“The more we can learn from past efforts to obtain fair and equal treatment, the more likely it is that we will continue to make progress. And if you can gain an understanding of your rights as an athlete, the path forward becomes much easier to navigate.” Former President and Public Policy Officer of the Women’s Sports Foundation Julie Foudy understood the need for athletes understanding their rights based on her experiences with the U.S. National Women’s Soccer Team.
Working with the Foundation, Foudy helped to create the Foundation’s educational guide, Athletes’ Rights in Open Amateur Sport. This report equips athletes competing in non-school sports with a guide to their legal rights. Read on for Foudy’s complete introduction letter and then dive into your rights in open amateur sports.
If Title IX applies only to educational institutions, what protections do athletes have in non-school sports? The Amateur Sports Act, amended in 1999, operates as the “Title IX” of open amateur sports. Read on to learn more about athletes rights to be free from discrimination based on race, gender or disability in non-school athletics.
This study is a report that for the first time articulates the most pressing issues female athletes face as competitors today. The results show that while many improvements have been made in U.S. women’s sports, especially since the 1996 Olympic Games, there remains a consistent cluster of issues that needs to be addressed. This report outlines those issues and serves as the basis for policy recommendations and to facilitate communication about athletes’ needs.
"How can we make sure that people in athletics are evaluated, not based on their sexual orientation or gender expression, but on their individual character and accomplishments?" This is the complex question the Women’s Sports Foundation’s “It Takes A Team: Making Sports Safe for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Athletes and Coaches” initiate seeks to answer. Learn how It Takes A Team! has provided ground-breaking research and educational materials in hopes of eliminating homophobia.
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