activists within the movement
Megan Rapinoe & USA women's soccer teamRapinoe and the USA women's soccer team are some of the biggest advocates for equality in women's sports, particularly equal pay. She’s won multiple awards for her work and advocacy in this area. Rapinoe is also a part of the LGBTQ+ community and is a part of a couple different organizations which support LGBTQ+ people in sports. She was also one of the first female athletes to kneel during the national anthem. Her presence in advocating for different social issues is deep rooted and is one of the main reasons she’s so well known aside from her legendary skills on the field. On the whole, the US women’s soccer team has taken a stand together to fight for equal pay in women’s and men’s sports. |
Venus Williams & Women's Tennis Association
Venus Williams, a world-renowned African American tennis player that has won multiple world championships and Olympic Gold medals in her career as a professional tennis player; however, she is not only known as a champion. Venus Willaim is also a powerful advocate for gender equality in the field of tennis. As a woman, she managed to successfully challenge the Wimbledon Court of Tennis into paying the same amount of prize money to both male and female competition tournaments. Inspiring countless other female sports competitors to also challenge for equal pay in their sports field and allowing Venus to become one of the most influential advocates for gender equality that history has ever known. As an African American, she has also spoken out numerous times for more equality of her people. Thus combining her two identities, being an African American woman, identifying her as one of the most marginalized groups of people in the world. Venus' rise to becoming such a powerful influencer is genuinely inspiring. It is crucial to understanding discrimination and how to combat this discrimination in sports. Every step of Venus's career in the field of tennis, she has to deal with these issues and conquer them every step of her way. |
Mary Caine & OiselleFormer elite-athlete Mary Caine took to advocacy with an opinion piece in the New York Times, published November 17th, 2019 that shook the running world by highlighting the prevalence of athlete abuse and eating disorders. Caine's story brought one woman’s high-profile but relatively unknown experience to light, ultimately representing an all too common cycle among female athletes at all levels. Eating Disorders, while prevalent, are devastating for an athlete. It can ruin careers—but it also ruins bodies, too. The article went viral within the running community as soon as it hit the press. |
nancy hogshead-makarNancy Hogshead-Makar is an advocate for the equality of women in sports. She has developed her own organization called Champion Women, https://championwomen.org. Champion Women focuses on advocacy for women’s sports in a time that she says is most needed. She strives to target efforts in accountability, transparency, and equality. Nancy was born in 1962 and was an American swimmer for the United States. She received her undergraduate degree from Duke University and went on to intern at the Women’s Sports Foundation. She continued to work with the organization for thirty years and even served on the board of trustees and as its President. Nancy was a 3-time Olympic champion in swimming which gives her accountability in the understanding of the inequality women face in sports and competitions like the Olympics. Nancy focuses on many areas including equal pay, sexual harassment, employment, LGBTQ discrimination, etc. She has many awards honors to her name and is a figure many women look up to. |