Title IX by the Numbers

Title IX, the landmark legislation that prohibits gender-based discrimination in any educational program or activity (including sports) that receives federal financial assistance, turns 50 on June 23. The section was part of the Education Amendments signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon in 1972.

While Title IX has been praised for its impact on sports over the past half-century, it’s clear egregious disparities remain. We’ve compiled some statistics — many terrific and others depressing — to keep in mind as the next half-century of Title IX begins

• 37: Number of words in the Title IX clause (ESPN.com)

• 0: Number of those words that either are “athletics” or “sports” (ESPN.com)

• 300,000: Number of women and girls playing college and high school sports in the United States in 1972 (History.com)

• 3,000,000: Number of girls participating in high school sports nationwide in 2012, Title IX’s 40th anniversary (History.com)

• 3,402,733: Number of girls participating in high school sports in the United States in 2018-19, the latest year for which statistics are available (NFHS.org)

• 4,534,758: Number of boys participating in high school sports in the United States in 2018-19 (NFHS.org)

• 60: Percentage of girls that participate in high school sports (Women’s Sports Foundation)

• 75: Percentage of boys that participate in high school sports (Women’s Sports Foundation)

• 1,000,000: Number of high school sports opportunities girls miss out on compared to boys (Women’s Sports Foundation)

• 190,000: Number of women competing in intercollegiate sports in 2012 (History.com)

• 222,920: Number of females competing in college sports in 2020 (Statista.com)

• 281,699: Number of males competing in college sports in 2020 (Statista.com)

• 148,030: Additional sports opportunities NCAA institutions would need provide for women to match the same ratio of opportunities offered to men (National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education)

• 30: Percentage of all college athletes who are white women (Women’s Sports Foundation)

• 14: Percentage of all college athletes who are BIPOC women (Women’s Sports Foundation)

• 90: Percentage of women’s collegiate teams coached by women in 1971 (Women’s Sports Foundation)

• 41: Percentage of women’s NCAA teams with a female head coach during the 2020-21 academic year (Women’s Sports Foundation)

• 6: Percentage of men’s NCAA teams with a female head coach during the 2020-21 academic year (Women’s Sports Foundation)

• 34: Percentage of head coaches in women’s collegiate sports who are white women  (Women’s Sports Foundation)

• 7: Percentage of head coaches in women’s collegiate sports who are BIPOC women  (Women’s Sports Foundation)

• 20: Percentage of college athletic directors who are white women (Women’s Sports Foundation)

• 4 Percentage of college athletic directors who are BIPOC women (Women’s Sports Foundation)

• 68: Percentage of high school seniors who played a sport in 2017 (Human Rights Campaign Foundation)

• 21: Percentage of LGBTQ high school seniors who played a sport in 2017 (Human Rights Campaign Foundation)

• 13: Percentage of LGBTQ high school seniors who say they avoid playing sports altogether because they “do not feel [they] will be accepted on the team” (Human Rights Campaign Foundation)

• 8,321,937: Average annual compensation, in dollars, of a National Basketball Association player in 2019 (Adelphi University)

• 75,181: Average annual compensation, in dollars, of a National Basketball Association player in 2019 (Adelphi University)

• 1,235,495: Average annual compensation, in dollars, of a PGA golfer in 2019 (Adelphi University)

• 48,993: Average annual compensation, in dollars, of an LPGA golfer in 2019 (Adelphi University)

• 335,946: Average annual compensation, in dollars, of a tennis player on the ATP circuit in 2019 (Adelphi University)

• 283,635: Average annual  compensation, in dollars, of a tennis player on the WTA circuit in 2019 (Adelphi University)

• 22,000,000: Amount of back pay, in dollars, U.S. Soccer agreed earlier this year to pay the U.S. National Women’s Soccer Team in the settlement of a class action equal pay lawsuit (NPR.org)

•  5.4: Percentage of televised news and highlights devoted to coverage of women’s sports in 2019 (Communication & Sport)

• 91.0: Percentage of televised news and highlights devoted to coverage of men’s sports in 2019 (Communication & Sport)

• 5.4: Percentage of online newsletters devoted to coverage of women’s sports in 2019, excluding espnW.com (Communication & Sport)

• 85.7: Percentage of online newsletters devoted to coverage of men’s sports in 2019 (Communication & Sport)