Women’s Sports Foundation Collection Highlights

Rallied by the passage of Title IX (1972)—a federal civil rights law protecting against discrimination based on sex in any federally funded educational program or activity—tennis player Billie Jean King founded the Women’s Sports Foundation in 1974 to continue to advocate for its sports provisions. The organization’s mission is to “advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity,” and it does so through research, advocacy, education, and grants. The Women’s Sports Foundation collection documents its activities, the achievements of amateur and professional women athletes, the establishment of professional sports teams and leagues, and positive portrayals of sports and physical activity for girls.