WEBVTT - Plumbing and Infrastructure with Danette Leighton and Sarah Axelson 0:00:00.640 --> 0:00:02.880 Welcome to good game of Sarah Spain, where we're duct 0:00:02.880 --> 0:00:06.200 taping pillows to our shins, throwing on a bicycle helmet. 0:00:05.880 --> 0:00:07.280 And popping in our night guards. 0:00:07.520 --> 0:00:11.560 The PWHL Playoffs start tonight at Toronto and we're ready coach. 0:00:11.880 --> 0:00:13.320 Even if just from our couches. 0:00:13.680 --> 0:00:15.840 It's Wednesday, May seventh, and on today's show, we'll be 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:19.079 chatting with two studs from the Women's Sports Foundation CEO 0:00:19.200 --> 0:00:23.120 Dennett Layton and Vice President of Advocacy Sarah Axelson about 0:00:23.120 --> 0:00:25.680 the state of the ORG fifty one years in fighting 0:00:25.760 --> 0:00:28.480 for Title nine compliance and the implications of the House 0:00:28.560 --> 0:00:32.959 versus NCAA settlement on women's college sports. Plus the PWHL 0:00:33.040 --> 0:00:36.320 takes choosing your opponent to the next level, fits worthy 0:00:36.320 --> 0:00:39.479 of Fashion's biggest night, and an announcement that stinks more 0:00:39.520 --> 0:00:42.000 than poop in your pants. It's all coming up right 0:00:42.040 --> 0:00:48.640 after this welcome back slices. Here's what you need to 0:00:48.680 --> 0:00:53.360 know today. Let's start with the PWHL where the four 0:00:53.400 --> 0:00:57.440 team playoffs get underweight tonight, Number two Toronto Scepters hosting 0:00:57.480 --> 0:00:59.840 the number four Minnesota Frost for Game one of that 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:02.400 semi final series. Now we know what some of your 0:01:02.480 --> 0:01:05.040 thinking the four seed in the two seed, don't most 0:01:05.080 --> 0:01:07.640 semi finals feature the number one seed versus the number 0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:08.160 four seed. 0:01:08.600 --> 0:01:09.720 Well, as we mentioned. 0:01:09.440 --> 0:01:13.360 Earlier this week, that's usually true, but not in the PWHL. 0:01:13.720 --> 0:01:16.959 The league instead lets the top seed pick whether it 0:01:16.959 --> 0:01:19.040 wants to play the number three or number four seed, 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:21.880 and this year the number one Montreal Victoire decided they'd 0:01:21.959 --> 0:01:24.480 rather face the number three Ottawa Charge instead of the 0:01:24.560 --> 0:01:27.560 number four Minnesota Frost, last year's defending Chaps. 0:01:28.200 --> 0:01:28.640 I don't know. 0:01:28.760 --> 0:01:31.840 Maybe those visuals of Kendall Cooins Schofield and company skating 0:01:31.880 --> 0:01:33.800 around the ice with the Walter Cup in their hands 0:01:33.920 --> 0:01:35.560 have Montreal a bit shook. 0:01:36.200 --> 0:01:36.640 Either way. 0:01:36.680 --> 0:01:39.160 It'll be Minnesota and Toronto getting things started tonight at 0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:42.840 Coca Cola Coliseum in Toronto, with Montreal and Ottawa facing 0:01:42.880 --> 0:01:46.160 off tomorrow at Plas bell and Laval Quebec, just outside Montreal. 0:01:46.520 --> 0:01:48.720 Both semi finals are best of five, with the two 0:01:48.760 --> 0:01:50.000 winning teams moving on. 0:01:49.920 --> 0:01:52.360 To the Walter Cup Finals, also best of five. 0:01:52.640 --> 0:01:55.080 We'll link to the full playoff schedule and broadcast info 0:01:55.200 --> 0:01:58.840 in our show notes to the WNBA, where preseason games 0:01:58.880 --> 0:02:01.880 continue today with the Shington Mystics in Atlanta, Dream tipping 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:05.680 off early and eleven thirty am Eastern start. That game 0:02:05.720 --> 0:02:08.959 will likely feature new Dream player Cheyenne Sellars, who was 0:02:08.960 --> 0:02:12.120 selected by the Golden State Valkyries with the seventeenth overall 0:02:12.160 --> 0:02:14.560 pick in the WNBA draft, but was already waived by 0:02:14.560 --> 0:02:17.200 the expansion team. Over the weekend, the Dream picked up 0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:19.560 the former Maryland star off the waiver wire, so she'll 0:02:19.600 --> 0:02:21.880 be looking to make a statement in this preseason test 0:02:22.120 --> 0:02:25.519 and hope her tenure with this team sticks. Speaking of 0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:28.400 the Valkyries, the teams announced its local broadcast team for 0:02:28.440 --> 0:02:31.040 the twenty twenty five season, a group that will include 0:02:31.080 --> 0:02:34.200 former WNBA star and friend of the Show Lesia Clarendon, 0:02:34.440 --> 0:02:37.520 who will do in studio coverage for select games. Wait 0:02:37.600 --> 0:02:39.359 to Go Lay Can't wait to hear You on the mic. 0:02:40.200 --> 0:02:43.239 Speaking of former WNBA players in the media, shout out 0:02:43.400 --> 0:02:47.359 Sue Byrd on her new podcast, Yep, another one. It's 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:50.560 called Bird's Eye View. Unlike A Touch More the sports 0:02:50.560 --> 0:02:53.320 and culture show she hosts with fonce Megan Rapino, this 0:02:53.440 --> 0:02:57.239 podcast promises to be all about basketball. Sue spoke about 0:02:57.280 --> 0:02:59.480 our vision for the show on social media on Tuesday, 0:02:59.520 --> 0:03:00.040 take a list. 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:04.280 And it's all about the WNBA. I've literally spent my 0:03:04.400 --> 0:03:06.800 entire life in this game as a player now as 0:03:06.840 --> 0:03:07.799 a fan, and. 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:09.080 I'll get to talk about it every week. 0:03:09.200 --> 0:03:12.080 We're gonna be breaking it all down, the matchups, what 0:03:12.200 --> 0:03:14.799 stood out, who bawled out, why it all matters. 0:03:15.200 --> 0:03:16.480 Oh, we can't wait for that one. 0:03:16.520 --> 0:03:19.000 We'll link to the feed in our show notes to 0:03:19.040 --> 0:03:22.760 the NWSL, where we've got a little ownership news expansion side. 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:26.200 Denver announced on Tuesday that American alpine skiing star Mikaela 0:03:26.240 --> 0:03:29.760 Shiffrin is joining the team's ownership group. Schiffrin, who calls 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:32.919 Edwards Colorado home, said in a statement that she's quote 0:03:32.960 --> 0:03:36.400 beyond thrilled to join the ownership group of Denver NWSL 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:39.320 and support something so meaningful in the community I call 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:42.960 home end quote. Finally, shout out to the athletes who 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:46.000 walk the red carpet at Monday Nights met Gala, including 0:03:46.040 --> 0:03:50.680 Simone Biles, Angel Reese, Shakeri Richardson, Flaje Johnson and Serena 0:03:50.720 --> 0:03:53.640 and Venus Williams, and the New York Liberty also well 0:03:53.680 --> 0:03:56.720 represented with John Quell Jones, Brianna Stewart and Sabrinia and 0:03:56.840 --> 0:04:01.320 Escu joining team owner Clara Wousai. Everybody, but I think 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:04.000 Angel Reese was my favorite. Not being a homer here, 0:04:04.080 --> 0:04:06.680 I just think she absolutely nailed the theme, which was 0:04:06.760 --> 0:04:10.960 super fine tailoring, black style, and the theme of black dandyism, 0:04:11.000 --> 0:04:15.200 in particular the Tom Brown suit dress with the middrift cutout, 0:04:15.560 --> 0:04:17.920 the retro flip in her hair, the makeup, in the styling, 0:04:18.080 --> 0:04:21.560 it was just all perfection. I also loved John Quell 0:04:21.640 --> 0:04:25.000 Jones taking a risk. She had this crocodile print jacket 0:04:25.240 --> 0:04:28.080 and a super bold hairstyle. Her locks were like gathered 0:04:28.120 --> 0:04:31.039 and twisted straight up in there and then accented by 0:04:31.160 --> 0:04:32.039 gems and pearls. 0:04:32.080 --> 0:04:32.839 It looked amazing. 0:04:33.200 --> 0:04:36.839 Also not female athletes, but my other faves were Coleman, Debanngo, 0:04:37.200 --> 0:04:41.040 Carrie Washington, Zendea, and Doci. By the way, also shout 0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:44.760 out to the at NWSL insta account admin who dropped 0:04:44.800 --> 0:04:47.760 the quote if NWSL kits had hit the met. 0:04:47.520 --> 0:04:48.960 Gala carpet photos. 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:53.920 This entire thing is absolute perfection, but especially the Gotham 0:04:54.440 --> 0:04:58.599 Times shaboozies fit and the halle Berry versus the Spirit 0:04:58.839 --> 0:05:02.040 Black kits. It's so good you have to see it 0:05:02.040 --> 0:05:03.679 for yourself. We'll put the link in our show notes. 0:05:05.880 --> 0:05:07.719 We got to take a quick break, y'all. When we 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:10.240 come back, it's Tonet Layton and Sarah Axelson at the 0:05:10.240 --> 0:05:23.640 Women's Sports Foundation stick around. 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:20.080 Slices. 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:21.880 Just to heads up, you might find it useful to 0:05:21.920 --> 0:05:24.720 go back and listen to our episode from April twenty fifth, 0:05:24.839 --> 0:05:28.039 called Keeping Lawyers in Business before you listen to this 0:05:28.080 --> 0:05:30.680 conversation with Dennett and Sarah. That app is going to 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:33.280 help you understand the current and future landscape of women's 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:36.760 college sports and why we're already seeing some changes as 0:05:36.800 --> 0:05:40.560 schools are preparing for post NCAA versus house budget crunches, 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:44.839 like schools hiring cheaper, less experienced coaches for their women's teams, 0:05:45.120 --> 0:05:48.640 cutting summer programs. Also how schools are being forced to 0:05:48.640 --> 0:05:51.799 spend money paying off lawsuit back pay and are choosing 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:53.839 to spend money to keep up with like football and 0:05:53.880 --> 0:05:57.680 top men's sports demands, leaving less for everything else. It's 0:05:57.720 --> 0:05:59.839 all still very much in play, but useful to listen 0:05:59.839 --> 0:06:02.080 to that primer before you get to this combo. All right, 0:06:02.160 --> 0:06:06.560 let's get to Dinnett and Sarah joining us. Now, she's 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:09.920 the CEO of the Women's Sports Foundation. Previous gigs include 0:06:10.000 --> 0:06:12.719 Chief Marketing Officer of the PAC twelve Conference and VP 0:06:12.800 --> 0:06:16.279 of Business Ops for the WNBA Sacramento Monarchs. We've shared 0:06:16.320 --> 0:06:18.440 the stage in can France, and we've chopped it up 0:06:18.440 --> 0:06:20.320 at Vice President Kamala Harris's house. 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:24.800 Where to next, Tonnette. It's Tonette Layton. Hi, Tonet, Hi, Sarah. 0:06:24.800 --> 0:06:27.200 It's so fun to be with you today with her. 0:06:27.320 --> 0:06:30.279 She's Vice President of Advocacy at the Women's Sports Foundation 0:06:30.360 --> 0:06:32.400 and a sixteen year veteran of the organization. 0:06:32.520 --> 0:06:33.520 A former college. 0:06:33.279 --> 0:06:36.719 Softball player, now she scratches her competitive itch with kickboxing 0:06:36.800 --> 0:06:37.839 and beach volleyball. 0:06:37.960 --> 0:06:42.560 It's Sarah Axelson. Hey, Sarah, Hey, Sarah, nice to see you. 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:44.680 Thanks for joining us. I'm so excited to talk to 0:06:44.720 --> 0:06:45.159 both of you. 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:47.160 So much to get to and you're sort of a 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:50.080 follow up episode to one we did not long ago, 0:06:50.160 --> 0:06:52.840 trying to really get a grip on what the college 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:54.719 sports landscape is going to look like. So we're going 0:06:54.760 --> 0:06:56.320 to get into all that in a minute, but I 0:06:56.400 --> 0:06:59.239 just want to level set first with the Women's Sports Foundation. 0:06:59.320 --> 0:07:02.000 Denett I was their last year when y'all celebrated your 0:07:02.000 --> 0:07:07.280 fiftieth anniversary an incredible event. Congratulations on that. Now you're 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:10.720 just fifty one. How do you describe Women's Sports Foundation 0:07:10.760 --> 0:07:11.280 of fifty one? 0:07:11.560 --> 0:07:13.720 We get asked that question a lot, and I would 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:15.600 love to tell you that we're not needed, but the 0:07:15.760 --> 0:07:18.520 reality is, I think we're more needed than ever before. 0:07:18.600 --> 0:07:21.920 And so for us, you know, we've really been rooted 0:07:22.080 --> 0:07:24.840 in the reality that we look at the entire ecosystem. 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:27.680 So we care about youth and high school and collegiate 0:07:27.800 --> 0:07:29.880 and the elite side, which obviously you and I both 0:07:29.920 --> 0:07:32.440 have talked a lot about, which is getting so much attention, 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:36.239 but we really tie it all together to understand why 0:07:36.320 --> 0:07:39.760 each of those levels are important and importantly why a 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:43.440 piece of legislation has made this entire excitement and momentum 0:07:43.440 --> 0:07:46.520 in women's sports a reality that this moment in time 0:07:46.560 --> 0:07:49.600 is not a coincidence. It's five decades of both men 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:52.560 and women having the ability to play sports. And when 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:56.280 each of those you know areas are functioning well, we 0:07:56.360 --> 0:08:00.000 have a really thriving ecosystem, but we have multiple areas 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:02.680 is where there's always challenges, and that's really why this 0:08:02.800 --> 0:08:05.800 organization was created and we always do it through the 0:08:05.840 --> 0:08:08.200 lens of research everything, and that's what I've loved about 0:08:08.200 --> 0:08:11.200 this organization and will continue to do that and making 0:08:11.240 --> 0:08:14.040 sure that that research is out there to prove the model, 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:16.440 and the advacy work we do is all based on 0:08:16.480 --> 0:08:18.800 that research that we see, and then all of our 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:21.480 awesome community impact work we do are just proof points 0:08:21.520 --> 0:08:23.600 of that. And so that formula we've been doing for 0:08:23.640 --> 0:08:25.760 fifty one years and we're going to continue to do it. 0:08:26.120 --> 0:08:28.280 But the areas where we need to focus in on 0:08:28.680 --> 0:08:31.400 may have evolved differently because of the fact that there's 0:08:31.520 --> 0:08:34.560 other entities in the space that can work on some 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:36.480 of the business side of sports and some of those 0:08:36.679 --> 0:08:38.959 valuations in data that maybe we had to do twenty 0:08:38.960 --> 0:08:40.840 five years ago that we don't have to do today. 0:08:41.360 --> 0:08:44.280 We really want to bridge the gap in the areas 0:08:44.320 --> 0:08:46.640 of understanding that sports is not a nice to have 0:08:46.920 --> 0:08:49.120 and it's not an extra curricular and it's a really 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:52.040 important part of our society, and that's really where our 0:08:52.080 --> 0:08:52.600 focus is. 0:08:53.480 --> 0:08:54.560 I love it and it's so true. 0:08:54.600 --> 0:08:56.600 It feels like in the big moments, we pay lip 0:08:56.640 --> 0:09:00.400 service to the idea that our women's Olympic team beats 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:04.000 full other countries because of title nine and our pro 0:09:04.120 --> 0:09:08.080 leagues are because of great collegiate sports infrastructure. But then 0:09:08.120 --> 0:09:10.800 when it comes down to bills and policy and things 0:09:10.840 --> 0:09:13.400 like that, so often we seem to silo those things 0:09:13.440 --> 0:09:15.880 and separate them from each other without looking at the 0:09:15.960 --> 0:09:18.280 landscape the way you just described, which is it starts 0:09:18.280 --> 0:09:21.120 with kids who then become high schoolers, who become collegiate, 0:09:21.160 --> 0:09:23.280 who become a leade, who become Olympia all that other stuff. 0:09:23.320 --> 0:09:25.360 So it is so necessary that you're focused on every 0:09:25.400 --> 0:09:28.160 aspect of that timeline. Sarah, what would you say the 0:09:28.240 --> 0:09:31.000 biggest focuses of Women's Sports Foundation are right now? 0:09:31.280 --> 0:09:34.440 You know, we're certainly paying close attention to the collegiate space. 0:09:34.480 --> 0:09:36.560 I know, a couple of weeks ago you had, you know, 0:09:36.640 --> 0:09:40.040 the Primer conversation, talked a lot about House VNCAA with 0:09:40.120 --> 0:09:43.160 Kelly and Alisha. That's a big focus of ours as well. 0:09:43.200 --> 0:09:46.920 I think there's possibilities for that to have long term 0:09:46.920 --> 0:09:51.320 implications for collegiate sports, not just for women, but for 0:09:51.440 --> 0:09:55.280 all sports, especially men's Olympic sports and broad based sports 0:09:55.679 --> 0:09:59.480 as well. So we're certainly paying attention close attention to that. 0:10:00.679 --> 0:10:03.200 Denette, you're in the business of making people care about 0:10:03.240 --> 0:10:06.400 and invest in women's sports. What moves the needle because 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:09.440 you have to perfect the storytelling to evoke interest and 0:10:09.520 --> 0:10:12.880 buy in, evoke emotion. What have you found works best 0:10:12.920 --> 0:10:15.480 for folks listing that maybe have their own nonprofit or 0:10:15.760 --> 0:10:17.440 something that they want people to care about and pay 0:10:17.480 --> 0:10:18.000 attention to. 0:10:18.360 --> 0:10:19.360 What's the secret sauce? 0:10:20.080 --> 0:10:22.040 I would say, for me, the most important thing is 0:10:22.480 --> 0:10:24.880 any part of an organization, And I think coming from 0:10:24.880 --> 0:10:27.240 a CMO background, you have to know your product inside 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:30.000 and out and you have to be passionate about it. 0:10:30.040 --> 0:10:31.840 I knew very early on that I would not be 0:10:31.880 --> 0:10:34.720 the right CMO of certain products. That sports was that 0:10:34.800 --> 0:10:37.560 product for me, and women's sports in particular. And I 0:10:37.600 --> 0:10:41.160 think what's really unique about this position in fundraising for 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:44.960 the Women's Sports Foundation is to find those passionate people 0:10:45.000 --> 0:10:46.680 and to be able to tell our story and why 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:49.280 it's so critical to invest in us, and how we 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:52.880 play a critical role in really convening and bringing all 0:10:52.920 --> 0:10:55.560 these different entities and groups together. So, you know, I 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:57.680 think about our founder Billy Jean and the fact that 0:10:57.720 --> 0:11:00.240 she's able to be in this moment, but she's been 0:11:00.240 --> 0:11:02.319 putting her money where her mouth is as well as 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:04.920 her partner for you know, for decades. I mean I 0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:07.520 always look back and it's not a coincidence either that 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:10.160 the top you know females that are paid in women's 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:12.320 sports are tennis players. I mean that has everything to 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:15.040 do with what Billy did, not for herself, but for 0:11:15.120 --> 0:11:18.160 everybody else that came after her. And we see the 0:11:18.160 --> 0:11:20.600 same problems in women's sports. We always like to say 0:11:21.040 --> 0:11:23.520 every women's sport has the exact same problems, are just 0:11:23.559 --> 0:11:25.760 one different trajectories of where they are kind of in 0:11:25.800 --> 0:11:28.440 their lifespan. But I think one of the most critical 0:11:28.480 --> 0:11:30.640 things in understanding your product, and you and I have 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:34.320 talked about this, is understanding how the business works and 0:11:34.360 --> 0:11:37.520 where the rights are controlled, because if you truly want 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:41.200 to invest in women's sports, it's very different at every level. 0:11:41.679 --> 0:11:44.319 And I think that's something that I've experienced personally from 0:11:44.440 --> 0:11:47.480 spending twelve years in collegiate athletics at a former Power five, 0:11:48.040 --> 0:11:50.520 as well as working in the NBA and the WNBA. 0:11:50.640 --> 0:11:53.240 And when you understand how it works, whether you're a 0:11:53.240 --> 0:11:57.240 brand or an individual investor, it's critical to the success 0:11:57.800 --> 0:11:59.960 of how that product's going to thrive. And I think 0:12:00.080 --> 0:12:02.520 that's one of the biggest areas of growth for women's 0:12:02.520 --> 0:12:03.400 sports personally. 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:06.600 Yeah, it's the storytelling in addition to the knowledge of 0:12:06.600 --> 0:12:09.760 the infrastructure. The nitty gritty, maybe not quite as exciting, 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:11.839 is just as important to understand when you're trying to 0:12:11.880 --> 0:12:14.760 get people to get involved. Speaking of nitty gritty, Sarah, 0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:18.360 you are an expert in Title nine and you are 0:12:18.400 --> 0:12:21.000 also needing to rely on storytelling to get people to 0:12:21.120 --> 0:12:24.120 understand that we're still fighting for Title nine compliance. Can 0:12:24.160 --> 0:12:25.920 you tell us a little the story of Ashley Bediz 0:12:26.000 --> 0:12:28.400 and how that speaks to the current state for so 0:12:28.480 --> 0:12:30.880 many girls and women in sport, still fighting just for 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:31.960 basic resources. 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:34.400 Absolutely, and I think maybe before I get into this 0:12:34.640 --> 0:12:37.480 Ashley story, talking a little bit more about big picture 0:12:37.920 --> 0:12:39.760 of what we're seeing at both the high school and 0:12:39.800 --> 0:12:43.440 collegiate level in terms of Title nine compliance. So Denette 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:46.360 referenced it at the top, But we care about this 0:12:46.400 --> 0:12:48.960 so deeply because we know the benefits that sports provide, 0:12:49.000 --> 0:12:52.800 right the leadership, the health, the economic benefits to our society, 0:12:52.960 --> 0:12:57.160 and sport is a launch pad for the athletes that 0:12:57.200 --> 0:12:59.560 go through it, for boys and girls, men and women. 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:05.080 But despite having decades upon decades of Title nine behind us. 0:13:05.120 --> 0:13:08.200 We know many schools are still not in compliance. At 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:10.560 the high school level, girls are still short changed one 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:15.280 point two million participation opportunities than boys. However, if you 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:19.440 look at girls today to boys and before Title nine 0:13:19.440 --> 0:13:23.000 and that seventy one to seventy two academic year, girls 0:13:23.080 --> 0:13:25.920 still have not reached that level. So we're still about 0:13:25.920 --> 0:13:30.000 a quarter million opportunities behind boys in the seventies, right, 0:13:30.040 --> 0:13:31.840 which is just like it like take a moment to 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:35.760 absorb that, right, that is absolutely insane that girls today 0:13:36.280 --> 0:13:39.400 in twenty twenty five have not reached the level of 0:13:39.440 --> 0:13:44.720 participation opportunities that were afforded to boys in nineteen seventy one. 0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:48.360 And we have had decades of this legislation, right, And 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:51.720 now if we look at the collegiate level, women are 0:13:51.760 --> 0:13:55.360 still short changed opportunities there as well. And there's you know, 0:13:55.360 --> 0:13:57.640 we can get into the nuances of Title nine and 0:13:57.679 --> 0:14:00.719 how participation is measured, but if you're looking to how 0:14:00.720 --> 0:14:03.440 many more opportunities men have than women, it's about eighty 0:14:03.520 --> 0:14:08.160 thousand opportunities, right, and those are opportunities for education, for leadership, 0:14:08.240 --> 0:14:12.439 for the ability to have career success. In some instances, 0:14:12.880 --> 0:14:16.720 athletic scholarships. So that's why all of this matters. And 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:21.320 it's not just the stats, it's the impact that it 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:24.280 has in the long tail effect of these opportunities or 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:27.800 the lack of these opportunities for women and girls. And 0:14:27.840 --> 0:14:31.560 so for Ashley, Ashley is a was this has been 0:14:31.600 --> 0:14:35.400 many years now. At the time that this initial case 0:14:35.520 --> 0:14:38.640 was filed, she was a high school water polo athlete 0:14:38.680 --> 0:14:42.880 in Hawaii. She was at James Campbell High School, which 0:14:42.920 --> 0:14:46.920 is the largest public high school in Hawaii. The suit 0:14:47.040 --> 0:14:50.360 was first filed in twenty eighteen and was settled in 0:14:50.400 --> 0:14:54.360 twenty twenty three. And if you look at the facts 0:14:54.360 --> 0:14:58.000 of that case, you want to say it's egregious, and 0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:00.240 it is, but we know that this is an the 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:02.880 only times that things like this happened. That they happen 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:05.360 in other instances in other schools as well, But this 0:15:05.600 --> 0:15:09.400 was such a public display of some of the inequities 0:15:09.440 --> 0:15:13.040 that persist across this country. So water polo in general, right, 0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:15.120 Like I did not grow up with water polo as 0:15:15.120 --> 0:15:16.880 a sport in my high school, but when you watch 0:15:16.880 --> 0:15:19.160 it on you know the Olympic stage, the amount of 0:15:19.160 --> 0:15:22.840 athleticism that that takes to do water polo in a pool. Right, 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:26.120 Their high school did not have access to a pool 0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:28.680 for this water polo team. They were practicing in the 0:15:28.800 --> 0:15:33.240 open ocean, right, So, like, just imagine the choppy waves, 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:36.640 the wind that this high school water polo team is 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:39.360 going through to practice in the open ocean because the 0:15:39.360 --> 0:15:41.640 school didn't have facilities for them. 0:15:41.720 --> 0:15:44.440 Every time the ball gets away, it's like not a tide. 0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:47.040 You can't even use the side of the pool to 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:48.080 help wrangle it. 0:15:48.440 --> 0:15:50.360 Right, Like, it's just when you think about it, and 0:15:50.360 --> 0:15:53.040 that like the the circumstances that they were in it, 0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:57.600 and they were dealing with this, right when they started 0:15:57.640 --> 0:16:02.080 raising concerns, the school, you know, started retaliating against the 0:16:02.120 --> 0:16:05.880 athletes who did voice concerns for Title nine, which I 0:16:05.920 --> 0:16:09.040 should add is illegal under the statute. Right, you're actually 0:16:09.520 --> 0:16:14.320 protected from retaliation under Title nine. And the school even 0:16:14.480 --> 0:16:17.760 threatened to cancel this season on them. Right, So you 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:20.640 have these athletes who realize that something is wrong, and 0:16:20.720 --> 0:16:24.200 there have been stories and articles that have gone really 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:26.680 in depth in this, So encourage folks to go and 0:16:26.720 --> 0:16:28.720 read that if they're interested in learning more, because it 0:16:28.800 --> 0:16:32.120 is a really in depth look at what happened on 0:16:32.200 --> 0:16:34.720 the ground in Hawaii and some of the things that 0:16:34.800 --> 0:16:37.600 happened throughout that story, in that timeline, you know. One 0:16:37.640 --> 0:16:40.320 of the other things, there were fourteen In the process 0:16:40.320 --> 0:16:44.040 of doing that investigation, they started looking beyond just James 0:16:44.120 --> 0:16:46.760 Campbell High School, because all of the public high schools 0:16:46.800 --> 0:16:49.600 in Hawaii are part of the same school district. There 0:16:49.600 --> 0:16:53.960 were fourteen schools statewide, fourteen high school statewide that had 0:16:53.960 --> 0:16:58.600 no locker rooms for girls, right, And fourteen, right, doesn't 0:16:58.640 --> 0:17:01.239 sound like that many, but in the context of Hawaii, 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:04.879 Hawaii doesn't have that many high schools, right, So this 0:17:05.040 --> 0:17:08.320 was not an insignificant amount of high schools than Hawaii 0:17:08.400 --> 0:17:13.639 that had zero locker room facilities for their girls. And 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:16.720 so as part of the settlement, the school you know, 0:17:16.800 --> 0:17:21.919 appointed an independent observer. They've made some promises to adjust 0:17:22.320 --> 0:17:25.640 the circumstances at those schools and we'll see, we'll see 0:17:25.640 --> 0:17:28.840 where it goes and how things continue to progress from there. 0:17:28.880 --> 0:17:30.679 But I think the key point is that this was 0:17:31.280 --> 0:17:33.159 a group of athletes, right, it was Ashley, but it 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:36.040 was also others who were willing to speak up, who 0:17:36.160 --> 0:17:38.800 noticed that something wasn't right. And you see quotes from 0:17:38.840 --> 0:17:41.280 Ashley like it was She and her family just realized, like, 0:17:41.320 --> 0:17:43.600 something isn't right here, and they googled it and they 0:17:43.640 --> 0:17:46.480 found Title nine and they found the ACLU right like, 0:17:46.560 --> 0:17:49.440 and that's that's often how folks come to us. They say, 0:17:49.880 --> 0:17:52.439 it doesn't feel right. I googled it, I found you. 0:17:52.520 --> 0:17:54.880 I found Title nine, Like, tell me what I need 0:17:54.880 --> 0:17:57.760 to know. And so I think, really what we need 0:17:57.800 --> 0:18:02.120 to take away from it is how much people need 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:04.040 to understand their rights under the law. 0:18:04.400 --> 0:18:08.240 The compliance only happens if you essentially sue are threatened 0:18:08.240 --> 0:18:10.240 to sue. And that's one of the biggest issues for 0:18:10.240 --> 0:18:12.840 a title line is it's in a lot of ways 0:18:12.880 --> 0:18:15.480 it's a law in name but not practice, because so 0:18:15.560 --> 0:18:17.399 many don't know what their rights are or they're not 0:18:17.440 --> 0:18:20.119 aware that they're being violated. Because in those cases like 0:18:20.119 --> 0:18:24.439 you're talking about her, there's been really standout cases where 0:18:24.720 --> 0:18:27.320 a coach has to like get all the goose poop 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:29.440 off of a public field so her team can try 0:18:29.440 --> 0:18:33.520 to play softball and there's holes and cigarette butts and 0:18:33.600 --> 0:18:36.560 drug paraphernalia and puddles and it's you know, open to 0:18:36.600 --> 0:18:38.360 the public all the time except for the one hour 0:18:38.400 --> 0:18:39.320 her team gets to use it. 0:18:39.359 --> 0:18:40.520 But first she has to clean it up. 0:18:40.840 --> 0:18:43.840 Or the Hawaii athletes that didn't have a bathroom to 0:18:43.920 --> 0:18:45.360 go to, not just a locker room. 0:18:45.160 --> 0:18:47.000 To change, but literally a toilet to use. 0:18:48.160 --> 0:18:50.480 When you have those egregious instances, it's a lot easier 0:18:50.520 --> 0:18:53.280 to be like, hey, something's up. But there are countless 0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:58.480 examples of less obvious inequalities that are also illegal if 0:18:58.520 --> 0:19:01.919 you took them to your school board or your principal, 0:19:02.160 --> 0:19:05.080 or to the court system if necessary. So it's so 0:19:05.160 --> 0:19:06.959 necessary that we keep pointing them out because a lot 0:19:06.960 --> 0:19:08.160 of people aren't even aware of it. 0:19:08.280 --> 0:19:11.160 Absolutely, And I think just one thing to add to that, 0:19:11.320 --> 0:19:13.840 for folks who are listening who maybe saying, like you know, 0:19:13.920 --> 0:19:16.520 thinking through their own sport experience or the sport experience 0:19:16.560 --> 0:19:18.840 of their daughters, it doesn't always have to be the 0:19:18.920 --> 0:19:21.240 legal route, right. It doesn't always have to be a 0:19:21.280 --> 0:19:25.880 complaint with the government or a lawsuit. Sometimes, and we've 0:19:25.880 --> 0:19:27.919 seen this happen right with folks who have contacted us. 0:19:27.960 --> 0:19:31.840 Sometimes it's a really well informed parent or athlete or 0:19:31.920 --> 0:19:34.720 coach who goes to the school with the facts or 0:19:34.760 --> 0:19:37.840 the school board with the facts to say this isn't right, 0:19:38.880 --> 0:19:41.080 this is the law, this is what you should be doing, 0:19:41.640 --> 0:19:45.760 and it takes persistence, and it takes a willingness to 0:19:45.840 --> 0:19:49.040