Members of Congress, NRPA emphasize need for gender equity in sports. (Advocacy Update).

On July 15, four members of Congress gathered with Women's National Basketball Association players to highlight a congressional resolution to create Women's Leadership Through Sports Day. The press conference was sponsored by the White House Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization seeking to advance women's leadership.

Among the congressional members who cosponsored the resolution was Rep. Patsy Mink (D-Hawaii), who sponsored Title IX legislation in 1972, a law that stated that males' and females' educational programs, including athletics, had to be of the same caliber. Mink urged that Education Secretary Rodney Paige dissolve the commission he is initiating to investigate Title IX enactment.

Another cosponsor, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), spoke to the health benefits of girls' athletics, noting, "At a time when overweight and obesity are such a problem in the U.S., we need girls in sports." She also noted that athletic girls have fewer problems with teen pregnancy, less drug abuse, higher self-esteem and higher grades. "Sports is for more than sports," she said. "Sports is for the advancement of women in a multitude of fields."

Acknowledging the advances that girls have made through their involvement in sports, the NRPA Board of Trustees has approved a new policy statement, "Gender Equity in Recreation and Sports." The statement promotes the full implementation of and compliance with Title IX among park and recreation agencies, including agencies that partner with schools and other educational institutions. NRPA will work to have Title IX reauthorized, and encourages park and recreation agencies to ensure that facilities are developed and programs are implemented so that they meet male and female recreation needs.