Launched by Founder Stef Strack in 2021, the VOICEINSPORT Advocate Program consists of young women athletes in HS and College focused on bringing #moreVIS to Title IX and elevating the voices of girls in sport to drive change.
June 21st, 2022 (Brooklyn, NY) – On Thursday, June 23rd, VOICEINSPORT will join U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Capitol Hill to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Title IX and announce their support of his upcoming legislation, The Fair Play for Women Act of 2022, a bill that will help to fulfill the promise of Title IX by improving gender equity in college and high school sports.
Since the launch of the VIS Advocate Program in 2021, high school and collegiate athletes from across the country have been trained on their Title IX rights, learned how to evaluate their schools for compliance and partnered with Founder and CEO Stef Strack to conduct 5 Capitol Hill Days and over 30+ member meetings in effort to suggest policy change that drives better education, transparency & reporting and enforcement of Title IX.
Participants of Thursday’s VOICEINSPORT Title IX 50th Anniversary Celebration Event include girls and women in sport from around the US, professional athletes and Title IX pioneers. Attendees will celebrate the accomplishments and learn about the history of Title IX with longtime Title IX litigator Arthur Bryant, researcher Dr. Nicole LaVoi, professor and coach Dr. Nikki Franke and VIS Advocate Nya Harrison from the Stanford soccer team. Attendees will also hear how to strengthen Title IX from the President of Rock the Vote Carolyn DeWitt, Basketball Analyst Christy Winters Scott, professor Dr. Ajhanai Keaton and VIS Advocate Molly Dreher from St. Mary’s cross country team as they discuss the impact upcoming legislation will have in upholding the promises of Title IX.
The work to raise the VOICE of girls and women in sport does not stop here on the 50th Anniversary. VOICEINSPORT is continuing to build and grow the VIS Advocate Program with the goal to create the largest grassroots movement for girls and women in sport globally, as they fight for equality, together, in a new and disruptive way through the VIS platform.
“There is so much power in one voice and our collective voice - the goal of the VOICEINSPORT platform is to keep girls in sport and take action. We want to build and develop the future leaders while we drive systemic change, together.” - Stef Strack, Founder & CEO VOICEINSPORT
In 2021 the VIS Advocate Program gained support from the PAC-12 Conference, to build future leaders and educate women athletes on Title IX. While VOICEINSPORT hosts monthly training sessions on Title IX on their platform they’ve also gained the support from over 20+ brands, player associations and nonprofits across the sports industry by creating the #moreVISforIX pledge in 2021, joined by the WNBA Players Association, the NWSL Players Association, Girls Inc, Rock the Vote, Champs Sports, WHOOP, the Washington Spirit, Athlete Ally, the PWHPA, Athletes Unlimited and more.
Organizations that have signed the pledge support the innovative approach VOICEINSPORT is taking to drive change by elevating the voices of girls and women in sport. VIS Advocates across the country are leading the charge to help bring more VISibility to Title IX by building out local VIS Chapters, and working with congressional leaders like Senator Murphy to drive policy change.
“Every step of the VIS Advocate Program has been extremely rewarding, from writing the bill proposal, to connecting with our government officials through Capitol Hill Days and gaining a sponsor. Being an advocate is not easy, but when all your pushing gets the boulder a little further you can’t help but smile. Seeing this bill, one with my voice within it is an unforgettable and powerful experience!” - Molly Dreher, VOICEINSPORT Advocate
VOICEINSPORT supports the Fair Play for Women Act of 2022 as it aims to strengthen 3 key areas of Title IX in which VIS Advocates have been leading for over 16 months; education, reporting & transparency and enforcement.
50 years ago, Title IX was passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex by any education program or activity receiving federal funding and requiring schools to allocate resources to men and women in proportion to their interest and enrollment. This landmark legislation created opportunities for girls and women to participate in sport: since 1972, there has been a 545% increase in the percentage of women playing college sports and a 990% increase in the percentage of women playing high school sports. Although Title IX allowed women to participate in sports, there is still work to be done to truly level the playing field for women athletes.
At the moment, the NCAA is not held accountable to Title IX due to a Supreme Court decision that recognized the dues the NCAA receives from its members does not constitute as receiving direct federal assistance, which would trigger Title IX compliance. This loophole has enabled the NCAA to treat women’s sports inequitably when staging competitions and distributing revenue. Nowhere was this inequity more visible than the 2021 women’s basketball tournament, which showed the extent to which the NCAA undercuts women’s sports. Additionally, current law allows athletic programs to hide significant disparities between sports and to avoid public scrutiny over Title IX complaints.
The Fair Play for Women Act of 2022 aims to fix these inequities and provide both men and women athletes with equal opportunities in sport.
“VOICEINSPORTS commitment to building a community that amplifies the voices of all girls and women in sport is so inspiring. I am extremely proud of the development of the VIS Advocacy Program since joining in 2021. We’ve created an avenue to develop and strengthen our voice and harness our power to advocate for better opportunities, not just for ourselves but for all. The Fair Play for Women Act of 2022 will do exactly that as we look to the next fifty years of women in sport.” -Sydney Moore, VOICEINSPORT Advocate
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About VOICEINSPORT
VOICEINSPORT, the global sports company, provides a community based platform for digital services in mental health, nutrition, sport science and mentoring from pro athletes to keep girls and women in sport. The VOICEINSPORT membership comes with free access to original articles written by women athletes, weekly podcasts, advocacy tools to drive change and a community forum. Paid services include a mentoring platform designed to increase the visibility to pro & collegiate athlete role models and access to both clinical & non-clinical sessions with the top 80 experts in sport psychology, sport nutrition and women’s health. Founded in 2019, VOICEINSPORT is based in NYC and is self-funded by sports industry Executive and Advocate Stef Strack. Visitvoiceinsport.com for the latest company news and follow @voiceinsport on Instagram, TikTok, Snap, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Contact: media@voiceinsport.com and Charlotte Cronister charlotte.cronister@voiceinsport.com
June 23rd, 2022 Event Location:Russell Senate Office Building, 2 Constitution Ave NE, Room 325, Washington DC 20002
Girls 13-23 that are in Middle School, HS and College can RSVP for the event at www.voiceinport.com/fairplay or rsvp to info@voiceinsport.com
List of organizations that have signed the #moreVISforIX Pledge: Women’s National Basketball Players Association
National Women’s Soccer League Players Association
Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association
National Women’s Hockey League
Athletes Unlimited
Athlete Ally
Girls Inc.
Rock the Vote
Champs Sports
WHOOP
&Mother
Honey Stinger
Women in Sports Tech
Washington Spirit
Mentoring Org
Women in Sports
Sports Innovation Lab
The Black Women’s Player Collective
Action Button
RISE Athletes
We Coach
Power Play
Être Girls