When District Judge Stefan Underhill ruled against Quinnipiac University – last year they sought to cut women’s volleyball and add competitive cheer to fulfill Title IX requirements – the 95-page ruling ironically did more to boost competitive cheer than it did for the future of the university women’s volleyball team.

Yes, the university must reinstate volleyball for 2010-2011, but Judge Underhill’s ruling also states that “Quinnipiac is not obligated to continue sponsoring the team beyond that point, however, so long as any decision to eliminate women’s volleyball is accompanied by other changes that will bring the University into compliance with Title IX.”

The crux of his decision – after sifting through problems with how the school counts athletes for Title IX purposes – was that Quinnipiac’s switcheroo of cheer for volleyball didn’t work because cheer was missing key elements of a bona-fide varsity sport.

On the surface, this looks like yet another scenario pitting female athletes against one another. In fact, it offers women’s sport advocates a reminder: Don’t lean on Title IX to keep things how they have been – use it as a tool to build the future. What to take away:

1. Competitive cheer should be an NCAA sport – but with a different name. There is a reason that the University of Oregon calls it the “competitive stunt and tumbling team.” There is clear divide between cheerleading — that is waving pom-poms on the sidelines and getting the crowd revved up and behind the (usually male) home team – and competitive cheer, which could care less what an audience thinks. Competitive teams have four positions – flyers, back spots and main and support bases – perform six events and don’t use props like pom-poms and megaphones. They don’t wear cute skirts, either. The problem: Cheer right now is a hybrid sport that has some serious teams with group gymnastics-like scoring and competition – and then others that enter competitions in which you are scored on pumping up the crowd and how many Varsity Brand props you cram into a routine. Quinnipiac may be on the serious side, but by entering 10 competitions with five different scoring schemes during the 2009-2010 year, the enterprise lacks varsity-level structure. (For the record, starting the team in March, not recruiting off campus, and adding 16 members of the sideline cheerleading squad to the competitive cheer team just as volleyball was cut doesn’t work, the judge said).
2. Be willing to change up women’s sport offerings. The viability of Title IX (some argue it’s no longer needed; I think it hasn’t gone far enough) rests partly with the willingness to admit when one sport becomes more popular than another. Male wrestlers love to blame Title IX for their fading sport. Reality is that popularity of sports waxes and wanes. When a sport isn’t attracting participants – whether across the board or in a particular region – be willing to add something else instead. (This is not to say volleyball is a waning sport — actually it’s not and participation is up 17.2 percent since 2007 — but whether Quinnipiac can run a strong program is a separate question. If they wanted to switch, they didn’t do it properly or effectively.)
3. Think out of the box about sports. This case reminds us of the value of considering new sport opportunities for female athletes – even if they look different than what we are used to. That may be the key to increasing participation. Yes, cultural and familial barriers that keep inner city girls from playing traditional sports must be challenged. But so must strict notions of what counts. New York City schools recently made double Dutch a varsity sport. Who says the high-speed jumping, twisting, and spinning – and between two moving ropes – is any less valid than chucking a ball in a basket?
4. We still need Title IX. Yes, the law was passed at a time when females had trouble even getting access to top math and physics classes, let alone sports teams. The law has flaws. It’s not well enforced. It’s complicated and hard to spot violations. Big disparities get missed by its particular area of emphasis. But right now it’s all we’ve got and what some think is a ridiculous counting of roster spots is simply the existing vehicle for enforcing fairness. The judge found that the university had over-counted female athletes and undercounted male athletes. Some may call it absurd, but how else do you enforce fair play? (Isn’t counting roster spots – including abiding whatever rules apply – the bedrock of pro sports leagues, too? Like, heck, the NFL?)

Just a few months ago, it was hard to think of a time when I wouldn’t be going to school — and wouldn’t have a two-hour practice built into my day. But that time has come. I’ve graduated from college, landed my dream job at Harper Collins publishers in New York City, managed to find an apartment, and have even found time during the week to exercise.

As soon as I arrived, I dialed up every squash player I knew in New York City, and have been making the rounds of the clubs, hopping into singles and doubles games from Long Island City to Midtown. But what I didn’t expect: a squash friend asked me to join the board of the MSRA, or Metropolitan Squash  Racquets Association, which runs New York Squash.

After attending the World Conference on Women and Sport in Sydney in May, I knew I had to remain active in squash. I wasn’t becoming a coach, or a teaching professional at a club, so I assumed that meant playing. I would help the women’s game by simply showing up (that’s no small feat as I have discovered in signing up for tournaments in which it was not clear up until the 11^th hour that there would even be a women’s draw).

Showing up is important. But when my friend Emily asked me to join the MSRA board, I heard echoes of Sydney in my ear. Speakers at the conference emphasized the great margins by which women were underrepresented on athletic boards, both at local and national levels. Women do better when other women are involved with leadership. Not only did I have to join — but I needed to play an active role.

I had images of what a board was and I expected lots of older people. In my mind, after all, boards were storied groups with lots of power and big purses. Boards are storied groups, and squash is about the most storied sport out there, but I was wrong on other scores.

The MSRA is, for the most part, comprised of young professionals (ages 22 to 40). After I attended my first meeting I also discovered — revelation — that many of the members were, like me, people who enjoyed the sport through college, and wanted to make sure the opportunity to play and be involved continued long after.

The MSRA runs cool events like the Grand Open, Hyder and Big Apple Opens, in addition to facilitating men’s and women’s singles leagues and a mixed doubles league. I have been tapped to help grow doubles in the city, as well as be active in the women’s squash movement. Sure, I have my work cut out for me, but I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my spare time.

Need a nudge? Here’s why to join an athletic board:

1. Boards are not just for older people. The best boards remain vital by including young voices.

2. Its a great way to meet people who are involved in a sport you are passionate about. And, yes, participating on a board gives you an instant circle of people to socialize and play your sport with when you move to a new city. Great way to meet people.

3. Think of board membership as public service — but also as a free leadership education course.

4. Contrary to conventional wisdom, board meetings are not boring. They are places for lively discussion, debate, and — yes — even sharp disagreement.

5. A board also gives you an outlet to be active outside of work. It’s important to have something that isn’t part of your working life that provides identity and meaningful engagement. No pay check involved.

I had the thrilling opportunity to watch the World Cup Final at the Soweto Fan Park in South Africa on Monday. Yes, the vuvuzela howls are deafening, but I still cheered alongside 10,000 South Africans as Spain kicked in the winning goal against the Netherlands (my friend Robin from San Fransisco was rooting for the Netherlands — see photo).

It is not that I – or my South African hosts – are huge Spanish soccer fans. In fact, most of the South Africans I spoke with had little knowledge of the individual teams, but agreed that World Cup fever had swept their country. Everywhere you look, soccer images line the streets. From soda cans to billboards, you cannot escape FIFA’s domination.

Certainly, the World Cup has brought together a divided nation and given the rest of the globe a fresh lens through which to view what I am finding to be an inspiring country.

But one thing has struck me: This lens – and FIFA in particular — has filtered out and excluded (sometimes ridiculously so) the female athletic experience. This was an opportunity for all athletes to celebrate this sport. But we only saw half the picture.

Nowhere in the city do you see ads with little girls playing soccer and nowhere do you hear the voice of a female commentator. Does FIFA mean to suggest that the World Cup only inspires little boys? Are the sports networks telling us no women are qualified to provide commentary or reportage?

And in what would be a natural plug for it’s next major event, FIFA was stunningly silent about the fact that next year’s Women’s World Cup is in Germany. Disturbingly, the only fact my South African and American peers could recall about the Women’s World Cup when I asked them was “that one time that women took her shirt off.”

Do we need a woman in a sports bra – Brandi Chastain – to bring attention to women’s soccer? Without engaging yet another debate on sexy athletes, let’s instead pose the fair question: Is the World Cup truly a celebration of the beautiful game – or just the celebration of men who play it?

Rachael roots for Spain while her friend Robin (obviously) pulls for Netherlands

World Cup crowds on Monday night

As physical aspects of becoming a mom – bearing children – recede as a reason for halting an athletic career, another is emerging: Is it possible to be a top athlete and a good mommy?

Now that women can compete at high levels into their 30s and 40s – whether in golf, tennis, soccer, or basketball – female professional athletes get to engage the challenge working mothers have faced for decades: How do you do your job (honor your identity and passion) and still be an engaged parent?

This has long been the third rail of feminism. The fault line between employed mothers and “stay-at-home” mothers (all moms work) bumps up in daily life from the scheduling of school events (classroom volunteers needed 10:45-11:15: Who’s available?) to the matter of which mom has the most high-powered e-mail address or a calendar too jammed to send in paper cups.

If the Mommy Wars (and some argue it’s all imagined) have taught us anything, however, it’s that there is no single correct approach to being a parent. If the goal is to raise good kids and be involved in their lives there are many ways to do this – and do it well.

The very phrase “Mommy Track” has been tainted by the view that it is career-lite. But increasingly, making work flexible is a tool for keeping top talent — and it does not decrease intelligence, drive, or skill. Sure, some people multi-task better than others (but the argument that working moms are distracted misses all the work-day internet poker that can be equally distracting). Accommodating talent buys loyalty and quality work (or play).

How does this apply to pro sports?

Many athletes already have more flexible schedules (in terms of training) than many traditional professionals. Competition does present a particular challenge – but so do big presentations and conferences. The point: The schedule is workable.

The New York Times on Monday observed the falling number of LPGA golfers taking advantage of the tour’s Child Development Center while noting that superstars Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam retired at the top of their game, apparently to devote time to family.

Yes, there may be factors that explain this stat: 1) competitors are younger 2) competition is stiffer and 3) there is more international travel on the Tour.

But the matter for the LPGA – as for other women’s pro sports – is that it’s time to talk about quality childcare. Not good babysitting or ski-school-like people willing to watch kids while mom plays, but the sort of waiting-list-worthy early childhood education program (and well-advertised) that makes parents rave. Have a system of childcare so that whether you are in Illinois or Florida, there is continuity. Salaries and prize money matters. But so do benefits. Ironically, such an initiative could drive more women into pro sports – and keep them longer.

The frenzy of conference switching (Colorado, Utah, Nebraska plus others at least thinking about it), has caused a stir for one reason: Colleges fret that if the future really is about a few megaconferences that some schools will be big winners (measured in TV dollars and bowl berths) and others will be big losers (also-rans with expensive football programs that get little attention).

The college hosting of football is really higher education’s form of gambling. Most DI football teams in the country lose money. The question for AD’s: Can your college have a team that actually brings in cash?

When colleges get anxious, however, we don’t hear about this. We hear instead about how Title IX makes it hard for them to “compete.” Title IX, in this instance and others, is a favorite target of blame. But here’s a reality check: Title IX may be the only thing enforcing a semblance of sanity.

Title IX is carrying the burden of challenging an out-of-whack athletic culture. Title IX is all that reminds or enforces the broader belief that college sports are — indeed — played at colleges and must be rooted in a sense of equity and values other than cash and winning.

Consider that there is no law demanding equal opportunity – or spending – for athletes and non-athletes. (A new Knight Commission report shows that from 2005 to 2008 that median spending per athlete increased by 38 percent over that time to $84,446 while median spending per student increased just 20 percent to $13,349.) Report link here.

Title IX is not the “problem” but the levy against the flood. (Read a good Marquette faculty law blogpost here).

The real problems? Try these:

1. The NFL uses colleges as a farm team. With the fluid movement of coaches between the NFL and college ranks, we are ensured that colleges will seek to install NFL-like “systems,” build reputations based on their connections with professional teams (also useful in recruiting), and create programs that operate according to standards that are friendly to broadcasters.
2. Donors are allowed to buy (or partially buy, leaving colleges to cover the rest) expensive athletes-only facilities and enhancements aimed at winning national titles and recognition (see point 1). For examples, see the University of Oregon’s “Jock Box” or T. Boone Pickens Stadium (and influence) at Oklahoma.
3. Excessive focus on athletic school profiles in college marketing and the perception that kids are choosing colleges based on sports (as fans). The media attention given top football programs (and to a lesser extent basketball programs), eclipses the recognition that these big sports schools might get for their research successes.
4. Football conference alliances may not reflect broader university needs or values. Just because football teams match up or fit well in a particular conference does not mean that this high profile tie – which requires university resources to maintain – serves the needs of academic departments or research interests. And then there is the reality that football players may not accurately reflect the student body — either academically or in terms of behavior — creating two sets of standards, one for real students and one for students whose main job is to entertain everybody else on Saturdays.

The abrupt folding of the St. Louis Athletica, forcing the Women’s Professional Soccer league to mid-season reshuffle its schedule, was the latest reminder of a nagging problem: Making money in women’s pro sports. (Or merely staying solvent).

This has nothing to do with quality of play or competition.  The games are terrific, fan-friendly, compelling sporting events. It is not about the product.

Yet, the WPS can feel more like an old-style barnstorming circuit than a league. Granted, when one talks of sports “leagues” these days, the NFL jumps to mind with its attendant successes  and challenges  (such as the Supreme Court’s rejection of the NFL’s argument that it should be immune from anti-trust violations because it is a single entity not a collection of 32 teams or a possible player lockout in 2011.)

Unfortunately, these are headaches that WPS (or the WNBA, for that matter) could only dream of having. It is blatantly unfair to compare the NFL and women’s sports. But what turned the NFL from an afterthought to dominance in America’s (and soon the world…?) sporting conscious was effective marketing and promotion. (Book recommendation: America’s Game by Michael MacCambridge).

Here’s where Australian Netball comes in.

Last month in Sydney I had a chance to talk with Kate Palmer, the CEO of Netball Australia about how they revamped this women’s pro sport and in two years have made it into a $21 million business (I know, not NFL figures, but a start…) with a large fan following, TV exposure, and full sponsorship.

What they did reflects a strategy that recognizes that fans watch sports not just because they inherently love the sport, but because they are entertained. Who would have thought netball would be compelling TV? This is not to suggest that the WNBA or the WPS are not building a market (they are), but to offer a window on something that’s working.

“We refreshed the product,” says Palmer. “We looked at the way it was presented. It’s an entertainment product, not just a sport.”

Here’s what Palmer and her team did to take a sport played by 1.3 million Australian women and about 30,000 men and make it a popular fan sport:

1. In revamping the sport, they focused on what customers wanted who watched on TV and attended games.
2. Created competition with New Zealand. Research shows that women’s sports coverage increases during the Olympics; there is also heightened interest in nation-based competition.
3. Got an agreement with ABC in Australia ( the public broadcasting station) to show the games on TV.
4. They changed the rules to speed up the game.
5. They put more cameras on the court to be able to get closer to the action and show more angles of play.
6. Changed the women’s uniforms, says Palmer, to make them, “not as girly.” Now, she says, “they look really athletic.”
7. Uniform courts/branding. The court areas are uniform at every venue and Netball Australia brings in its own branding and marketing to every game venue. (This uniformity obviously also serves sponsors who know how they will be presented at every game).

As a result, says Palmer, the average women’s professional netball player makes about $30,000 for the April through August season. Stars (with sponsorship dollars) earn about $100,000.

“We did a lot of research. It was really about understanding the market and making sure our partners leveraged the heck out of us,” she says. “We’ve created a $21 million business. We are financially sustainable. We are oversubscribed with sponsors.”

Netball Australia CEO Kate Palmer

Why do Latina youth participate in sports less than other girls? How does their Hispanic culture impact decisions to play (or not)? What can we do to change that?

As part of a senior high school project, over the last few weeks I conducted detailed, structured interviews with 30 Latina youth about the role of sports in their lives. Although many said their families watched and played sports, athletics were mostly viewed as a diversion – not serious pursuits. Some girls said their families preferred they be at home or at a job – doing “practical” tasks – instead of playing sports.

“I feel that a big part of the reason a lot of Hispanic girls don’t do sports is because of their families,” said one 14-year-old from Boston’s South End. “They might not be encouraged in their homes. I don’t think it [sports participation] is valued in Hispanic culture for girls, it’s not seen as important. It’s not ‘normal’ for girls, so why would they do it?”

This negative family view – along with the lack of female Hispanic athletes in the media (not one of the 30 could name a Latina athlete) – made these girls feel that sports weren’t for them.  According to the NCAA, Hispanic females make up just 3.9 percent of college athletes (Hispanics are more than 8 percent of college enrollments). A U.S. Department of education survey also showed Hispanic girls had the lowest rate of sports participation of any of their peers.

So how can sports and youth organizations reach out to Hispanic girls? Here are four recommendations based on my research (a full paper with detailed findings is available by e-mailing Minda.Monteagudo@gmail.com).

1. Give Latina youth role models.

Powerful women are more prominent in society than ever, but few are Hispanic. Girls could not name a single female Hispanic athlete, but were keenly aware of demeaning stereotypes about Latinas. Stories of Latina athletes such as recently retired Mexican golfer Lorena Ochoa should be widely shared to empower and encourage girls.

2.  Offer girls a variety of opportunities.

Organized competitive sports are only one facet of physical activity. Many girls who do not play sports enjoy physical activity, but not necessarily competitive team sports. Offering activities such as yoga and jogging can encourage girls to get involved (the first step!).

3. Create a welcoming and supportive atmosphere.

Many girls who reported not enjoying sports stated that since they did not start playing at a young age (like some of their peers), they believed that by middle and high school it was too late for them to begin. As if their inexperience with sport wasn’t enough, the stress of teams with cuts keeps girl from participating. Offer teams for a variety of experience levels to foster a supportive atmosphere for them to explore and grow.

4. Appeal to their families.

A key to getting more Latina youth involved in sport is to educate parents about the benefits of physical activity and sport participation. Many girls said their families were unaware of the physical, emotional and long-term benefits. If parents knew the good that can come from sports, they would be more supportive of their daughters’ athletic endeavors.

“Being Latina is like having two strikes against you,” said one 13-year-old form Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood. “Not only are you a girl, but you’re also Latina. At least one of those is going to be used against you.”

Minda Monteagudo will graduate next week from The Winsor School in Boston. She will attend the University of Southern California in the fall where she will study Environmental Studies and Kinesiology. In high school, she was a coxswain on varsity crew and enjoys yoga in her free time. She is of Guatemalan descent.

Nasrin Arbabzadeh

By Sarah Odell and Lindsay Rico

Nasrin Arbabzadeh, the leader of the Afghan women’s sports delegation, has been actively working for years for the rights of Afghan women to complete in sports. In 2001, she traveled from city to city recruiting women to compete in the the Third Muslim Women Games. At the time, she told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that she wore a burqa so as not to draw attention to her work. “My life would have been in danger if the Taliban had learned of my activities and my purpose,” she said.

During the opening ceremonies of those games, organizers staged a black out and many athletes wore black mourning clothing and carried candles as a sign of support for the 48 Afghan delegates. Their participation was a symbol of political resistance. “I’m competing here to denounce the Taliban’s uncivilized treatment of women in the name of Islam,” Salma Hosseini, tae kwan do silver medalist, announced at the time.

Last week, at the Fifth World Conference on Women & Sport in Sydney, Ababzadeh stood in a question and answer period, and sought insight into how to develop, support, and train female athletes in Afghanistan. “Does anybody know about the women in Afghanistan?” she asked. The hall was silent.

FGN spoke with Arbabzadeh about her work and the challenges for female athletes in her native country.

FGN: In Afghanistan, what kinds of sports do women compete in?

NA: They play football (Soccer), badminton, basketball, taekwondo, and volleyball. But it’s very hard for them. At first, their families are not happy and they make it difficult for the girls to play. But when these girls bring home medals and awards, then their parents are happy for them.

FGN: What are some of the challenges these girls and women experience?

NA: The difficulties don’t end with the family. Most of our athletes don’t have the right clothes, shoes, or food. And athletes who have become successful are often threatened. Sixty percent of people are happy with them, forty percent are not. People think they are bad girls because they have chosen to participate in athletics.

FGN:What is your role in women’s sports in Afganistan. Who has been important to your work?

NA: I am the first woman to start sports for girls in Afghanistan. I am so happy with Faezah Hashemi, the Iranian president of the Islamic Federation of Women Sport. She has helped lots of young women within the federation, regardless of what country they come from.

FGN: How did you first get girls involved in athletics?

NA: In 2001 I collected young girls who wanted to play sports brought them to the Muslim women games in Iran. The girls competed in volleyball, tae kwan doe, shooting, tennis, running, chess, and badminton. I paid for everything so my teams could go to this competition. The girls and their families were so happy, because in Afghanistan, there are no teams that allow women. But leaders in Afghanistan  did not like what I was doing and I received threats, so [after the games] I went back to Iran.

FGN: Who was behind the threats? Why were you threatened?

NA: The Olympic manager.  He did not have a lot of experience. He saw that I had experience and knowledge. I saw many things I wanted to change. I saw the disabled athletes had terrible equipment. I wanted to help them. I asked him why they did not have better equipment and he did not like that. He told my husband that if I had any more things to say about the Olympic management or problems, he would kill me.

Arbabzadeh now lives abroad, in Australia, and serves on the Women with Special Needs Committee for the Islamic Federation of Women Sport.

FGN's Rico & Odell talk with Arbabzadeh

Ahlam Al-Mana, is president of the Women’s Sport Committee in Qatar, which was formed in 2000 and is part of Qatar’s Olympic Committee. Al-Mana, who played handball at Qatar University, earned her degree in physical education. FGN spoke with Al-Mana at the 5^th World Conference on Women & Sport held last weekend in Sydney.

Ahlam Al-Mana

FGN: Has it been hard to recruit girls and women to play sports in Qatar?

AA-M: In the beginning, it was very difficult for us. The culture didn’t allow girls to go out and play sports. We started by using the facilities in the schools because it is very easy to go to parents that way. For example, we say, “Your daughter is talented in the sport and we would like her to join us.” In Qatar [in the beginning] people didn’t know about the importance of sport for women, about the Olympic Games.

FGN: How can you change this?

AA-M: The Asian Games were organized in Qatar in 2006 and there were 11 sports for women. We had 46 players. It was very big. It made a huge change in the mentality of the parents. Now many parents bring their girls to participate. They say, “It is our dream to see our girls playing in the Olympics.”

FGN: Probably the issue that most crosses Westerner’s minds when Muslim women play sports is the matter of dress. Is it possible to compete while respecting religious rules requiring the body to be fully covered?

AA-M: There are now many countries that issue special clothes for the Muslim countries. There are many companies working on special [sport] clothes. We saw Cathy Freeman [she won the 400 meter race in Sydney in 2000 wearing a track suit that covered her head and full body, not for religious reasons but because it was her preference]. She covered all her body. And she won! She won the Gold Medal!

Here is the problem. The rules of FIFA [international governing body of soccer] they stopped the Iranian women’s team from playing one month ago. They had the qualifications, but because they wear a cover they could not play. That is not fair for the Muslim players. They should be able to participate in the World Cup with covering. You can participate if you want to wear shorts. You should be able to participate if you wear long covering. Maybe there is a difference for your results, but it should not be a technical rule. [FIFA has since agreed to an acommodation, allowing players to wear caps that cover their hair].

Olympic Gold Medalist Cathy Freeman

FGN: Will you have many athletes in the 2012 Olympics in London?

AA-M: I hope we will have girls in shooting and fencing. I have a very good shooter who is 14 and a very good fencer who is 16. But there is one thing about our country – we are the beginners in sport. Of course the Olympic Games is a dream for everyone. We have everything – financing, support – everything, but we may miss the qualifications. We have girls that are good but they are not at the level to qualify. I hope the IOC [International Olympic Committee] would give the beginner countries the chance – especially for the women. If girls have the chances to compete, they can be a model for the other ones.

FGN: Because organized sports are so new, how do girls decide which sports to play?

AA-M: We use the results of talent tests. Every year a girl takes a test. They have a special test with many parts. They test how she throws, how she runs, how high she jumps. This is the general test and through this they choose which sport.

FGN: Where do athletes train? Which sports do they participate in?

AA-M: We have three centers [Aspire Academy] and we have 11 or 12 sports. We have handball, volleyball, table tennis, basketball, and football [soccer]. And some others. (See photo of Hissa Darwish and Mayi Al-Mohammadi, who work with talented 11-year-old girls at Aspire Academy).

FGN: Thank you very much.

AA-M: Thank you.

Hissa Darwish and Mayi Al-Mohammadi work with talented 11-year-old girls at Aspire Academy

FGN bloggers interview Rachel Mayanja of the U.N.

By Lindsay Rico and Sarah Odell

It may seem perfectly ordinary — routine, even — to spot girls or women playing soccer, basketball, baseball, softball — or any number of sports. Four women in the Indy 500? Check. But in other parts of the world, girls aren’t always allowed to play. In some places there is little organized physical activity for females. There are no teams, few facilities, poor equiment. And you know what? Complaining about it — or even recruiting women play sports — can be dangerous. (Later this week, you’ll hear from Nasrin Arbabzadeh, the Afghan woman who has lead the struggle against the Taliban to increase women’s access to sport — and who moved abroad after receiving threats).

Sure, sport looks like fun. It is entertainment. But in many places, the quest for access to athletics training, teams, and opportunities is a push for justice and equal status and power. We spoke with Rachel Mayanja, Assistant Secretary- General and Special  Advisor on gender issues and advancement of women  for the United Nations, about the connection between sports and women’s social and political lives. (Read Mayanja’s keynote address here.)

FGN: What do you mean that sports is a human right?

RM: The right to sport is enshrined in a number of human rights. This is a right that is recognized by the collection of member states in the United Nations. Why should it be denied to women? This conference focuses on allowing women to access sports and physical activity. Very often one hears a position that almost suggests that women’s access is a privilege. But it is a human right that must be guaranteed.

FGN: How does that translate into what girls and women should expect?

RM: Everyone has full entitlement to sport. Equipment must be provided. There is also a need to assure that the facilities are safe. Girls should not come to play a game and be harassed by boys and men. There needs to be a safe environment. Otherwise their families will keep them away and discourage this activity. We must ensure that there is respect and safety for women and girls to express themselves through physical activity.

FGN: In some places, clearly, girls and women have trouble getting access. Why does it matter for them to play sports?

RM: Relegating women to activities other than sports is detrimental. Having women become leaders of teams gives them the skills necessary to become leaders in other realms. These women become role models. If you deprive them of these positions you deny the next generation their role models.

FGN: So you are talking about sports partly for the skills women gain by playing. What on-field skills matter most off the field?

RM: Women can acquire team skills, negotiation skills, and an identity within a team—working with instruction and managing to deal with those instructions. It gives a woman the ability to listen and it gives her the respect of others. The fact that the team is dependent on you teaches girls how to be responsible for oneself and others. You are a part of a family and a community. [Also] as a sports person you need to manage your time. [There are] life skills that can be taken beyond the sport: self appreciation, self fulfillment and self satisfaction. You must be self confident. Discover yourself and your potential. In class you cannot do this—it has to happen on the field.