By Iacovos Iacovides, APC Sports
When we think of women fighting for equality in sports, we often think of Megan Rapinoe or Nneka Ogwumike. However, throughout history, women have defied societal norms to claim their rightful place in sports. As humans, we have short-term memories, but history always provides perspective. Even if these events seem trivial today, they were crucial steps in empowering women to demand more; they were the foundation for today’s activists.
Today, women fight for equal pay, more media coverage, and better working conditions, but not long ago, they fought simply for participation. In 1967, Kathrine Switzer, known as “The Girl Who Started It All,” became the first woman to compete in the Boston Marathon. Numerous inaccurate versions of her story exist, and Switzer sets the record straight in her memoir by detailing her journey to the marathon. During the race, Switzer was physically attacked by a man while competing but still finished the marathon, only to face aggressive and insulting questions from journalists.
She recalls her thoughts the day after the marathon: “I’ve stepped into a different life, I thought. To the guys, it was a one-off event. But I knew it was a lot more than that. A lot more.” Switzer’s story became one of the most inspiring sport tales of the 20th century. The symbolism is powerful: The first woman to run in the Boston Marathon being physically attacked by a man trying and failing to pull her down.
Switzer defied the unwritten rules by exploiting the fact that the marathon’s rulebook didn’t specify gender-based participation. Shirley Muldowney didn’t come out of nowhere to fight the status quo; she fought for decades. She began her career in 1958 and competed in major competitions in 1969 and 1970. In 1971, she won her first major race—the IHRA Southern Nationals. Muldowney advanced to the “big boys league” in 1976 and won three NHRA Top Fuel Dragster championships in 1977, 1980, and 1982.
Muldowney faced opposition from racers and associations every step of the way. She encountered people who believed drag racing had no place for a woman. In her words, “the NHRA fought me every inch of the way, but when they saw how a girl could fill the stands, they realized I was good for the sport.” Sadly, she raced for many years without sponsorship following an injury in the early 1980s until retiring in 2003.
It’s not just outsiders who changed the sports world for the better. Some women had institutional backing, though their paths weren’t without struggle. For example, Jennifer Welter became the first female coaching intern in the NFL, and Violet Palmer became the first woman to officiate an NBA game in 1977. We cannot adequately cover all the women who defied the rules in a single article, including Maree Lyndon, Manon Rheaume, Julie Krone, Nancy Lieberman, Hayley Wickenheiser, and countless others.
Today, women fight different battles, and the sports industry is changing rapidly. While we are moving toward a more equal sports industry, we still have a long way to go. Myths about women’s physical and other shortcomings compared to men are being destroyed every day. If we let others define what we can or cannot do, we are doomed to be dominated by their limitations. As Marcus Aurelius wrote: it is not events that disturb people, it is their judgement concerning them.
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