Introduction
Introduction
THE LAST TWO DECADES HAVE SEEN GREAT GAINS for girls and women in sports. As participation in fitness training and competition has soared, performance has improved so much that two researchers recently predicted that top women runners may someday overtake men. But the male-dominated world of athletics doesn't yet offer a level playing field. Female athletes still face discrimination as amateurs, and at the professional level struggling teams have to scramble for sponsors and fans. A study by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, due this spring, may help gauge inequities in college funding and other opportunities. Meanwhile, Title IX, a 20-year-old law that was supposed to end discrimination in sports, is today being blamed for drastically shrinking the ranks of female coaches and administrators.