海角大神

Episode transcript

Kendra Nordin Beato: This women鈥檚 sports fan is just heartened by the fact that everybody鈥檚 talking about women鈥檚 sports. And suddenly everybody鈥檚 an armchair expert on women鈥檚 sports.... The United States has been a leader in recognizing that girls and women deserve opportunities. And sports was one of the surprising results of that, and it just had this tremendous, wonderful ripple effect.

Clayton Collins: That鈥檚 Kendra Nordin Beato. 

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Collins: Two years ago this week, Kendra joined us on the very first episode of our summer pilot season. We were still running under our old name, 鈥淩ethinking the News.鈥� Kendra, a staff editor at the Monitor since 1999 and the overseer of our intern team, has a deep interest and a lot of experience in food journalism and in women鈥檚 sports.

She joined us in June 2022 to talk about the 50th anniversary of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Part of this episode is an encore of that episode. 

Welcome to 鈥淲hy We Wrote This,鈥� a podcast about how Monitor journalists approach our work. I鈥檓 Clay Collins. A lot has been happening in women鈥檚 sports at several levels, and we like that anniversary symmetry. So Kendra is back today. Hey, Kendra.

Nordin Beato: Hey, Clay. Great to be back. 

Collins: We鈥檝e talked a bit off mic lately, because we sit side-by-side in the newsroom, about Caitlin Clark鈥檚 dramatic entry into the WNBA and all of the stories that has spawned. And you wrote about that very impressive athlete recently. Mostly today, we鈥檒l be updating that Title IX episode, which we ran right after the cover story you wrote with Tara Adhikari.

On that show, you described what you called Title IX鈥檚 braided strands: education, sports, and protections against sexual harassment and assault. And you talked about your own background in sports, and that鈥檚 all coming up.

First, though, the newsmaker, Caitlin Clark. A rocky start to her pro career in some ways, though not necessarily in terms of how she鈥檚 playing. She鈥檚 still making logo 3s. Huge crowds. Hard fouls. What are you seeing?

Nordin Beato: Wow, yeah. Caitlin Clark has become this phenomenon that we only see a few times in our lifetime when you have an athlete that has captured the public imagination quite the way that she has. And a lot of people have been waiting to see [what is] this record-smashing college basketball player going to do when she transitions into the pro leagues with the WNBA and she was first pick. Already the WNBA team, some of them have had to move into larger stadiums in anticipation of playing against Caitlin Clark. The ticket sales are up 93% because of Caitlin Clark and other stars like Angel Reese that have also joined the WNBA this year. People are talking about women鈥檚 sports in ways they never have before.

Collins: There are a lot of exciting players in the WNBA. There鈥檚 been a little bit of a sense of: Is she being welcomed? And I just wondered [about] your take on that. 

Nordin Beato: I have found these controversies over who鈥檚 hip checking Caitlin Clark, slighting her with what comment to be almost entertaining in a way. It鈥檚 almost as if people don鈥檛 realize these are highly athletic, intense women who are incredibly combative and competitive. And people, it鈥檚 almost like they鈥檙e shocked. Is it racially motivated? Is it jealousy? Is it: 鈥淕ot to put this rookie in her place鈥�? Look at any men鈥檚 sport. And Tom Brady himself was harassed as a rookie player. I mean, even LeBron James has come to Caitlin鈥檚 defense saying that he鈥檚 been in that seat before.

Collins: Right. 

Nordin Beato: What鈥檚 happened is this fandom has come out of nowhere and just swept up her story. And she鈥檚 such a different character than you usually encounter in the WNBA. She鈥檚 white. She鈥檚 from a red state, rural Iowa. She was born and raised there, went to state college there, broke her records there. And then you have all these other narratives of the WNBA where, you know, predominantly it鈥檚 been a Black sport out of urban neighborhoods. And so she鈥檚 just an interesting counternarrative character in general. She鈥檚 got the public eye on her constantly.

Of course, there鈥檚 going to be jealousy. She had all of these endorsement deals before she went pro. And it鈥檚 tempting to think: 鈥淥h, the world鈥檚 paying attention because a white woman is the one taking the logo 3s.鈥� But I mean, you can鈥檛 deny her record. And it鈥檚 exciting that people are getting agitated about it. It just goes to show the level of the game has gotten up. I mean, Caitlin Clark might be the tide that鈥檚 rising all boats. Well, there are a lot of boats in the harbor already. Big powerful boats. I think we just gotta ride it out a bit and see what happens. 

Collins: OK. So this won鈥檛 be quite a lightning round, but I want to go through each of the braids that you described in the first episode. What鈥檚 happening around the education strand? These are kind of complicated times for colleges and universities. 

Nordin Beato: Yes. The important thing to remember about Title IX is the hundreds of class action suits that these 37 words launched in the 1970s were all about creating equal opportunity for women in education, you know, more spots in admissions, more women finding jobs in higher education after they graduate from college, more women moving into administrative roles. The Chronicle of Higher [Education] reported that women now sit in the president鈥檚 office in 30 percent of the nation鈥檚 146 R1 research universities. And that is a 22 percent increase from 2021. So you have a lot of women now sitting in the highest offices in academia, which means that when they鈥檙e making high stakes decisions, they鈥檙e doing it in the public eye and under alumni scrutiny. Enter the Israeli-Palestinian protests that swept across college campuses this fall. There were three women Ivy League presidents who were called before Congress to answer to Republican lawmakers about how they handle it on their campuses. So it鈥檚 interesting. You鈥檝e got ... we do have more women in positions of power and decisionmaking, but they鈥檙e also under intense scrutiny, not unlike Caitlin Clark on the basketball court.

Collins: Right. Big gains and more scrutiny.

And on the sexual harassment and sexual assault piece, this could be a pretty big summer ahead, right?

Nordin Beato: Yes, the Biden administration鈥檚 final ruling on Title IX will go into effect on August 1st. And those new regulations have introduced significant shifts in how institutions receiving federal funding are addressing sexual harassment and assault allegations, while also expanding protections for LGBTQ and even pregnant students. This, of course, has launched a pushback from Republican governors who are trying to stop those Title IX regulations from happening. Twenty-six states have filed lawsuits. What the Biden administration left off the table was a proposal on transgender participation on specific men and women athletic teams, although it鈥檚 anticipated that could surface after the November elections. That鈥檚 a hot button. I mean, Title IX itself has always been this political football, and this is what the Biden administration鈥檚 own stamp is on the definitions and applications of the law.

Collins: Right. So a lot of that will be coming to the fore soon. This is the final strand in the braid. What about the women鈥檚 sports piece beyond Caitlin Clark? Huge gains there, too, by quite a few measures, right?

Nordin Beato: Yes, yes. I mean first of all, this women鈥檚 sports fan is just heartened by the fact that everybody鈥檚 talking about women鈥檚 sports. And suddenly everybody鈥檚 an armchair expert on women鈥檚 sports. So, the women鈥檚 sports industry is forecasted to break the $1 billion mark this year for the first time in total revenue. Also you鈥檝e got a lot of exciting things happening in pro leagues.

Women鈥檚 soccer 鈥� it鈥檚 always been a leader in women鈥檚 pro sports 鈥� is set to launch a second league in August. There also was a successful launch this year of a professional women鈥檚 hockey league and a professional women鈥檚 volleyball league. Last summer, there were 92,000 fans attending an outdoor volleyball match at the University of Nebraska, which set a world record for attendance at a women鈥檚 sporting event. It鈥檚 also exciting beyond U.S. borders. There was a professional hockey game this spring between Toronto and Montreal that had the highest attendance for a women鈥檚 hockey game ever. 

And then there鈥檚 the Paris Olympics. This summer, there will be an equal number of men and women athletes represented for the first time in games history. That鈥檚 thanks to a quota that the IOC has worked to enforce for decades now. And it really is all thanks, I think, to Title IX because the United States has been a leader in recognizing that girls and women deserve opportunities. And sports was one of the surprising results of that, and it just had this tremendous, wonderful ripple effect. And I think it鈥檚 great. 

Collins: That鈥檚 great. Just want to point out there is a Caitlin Clark Olympics story, too. And we talked a bit about that off mic. And it seems like another case where the closer you look, the less of a controversy it appears to be. Is that sort of the case?

Nordin Beato: Yeah. So the Monitor鈥檚 own Ira Porter, who is heading to Paris this summer to cover the Olympics for us, wrote about it recently to kind of demystify the whole process behind 鈥渉ow does the women鈥檚 Olympic team get chosen.鈥� There are many factors that are involved. It is notable that Caitlin Clark, who鈥檚 the WNBA first draft pick, did not make the team, but that鈥檚 happened before. Aliyah Boston, who was the WNBA rookie of the year last year, is not on the team. So I can鈥檛 pretend to know what goes on in a coach鈥檚 mind when you sit down to actually pick the Olympic roster. And maybe the fact that there鈥檚 this huge fandom and a potential backlash for disappointed fans who are going to watch her ride the bench, you know. Who knows? But again, it鈥檚 that singular focus on one player. You鈥檙e kind of missing the whole picture. 

Collins: Right. Excellent. Well, thanks, Kendra, for this quick but somehow very comprehensive update on women鈥檚 sports since the Title IX anniversary two years ago. As promised, we鈥檙e now going to tee up a piece of that June 2022 show on which you spoke with Samantha Laine Perfas, since so much of it stands up. See you back in the newsroom.

Nordin Beato: Thanks, Clay. 

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Samantha Laine Perfas: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 states: 鈥淣o person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.鈥� 

Since its passing on June 23, 1972, it has been applied to everything from education to sports to sexual harassment to transgender rights. The Monitor鈥檚 Kendra Nordin Beato and Tara Adhikari reported on the anniversary of this groundbreaking law by tracing the arc of its progress over the past 50 years. 

Today we鈥檙e joined by Kendra to talk about this story, and how she went about reporting on the social effects of such a complex piece of legislation.

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Laine Perfas: Kendra, When you started writing this story about Title IX, did you think it would be simple and straightforward?

Nordin Beato: Oh, absolutely not. I knew from the get go that approaching this story was trying to fill a Dixie cup at Niagara Falls. There鈥檚 probably been no girl or woman in the United States today who hasn鈥檛 been impacted in some way by the passing of Title IX in 1972. 

Laine Perfas: So what would you say were the major pillars that you focused on in your reporting?

Nordin Beato: I see Title IX like a braid that has three strands: education, sports and protections against sexual harassment and sexual assault. The primary motivation for passing Title IX was equal opportunity in education. And then out of that came a new sports culture for girls and women. And then once women and girls were gaining access to environments that had been designed by and for men, they were encountering instances of sexual assault and sexual abuse.  

Laine Perfas: What do you feel is your personal relationship to this story? You mentioned that you consider yourself 鈥渁 Title IX baby.鈥�

Nordin Beato: Yes, I absolutely am a Title IX baby. I was born in 1971. I was 10 months old when the law was passed. I was part of the group of girls that was pioneering this new sports culture. When I was growing up in Madison, Wisconsin, I was one of four girls on my community soccer team that was sponsored by the local hamburger joint. And going on all the way through high school, I was on a state championship soccer team. My track team was a state champion all four years I was there. I was always immersed in this sports culture that really my mom hadn鈥檛 been part of. 

Laine Perfas: You played sports as a kid on co-ed teams. What was that like?

Nordin Beato: I have this one distinct memory. We had played against an all boys team, and there was one, you know, kind of heavyset kid who was a little slower to the ball than I was. And I would steal the ball away from him repeatedly. And feeling pretty good about myself until we line up to shake hands at the end of the game where you go, Good game. Good game. And as I came up to this kid, he just wound up and socked me right in the stomach. And I was so surprised. But I have to tell you, even as an eight year old, I knew that he was hitting me because he was mad that I was a girl and that I had beaten him out on the field. It certainly made me aware that just because I had been given a space to play, I wasn鈥檛 necessarily welcome. 

Laine Perfas: In your story, we meet Carol Hutchins, who sounds like a phenomenal person. You said that Carol is kind of intense. When you met her, could you give us an example? Like, what is this woman like? 

Nordin Beato: She鈥檚 the kind of person who looks directly in your eyes and won鈥檛 work to make you feel at ease until she鈥檚 ready to. When I walked into her office, even before I had set up my recording equipment, she looked at me and said, 鈥淥h yeah, I just got off the phone,鈥� and I won鈥檛 name it, but it was a major sports publication who had called her to talk to her about Title IX. And she said, 鈥淭hey put women in bathing suits on their cover. Why would they expect me to talk to them?鈥�

Laine Perfas: What was it about her and her life that you felt was appropriate to tell and capture the history of Title IX?

Nordin Beato: She is a big proponent of Title IX, not only with her own life story, but the fact that she wants her student athletes today to understand what Title IX is and what life used to be like before the law鈥檚 passing.

Her own personal story is that she just wanted to play sports the way her three brothers were growing up in the 1960s, but just didn鈥檛 have access to any organized sports. And at some point, her mother told her it was inappropriate for her to be out on the athletic field. So when Title IX passes, she鈥檚 in high school. Suddenly there is a girls varsity basketball team and she鈥檚 on it.

So, Carol, she鈥檚 going to college at Michigan State University, and playing basketball there, but has an encounter with a visiting coach who basically told her team that 鈥渘obody cares about women鈥檚 basketball; you have to get off the court.鈥� And that lit a fire in her that hasn鈥檛 gone out. To even have a field of their own, practice time, uniforms 鈥� none of these things were a given when she first started coaching in the early 80s. She had to mow her own field.

Laine Perfas: Oh, my gosh.

Nordin Beato: They didn鈥檛 have a fence yet. They had to put down their own lines. So that鈥檚 what started this awakening of them wanting to stand up and ask for what they felt like they rightfully deserved. She would go on to become one of the most decorated softball coaches in sports history in the United States. 

Laine Perfas: And one thing that comes out in your story is that, you know, Carol did amazing work, but it鈥檚 really not just about Carol. There are so many women who have done really courageous work through the years. I鈥檓 curious how you saw that as you were talking to people about this issue.

Nordin Beato: It鈥檚 not natural to stand up and ask for equal treatment under the law, and it takes a group of people inspiring each other to do that.

Carol herself tells a story of 鈥� after winning the [College] World Series in 2005 at University of Michigan, the baseball coach 鈥� who was younger, less experienced, a shorter resum茅 鈥� had won regionals. And Michigan offered him a contract that doubled his salary, which now put his salary above Carol鈥檚. And she really 鈥� it was a dilemma for her if she should ask for a raise herself, where she had already achieved so much more and had so much more experience. And she had reached out to Nancy Hogshead-Makar, who is a former Olympic swimmer and a legal expert on sports and gender鈥�. And Carol said that Nancy gave her the courage to stand up and ask for her own higher salary. Carol tells a story about putting down her resum茅 鈥� no name, no gender, no sport 鈥� next to the baseball coach鈥檚 resume and saying to the administrator, 鈥淲ho deserves to be paid more?鈥� And the administrator just saying, 鈥淥h, geez.鈥� And she says,鈥� I鈥檓 not going to let this go.鈥� And she did get a higher contract in the end. 

And then she pointed to a current example of Dawn Staley, who is University of South Carolina women鈥檚 basketball coach who just signed a historic contract deal for $22.4 million for the next seven years. And you look at Dawn Staley鈥檚 story, she, in turn, had been inspired by watching a documentary of the women鈥檚 national soccer team asking for equal pay. So women are inspiring each other to find the courage and the resilience to stick their necks out, because Carol says she knew plenty of cases where women coaches might start to make demands, or questioned things, and they just simply would get fired. So that there are very high stakes involved. 

Laine Perfas: What gives you hope that Title IX will continue to be a force for achieving gender equity moving forward? 

Nordin Beato: The fact that the law is so simple, but it has really reshaped our society, is kind of astounding when you stop and think about it. Even talking to some of the players on Carol Hutchin鈥檚 team at the University of Michigan. They鈥檙e just these confident, well-spoken women that, you know that an educational experience that they received on an athletic field has contributed to them just as a person. And that鈥檚 going to give them confidence in the work that they鈥檙e going to pursue, the public spheres that they鈥檙e going to move in, and even in turn, what they鈥檙e going to inspire for generations of girls coming up behind them. 

You can see human potential when you create spaces of equal treatment and equal opportunity.

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Collins: And thank you to our listeners. You can find more, including our show notes, with a link to the stories that we discussed in this podcast and to all of Kendra鈥檚 work at csmonitor.com/WhyWeWroteThis. This episode was hosted by me, Clay Collins, and produced by Jingnan Peng. Mackenzie Farkus is also a producer on this show. Our sound engineers were Jeff Turton and Alyssa Britton, with original music by Noel Flatt. Produced by 海角大神. Copyright 2024.