In past years when I've played hardball with the boys, I have tried to encourage and recruit other women to come out and play. It is one of my favorite times in Congress and such a great experience. Unfortunately, I've had no takers. So this year -- because I have temporarily hung up my cleats to focus on my son (who already has a grip for a Louisville slugger), the Democratic team was all male. I was reminded of the importance of representation both on and off the field for women, who comprise largest percentage of our population.
Today, we commemorate the 37th anniversary of one of our country's most important civil rights laws. The enactment of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 banned gender discrimination from all education programs and extracurricular activities in federally funded schools. It was one very simple -- yet profoundly effective -- sentence that gave American women a new opportunity to aspire and succeed. The great legacy of Title IX is most often talked about in the context of sports. Before the law passed in 1972, girls made up only 7 percent of high school sports participants. Now, more than 40 percent of high school athletes are female. But its impact reached far beyond sports, from the academic to the arts and sciences, and even to the boardrooms of the Nation's top enterprises.
As a Member of Congress, I'm often reminded that in baseball as in diplomacy, you have to know when to hit, when to run, and when to show grace. I've used my experience from playing sports in almost every aspect of my life. Playing soccer is where I found my voice and playing softball was where I learned precision, and in every game I learned to play as a member of a team -- to work not for my own glory, but for a shared goal.
Despite Title IX's success in advancing equality for women, it continues to come under attack and has been frequently challenged in court. As our economy trembles and colleges and universities deal with budget cuts and shrinking athletic budgets, Title IX's achievements are in grave danger of being scaled back.
Gender equality cannot be achieved by cutting programs that allow girls to get the same chance to compete, learn, and play. The United States has had a solid history of commitment to its female athletes and expanding opportunity for women and it is imperative that we continue on this path.
The most telling effect of Title IX is the fact that today, more women than men are attending college. Today, well over half of all undergraduate college students are women -- and women outnumber men in graduate school enrollment, including high-paying, high-powered professional programs like law. Title IX deserves its place in the law so that no field will be missing its female athletes.
Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez represents the 39th Congressional District of California. For the past 3 years, she has been the only woman to get a hit in the Congressional Baseball Game.
