Understanding the Amateur Sports Act
Published: Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Amateur Sports Act and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC)The Amateur Sports Act of 1978 set up the governance structure for amateur sports in this country. The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) is charged with governing amateur sports. The USOC, in turn, authorizes one national governing body (NGB) to govern each specific sport. (For example, U.S. Swimming governs swimming.) That includes making the rules, choosing teams for international competitions, certifying officials, running national championships, etc. They are also charged with developing the sport from the grassroots level through Olympic level. Thus, besides providing coverage to elite-level amateur athletes, the law applies ...
Women's Sports Foundation Responds to the Folding of WUSA
Published: Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Dawn Riley, President of the Women's Sports Foundation, issued the following statement:
IOSC/USOC Reform - Amateur and Olympic Sports: The Foundation Position
Published: Wednesday, July 19, 2000
1. Millions of people, especially young children are exposed to Olympic pictogram images on television, at Olympic venues, in publications and on licensed products sold worldwide. These images influence the beliefs and perceptions of millions of men and women about the participation and abilities of female athletes. The pictograms should equally represent both male and female athletes or be sufficiently generic to be gender neutral.2. Support the Ted Stevens Olympic and "Amateur Sports Act" requirement that the United States Olympic Committee and all national governing bodies provide standardized baseline data that is available to the public on a quadrennial basis ...
Players' Associations and Unions: A Challenge to the New Female Pro in Team Sports
Published: Tuesday, November 10, 1998
In this era of burgeoning opportunities for female professional athletes in team sports, the issue of unionization is frequently discussed. Last week's action by WNBA players to certify the NBA Players Association as their union proves the point. Unlike male professional athletes who have developed their organizing mechanisms slowly over time, the female athlete has not had the luxury of a long learning curve. She has jumped into professional sports structures developed by others. Is the NBA Players Association the right group to handle a fledgling league? The Women's Sports Foundation, a non-profit educational organization, considered by most to be ...
Pennies on the Dollar: Women Athletes Still Not Receiving Their "Fare" Share
In the past 30 years, Title IX has afforded millions of girls the opportunity to participate in athletics. In 1972, 1 in 28 girls participated in high school athletics. The idea of a college scholarship to continue playing sports was unheard of, and the possibility of having a professional career was perhaps only dreamed about. Today, 1 in 2.5 girls participate in high school athletics, $180 million is awarded to female athletes to play at the collegiate level, and there are a variety of established professional women's leagues. Girls and women can now more than dream of making a career ...
Purse Equity in Professional Sports
It is the position of the Women's Sports Foundation that professional male and female athletes should receive equal purses when they are participating in the same competition (i.e., Wimbledon, X Games, a professional rodeo championship) that includes both male and female athletes participating in the same or comparable events. When men's and women's leagues are separate events in the commercial marketplace and operate solely on the dollars they earn, salaries of players may rightfully differ among leagues, whether male or female athletes are involved. But when men and women compete in the same sport venue for which a single ticket ...
Athletes' Rights in Open Amateur Sport
Hear from Julie Foudy the importance of the Women's Sports Foundation's new publication "Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Athletes' Rights in Olympic and Amateur Sports."
Addressing the Issue of Player Associations and Unions
The Women's Sports Foundation is often asked about its position with regard to the need for players' associations or collective bargaining unions in professional women's sports. The Foundation neither advocates nor discourages the development of such organizations but does recognize the functionality of such groups.
Players' associations or trade associations can serve valuable education and information-sharing functions. Being a professional athlete is a career. It's important for every businesswoman to be "a student of her game" - the business of professional sports. This education can be accomplished by reading trade journals and similar materials in print. However, attending an annual ...