WASHINGTON -- Some of the nation's top female athletes, including tennis greats Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King, urged Congress Wednesday to pass legislation prohibiting sex discrimination in schools receiving federal funds.
The legislation, which is being introduced in the Senate by Sens. Bob Packwood, R-Ore., and Bill Bradley, D-N.J., would overturn the Supreme Court's controversial 1984 ruling in Grove City College vs. Bell.
Rep. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, who is introducing the bill in the House, warned that the Supreme Court ruling could jeopardize the future of women's sports programs.
'(This bill would) guarantee the fullest protection of the law against sex discrimination in schools and colleges across this country,' she said.
Opponents of the ruling said it gutted Title 9 of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs reciving federal funds. The court's ruling said only specific programs reciving federal money are bound by the law, not entire colleges and universities.
The statements came at a Capitol Hill ceremony honoring U.S. women athletes, including Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton, Harlem Globetrotter Lynette Woodward, pro golfer Carol Mann, Boston Marathon runner Katherine Switzer, and top-ranked squash player Alicia McConnell.
'Although the history of women in sports is rich and long, there has been no national recognition of the achievement,' Packwood said Wednesday, which was designated by President Reagan as National Women in Sports Day.
Packwood presented Navratilova with the Women's Sports Foundation's Flo Hyman Memorial award, named after the late Olympic volleyball player, for capturing her 'dignity, spirit, and commitment to excellence.'
'Today is a day of challenge and reassurance for those of us who believe a woman has the right to be the best she can be,' said Bradley.
Anita Defrantz, a former rower and the only woman sitting on the U.S. Olympic Committee, said once Title 9 went into effect, the number of women participating in collegiate sports rose dramatically.
However, the high court's ruling, coupled with financial cutbacks at many universities, has left women's sports programs vulnerable, she said.
