Becky Hammon

Local women’s basketball star Becky Hammon and Title IX, the federal legislation that put girls’ and women’s sports on a more equal footing with men’s, pretty much grew up together.

As a girl in South Dakota, Hammon probably didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about the ins and outs of equal opportunity or affirmative action. She was busy shooting hoops, honing the skills that would launch her into the limelight during her years at Colorado State University.

From all-time leading Western Athletic Conference scorer at CSU to starting point and shooting guard with two professional women’s basketball teams, Hammon puts a smiling face on the burgeoning interest in girls sports, not just in Northern Colorado but nationwide (a Becky Hammon autographed basketball fetches $89.99 on eBay).

It’s doubtful that hundreds of young girls inspired by Hammon’s athletic performance have paid much attention to Title IX, either. They’re more interested in watching her race down the court for the New York Liberty in the  WNBA, or the Colorado Chill in the National Women’s Basketball League.

When the lights go out on the Chill’s home court at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Hammon’s youthful fans head home to bedrooms plastered with posters of Hammon, soccer star Mia Hamm and Olympic swimmer Amy Van Dyken – also a CSU grad – where they dream of their own professional sports careers.

Young women aren’t just dreaming anymore, however. As recreation directors across the region will attest, participation in girls’ sports is burgeoning. From basketball to soccer, softball to swimming, registration is on the rise.

That trend is reflected across the country. In 1971, the year before Title IX was enacted, just 294,015 girls were involved in high school sports nationwide. By the 1972-73 school year, that number had more than doubled to 817,073. By 2002-03 nearly 3 million girls were involved in high school sports.

In Hammon’s lifetime, high school sports participation for females has risen 800 percent, and college participation is up 400 percent.

Hammon has lived the dream. As a member of the CSU women’s basketball team she garnered numerous awards and records. She averaged 21.92 points per game and scored 2,740 points – an all-time high for men and women at CSU.

She was tapped for the Sports Illustrated All-American First Team, the Associated Press All-American First Team, named WAC Mountain Division Player of the Year 1998-99 and Colorado Sportswoman of the Year.

After college, Hammon moved into the realm of professional sports, where she has remained a standout. This year marks her third in the NWBL, playing for the Chill. She’s also played six years with the Women’s National Basketball Association team the New York Liberty, and she continues to collect awards and recognition.

Like Hammon, Colorado native and Olympic champion swimmer Amy Van Dyken grew up alongside Title IX. Van Dyken was born in 1973, just a year after Title IX was put in place. The CSU graduate is the first American woman ever to win four gold medals in a single Olympic games, at the 1996 games.

on Facebook on LinkedIn