Chapter Three: Title IX

Founding Futbol is a year-long exploration of the critical moments that have led to football’s emerging popularity in America. Learn more at https://foundingfutbol.com/

In 1972, historic legislation was passed intended to create equity in the American education system. Title IX wasn’t about soccer; in fact, it wasn’t originally about sports at all. And, yet, it single-handedly gave women more the opportunity to pursue college through sports in ways that simply weren’t available before. 

Soccer, through a combination of factors and then ultimately successes, became one of the primary sports to benefit from Title IX. That spurred growth of female participation in the youth game and also urged the US to ultimately participate internationally as well. Title IX may be one of the biggest contributing factors to how we have now become a soccer nation. 

Sports historian Victoria Jackson is our guest. She is a professor at Arizona State University who writes and speaks about the intersection of sport and society, exploring how the games we play (and watch) tell us much about the communities – local, national, and global – in which we live. Her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Slate, Letras Libres (Mexico), El Universal (Mexico), Epoca (Brazil), The Independent (UK),The Athletic, and Sportico. Jackson has appeared on 60 Minutes to discuss American college sports and is a frequent podcast, radio, TV, and documentary film commentator on sport and society. 

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Host: Kent Malmros

Guest: Victoria Jackson (Sports Historian)

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