Nine for IX: Let Them Wear Towels

The documentary Let Them Wear Towels followed the stories of four women sports reporters and the challenges they had to face while trying to pursue the career they love.  In the opening credits of the movie, the two women directors explained how the title came to be. They noted that many coaches didn't want women in the locker room because the players were naked which led to them saying "let them wear towels". Many of the women noted that this fight to gain access into the locker room was generational, meaning that before this time period, women would have never thought to go into the locker room of a male sports team let alone get a day job. They also note that this fight had nothing to do with nudity but, rather it simply boiled down to power and access.  On the doors of many of the locker rooms and the badges of the writers it clearly stated that there were no women or children allowed because team managers believed that not only did women not belong in the locker room, they had no reason or place to be there.

But, the irony of the whole situation was that all of these players, managers, and other reporters were sons of some women but they didn't want another woman interviewing them about their game performance. As this irony was true, the players, managers and even other members of the media still found a way to make jokes and criticize the work of women sports reporters. By saying, women did not know enough about sports nor were they smart enough to do this type of work. And they even went as far as to saying a women reporter would do anything to get a good story.

  As this problem of no access to the locker rooms became more and more serious, the women started to sense a culture shift especially in the 70s when Title IX was finally passed. Many people believe that Title IX simply applies to education only. While this is true, Title IX helped those women who grew up with sports but couldn't play them but always knew they wanted to be involved in some aspect fulfill their dreams. Many of the younger female reporters today played a sport in college which further perpetuated their love for sports and then led them to want to write about sports as a career. But, if Title IX had never passed, women would not be able to play in sports teams at school or as I believe have access to locker rooms and other parts of the sports fields. But, out of all the events that happened during the process of Title IX, there was one that would be remembered forever. The day when Billie Jean King played Bobby Riggs in a match known as "The Battle of the Sexes". This match solidified the fact that women are can handle pressure filled situations just as men are able to and that they were just as good as men if they put their mind to it.  While, many knew that this match would be a key point in history, it was much more than a match.  This match gave women around the world more confidence and that they could succeed at whatever they put their mind to. From that point on, women no longer thought of themselves as just homemakers but rather they were liberated. And this inspired many women who aspired to be sports reporters to go out and do so because now there was nothing stopping them.