresa Edwards, the most decorated Olympic basketball player."They're interested if they think it makes good business sense, but as far as truly respecting it? No, most men have not bought into that idea."
Edwards may or may not be right in 2000. But in 2004 or 2008?
The scenery is changing, and more people are growing accustomed to the new look.
"I have four sons. The oldest is 17. He doesn't know anything other than girls play sports. My other sons are the same," U.S. women's soccer coach Tony DiCicco told the Los Angeles Times. "To my generation, there's still, at some level, a novelty about women being out there playing and sweating.
"But to my sons' generation, it's normal."
Summer Olympics
WHERE: Sydney, Australia.
OPENING CEREMONIES: Friday.
TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE: Men's soccer -- South Korea vs. Spain at Adelaide, 3:30 a.m.; Brazil vs. Slovakia at Brisbane, 4 a.m.; Morocco vs. Chile at Melbourne, 5 a.m.; South Africa vs. Japan at Canberra, 5 a.m. Women's soccer -- United States vs. Norway at Melbourne, 2:30 a.m.; China PR vs. Nigeria at Canberra, 2:30 a.m.
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