It was at this point that women in sport were pulled out of the gymnasia and put in front of TV cameras.
The protest of the USA football coaches opened the door for women in sport to educate the USA public about the benefits of sport and why it was so important to play. Without that protest and the rabid interest of the media, it would have taken us decades to deliver the message about the impact of sport on the lives of girls.
Women’s sports leaders were called to Washington to testify before government
Spent a weekend being trained by our lawyers to give testimony to government committees
Trained to deal with the media
We developed lists of possible media questions and the data filled one or two bullet points, clearly stated and strong answers
We were taught to turn the media’s questions into what we wanted the public to hear
Champion female athletes like Billie Jean King and Donna de Varona were brought to Washington to visit with elected government officials and speak to the media
Successfully turned away every effort to change the law and captured favorable public opinion.
