Title IX, Sports, and Magazines

      After discussing the cover of a Newsweek issue (pictured in the right hand corner) during class the other week I was both surprised and happy to see the latest Sports Illustrated cover (pictured top left). Not only are they both depicting gender issues in the United States, but the sports illustrated article also ties in with an important aspect of my Junior theme research, Title IX.

      First I would like to touch on the similarities between the two covers. The first thing that popped out in my mind was the vibrant use of the color red. This is seen in the Newsweek banner and the woman's lipstick on the Newsweek cover, and in the quotation marks as well as an underlined phrase on the Sports Illustrated cover. So what does this color symbolize? I saw the color red as a more feminine color, and also a color that easily catches ones attention. More interestingly, I saw the color as a sort of warning or hazard as seen on stop signs. This would make more sense in the Newsweek cover because it seems like the article is inferring that the working life of women is not as glamorous as many think. Lastly, red seems to connote a sort of lust and sex drive. This is explicitly seen in the woman's lipstick, and the underlining of the phrase "basis of sex".

     For those of you who don't know already (even though the definition is stated on the cover of Sports Illustrated) Title IX is a gender equality act that focuses on women's sports getting its fair share in collegiate athletics. What the article highlights is how far participation in women's athletics has grown in the last 40 years. Here are a few statistics and facts from the article:

• Women's Sports Foundation found that 40 years ago only 294,015 girls participated in high school sports. Last year that number ballooned to 3,173,549 girls, 10x greater than before.
• One study shows that if a girl does not participate in a sport by age 10, then theres only a 10% chance she will at the age of 25.
• Despite the progress of women's sports as a result of Title IX only 45% of collegiate athletics are women's while the make up 55% of the student body.

What similarities/differences do you see between the two magazine covers?

What are your views on the progress of women's athletics due to Title IX?