For the Sport of It

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This award-winning documentary was produced for the Indiana Women's History Association (IWHA) with the assistance of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

It chronicles the tremendous revolution in female athletics since the passage of Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal financial aid.

"This film enhances the public's understanding of the incredible struggle of girls and women to compete in athletics as full members of society and it demonstrates the importance of female athletics to women and society," says Patricia G. Barnes, a former IWHA president who was the producer and writer of the documentary.

The documentary features interviews with national figures who discuss the history and importance of Title IX, including former U.S. Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana, the Senate sponsor of the landmark law. It also showcases a half-dozen Indiana female sports pioneers who tell of their struggle to compete in athletics before and after Title IX.

National awards won by the documentary include:

• A Clarion Award for best non-fiction feature film of 2004 from the national Association for Women in Communications. The Clarion Awards is a renowned competition recognizing the best works from all communications fields.
• The American Association of State and Local History (AASLH) awarded the IWHA a 2004 Certificate of Commendation for its public program, &guot;For the Sport of It! Female Athletics & Title IX.&guot; This includes a 2002 conference commemorating the 30th anniversary of Title IX and the documentary.
• A Platinum Award at the WorldFest International Film Festival in Houston, TX. The mission/vision statement of WorldFest is to recognize and honor outstanding creative excellence in film & video.
• The documentary was a finalist in the 2004 Telly Awards. This is the premiere award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions. The competition receives over 10,000 entry submissions annually.

A donation by the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association insures that the film will be available as an educational resource to high school students throughout Indiana. The ICGSA made the film available free of charge to the Indianan High School Athletic Association for distribution to it's 396-member high schools.

The genesis of the documentary was a conference celebrating the 30thanniversary of Title IX held September 28, 2002, at the NCAA Conference Center, Indianapolis, IN.

The IWHA was the primary organizer of this all-day event that began with a panel discussion featuring nationally known figures: former Indiana Senator Birch Bayh, the original sponsor of Title IX, and Donna Lopiano, PhD., executive director of the Women's Sports Foundation. The panel also included Indiana University women's basketball coach Kathy Bennett; Annie Coleman, an IUPUI professor of sports history; and Monica Maxwell, a player for the Women's National Basketball Association.

The IWHA partnered with the NCAA, Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and several other organizations in the effort.

The afternoon session paid homage to Indiana's female sports pioneers at the NCAA Hall of Champions, six of whom greeted the public, displayed memorabilia, and told stories of their struggle to compete athletically before Title IX. Conferees could attend a championship softball tournament at neighboring IUPUI, showcasing women's college teams from throughout the state that was taking place during the day and extended well into the evening.

The documentary has aired several times on Indiana public television stations, including WFYI, central Indiana's premier television station, and the PBS station in Bloomington, IN.