WOMEN’S EVOLUTION IN SPORTS
The world of sports would look a lot different without women. Heck, the entire world would too and as much as men like to stick their chests out and act like they run everything, we know they’d be lost without women by their sides.
Throughout Women’s History Month, we at Athlete Tech Group have been highlighting what we think to be some of the top women in sports moments from the more recent years, including trailblazers like Becky Hammon becoming the first head coach to act as head coach in an NBA game and fearless leaders like Kim Ng becoming the first female GM in MLB history and Danita Johnson becoming the first Black president of a Major League Soccer club and one of the highest-ranking female club executives in league history.
There are however the women that pre-date those mentioned above that have helped pave the way for women in sports. Follow us as we take you through some key historical events that have shaped the landscape of sports for women today.
KATHERINE SWITZER’S BIG FINISH AT THE BOSTON MARATHON
The noble Boston Marathon was at one time an all-male race. That was until German native Katherine Switzer signed up for the marathon using her signature K.V. Switzer and became the first woman to complete the race as an official entrant in 1967.
BILLI JEAN KING DEFEATS BOBBY RIGGS IN BATTLE OF THE SEXES TENNIS MATCH IN 1973
September 20, 1973, 29 year old Billie Jean King defeats former no. 1 ranked Bobby Riggs who was known to boast that women were inferior and that they couldn’t handle the pressure of the game. It was a huge media event with over 30k in the audience and an estimated 50mil viewers on tv, and is known to be one of the most prominent moments in women’s sports.
FLO JO, FASTEST WOMAN ALIVE
Florence Griffith Joyner, known as Flo-Jo, ran an astounding 10.49 second 100m dash at the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials in Indianapolis, Indiana. The record still stands today.
DANICA PATRICK BECOMES THE FIRST WOMAN TO WIN AN INDYCAR SERIES RACE
On April 20, 2008, Danica Patrick won the Indy Japan 300 – her 50th IndyCar Series race – at Twin Ring Montegi. She finished the 200-lap race 5.8594 seconds ahead of Helio Castroneves, then a two-time Indy 500 champ.
THE 2012 OLYMPICS
At the 2012 London Games, the addition of women’s boxing meant it was the first year of the games that women competed in all the sports on the programme. It’s a huge milestone considering the first time women competed at the Olympics was at the 1900 Paris Olympic games where 22 women competed in five sports: tennis, sailing, croquet, equestrianism and golf.
DIANA NYAD BECOMES THE FIRST PERSON TO SWIM FROM CUBA TO FLORIDA WITHOUT A SHARK TANK
September 2, 2013, 64 year old Diana Nyad completed the swim after 53 hours of non-stop swimming. She wasn’t allowed to touch the boat and only stopped to tread water for hydration and food breaks. It was her 4th attempt of the swim after failing once in 1978, twice in 2011 and again in 2012.
MO’NE DAVIS BECOMES THE FIRST FEMALE PITCHER TO WIN THE LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES
In 2014 she became the first female pitcher to win the little league world series. This accomplishment led to her meeting the Obama’s, playing in the 2015 NBA Celebrity All-Star game and winning a 2015 ESPY for Best Breakout Athlete.
It’s now 2021 and there’s still a lot of work to do before we see men and women sports on an even playing field but this Women’s History Month, we’re inspired by those who haven’t backed down. The conversation doesn’t stop here and we hope you’re as inspired as us to keep moving forward.