women sports

At A Glance:  Women in Sports

  • 776 BC:  No girls allowed at the first Olympics
  • 1884:  Women’s singles competition begins at Wimbledon
  • 1896:  The modern Olympics returned in 1896, women were not allowed to compete
  • 1902 – Since there was no women’s competition, figure skater Madge Syers of Britain enters the men’s world championships and places second
  • 1920-1930:  Women allowed to participate in the Olympics (Figure Skating and Track and Field)
  • 1943-The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. was created
  • 1953:  Maureen Connolly becomes the first woman to win a Grand Slam—all four major tennis championships.
  • 1964: Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina completes her Olympic career with a total of 18 medals—more than any other athlete in Olympic history.
  • 1971:  Women finally get the official nod to play five-player, full-court basketball
  • 1972:   The U.S. Congress passes Title IX to foster more equitable federal financial aid to women’s sports programs.
  • 1975:  Junko Tabei of Japan is the first woman to climb Mt. Everest.
  • 1976:  Shirley Muldowney becomes the first woman to win a national Top Fuel event in the National Hot Rod Association. She’s the only person to hold three titles.
  • 1977:  Lucy Harris is the first (and so far, only) woman to be drafted by a National Basketball Association team, the New Orleans Jazz. She chose not to play.  (1978) Ann Meyers becomes the first woman to try out and sign a contract for an NBA team. (1986) Nancy Lieberman becomes the first woman to play in a professional men’s basketball league.
  • 1991:  The United States soccer team wins the first Women’s World Cup
  • 2012: Pat Summit of the University of Tennessee announces her retirement after the 2011–2012 season. Summit amassed a record of 1,098 wins and 208 losses—more wins than any other men’s or women’s college basketball coach.
  • 2015:  Jen Welter becomes the NFL’s first female coach, hired by the Arizona Cardinals.
  • 2015:  The U.S. Women’s National Team wins its third World Cup in a televised final that is watched by 25.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched soccer game in U.S. television history

 

Titles of Interest

50 sportsWomen in sports : 50 fearless athletes who played to win / written and illustrated by Rachel Ignotofsky

A fascinating collection full of striking, singular art, Women in Sports features 50 profiles and illustrated portraits of women athletes from the 1800s to today including trailblazers, Olympians, and record-breakers in more than 40 different sports. The book also contains infographics about relevant topics such as muscle anatomy, a timeline of women’s participation in sports, statistics about women in athletics, and influential female teams.

rising aboveRising above. Inspiring women in sports / Gregory Zuckerman ; with Elijah and Gabriel Zuckerman

The athletes featured in this book met earth-shaking challenges head on, and through hard work and perseverance, went on to conquer the sports world. This collection of mini biographies, complete with first-hand content drawn from interviews, is a source of inspiration and self-empowerment for kids and sports fans of all ages.

 

Biographies

lisa leslieDon’t let the lipstick fool you : the making of a champion / by Lisa Leslie & Larry Burnett

Lisa Leslie learned to play basketball as a young teenager in LA. She was soon breaking state records, but life away from the courts was less happy. Here, Lisa recounts her metamorphosis from a gangly teen to a world-famous athlete.

 

 

sum itSum it up : 1,098 victories, a couple of irrelevant losses, and a life in perspective / Pat Summitt with Sally Jenkins 

Pat Summitt, the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history and bestselling author of Reach for the Summitt and Raise The Roof, tells for the first time her remarkable story of victory and resilience as well as facing down her greatest challenge: early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

 

 

y serving from the hipVenus & Serena : serving from the hip, ten rules for living, loving, and winning / Venus and Serena Williams with Hilary Beard

Venus and Serena Williams have something to say. But it isn’t all about tennis. It’s about life and how to play it.  These superstars and super sisters share their secrets in this straight-talking smart guide. Speaking candidly about their personal experiences. This book offers solid advice for getting an advantage in every game you play.

 

soarCourage to soar : a body in motion, a life in balance / Simone Biles ; with Michelle Burford ; [foreword by Mary Lou Retton]

Simone Biles’ entrance into the world of gymnastics may have started on a daycare field trip in her hometown of Spring, Texas, but her God-given talent, passion, and perseverance have made her one of the top gymnasts in the world, as well as a four-time winner of Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro.  Here, in her own words, Simone takes you through the events, challenges, and trials that carried her from an early childhood in foster care to a coveted spot on the 2016 Olympic team.  Along the way, Simone shares the details of her inspiring personal story—one filled with the kinds of daily acts of courage that led her, and can lead you, to even the most unlikely of dreams.

 

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