Women's athletics a battle for respect

Experts agree that watching women play in a professional arena is inspiring for girls. And it helps convince them to play sports themselves -- a huge benefit for their development. "It's really stunning," says Nancy Hogshead-Makar, senior director of advocacy for the Women's Sports Foundation. "The changes are profound for the rest of [a girl's] life."

Hogshead-Makar, who won three gold medals as an Olympic swimmer, says playing sports teaches girls about winning and losing, belonging to a team, and postponing short-term gratification for long-term rewards. She says that those skills "translate directly into tangible educational gains, and economic gains." Sports can also help teenagers during an awkward time in their development. Lisa Leslie credits basketball with shaping her character, as well as her career.

She started playing for a simple reason, she says: "I wanted to be popular." But impressing her classmates was hardly the only benefit. "I found playing basketball really became the most important aspect of who I am today," Leslie says. "When you play sports, you're more likely not to do drugs, you're more likely not to have early pregnancy."

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By building awareness, women's sports fans hope to create more support for women on the court. One of the most famous female athletes in the country, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, credits Title IX, a 1972 law barring discrimination in school sports, for creating equal opportunities for girls. "With Title IX, the opportunity for girls in sports is such a blessing," says Joyner-Kersee. "I can never imagine the women who came before me, who didn't have the same opportunities that I had."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/06/living/women-in-sports/index.html?hpt=hp_bn11

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just another shout out to women in sports. if i had a daughter,... lol.