39 years ago, the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) co-founded National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) as a national celebration and advocacy initiative recognizing the achievements of girls and women in sports. Today, NGWSD remains both a celebration and a call to action—honoring strides made, while advocating for the necessary changes to close the remaining gaps in sports for girls and women.
This year, WSF athletes, staff, and Trustees spent NGWSD in Washington, D.C. meeting with Senators, Representatives and their staff on Capitol Hill to advocate for legislation and policies that support girls and women in sports. The WSF also conducted a briefing for legislators that showcased the economic impact of Title IX, highlighting the organization’s new research, Play to Lead: The Generational Impact of Sport on Women’s Leadership. The report examines the economic impact that comes with providing access to sports for girls and women, tying the leadership skills that come from playing sports to more strong, well-equipped leaders entering the workforce.
The Economic Benefits Of Title IX
The findings reveal that the longer girls play sports, the more likely they are to hold formal leadership roles. Per WSF, 69% of women who played sports held at least one formal leadership role outside of the family and half of women in the study credit the skills acquired through sports for their leadership development.
“We want to make sure that girls can play sports for as long as possible, because when girls play, they lead, and we all win,” said WSF CEO, Danette Leighton. “Sports are not a ‘nice-to-have’ for girls and women; they’re a ‘must-have.”
The report’s findings are the latest proof point that the skills, traits and experiences girls learn through playing sports have the ability to build a vibrant leadership pipeline that benefits society and bolsters the economy.
Title IX And The Growth Of Women’s Sports
In addition to speaking about the connection between girls playing sports and holding leadership positions later in life, Leighton also spoke to other key impacts of Title IX. Those impacts include the emergence of a new wave of leaders and decision makers that have all grown up with women playing sports at every level, plus the economic boom that the women’s sports industry is currently experiencing. Leighton shared that the growth spurt that women’s sports are having is no “coincidence”; it is the direct result of WSF’s 50-year legacy fighting to protect Title IX.
“This legislation matters. It doesn’t just impact these women’s lives, it also impacts the economy,” said Leighton. “It’s a beautiful bipartisan bill and one which is working.”
50 Years Of Advocacy
Back in 1974, tennis legend and social justice pioneer Billie Jean King founded the Women’s Sports Foundation to place a spotlight on why it’s imperative to maintain the progress gained for girls and women across the sports landscape. Since then, WSF has spent five decades championing opportunities for women and girls in sports. Namely, WSF works to protect Title IX and advocate for greater awareness and compliance, to build and fund programs that make it possible for girls and women to play and coach at all levels of sport, to combat inequities that occur across the women’s sports ecosystem, and to educate the public on the longstanding positive impact of sports participation.
“Sport has been such a great platform; a space to instill confidence, resilience, determination, and learn how to rise again after disappointment and failure, which are all really vital leadership skills and tools,” said WSF President and Paralympian, Scout Bassett. “I wouldn’t be who I am today or where I am in my life without the gift of the ability to play sports.”
The Work Continues
The WSF hopes that this year’s NGWSD celebration will serve as a reminder that there is still much work to be done to ensure equity and access at all levels. To conclude the WSF’s 2025 NGWSD briefing in Washington, D.C., the organization encouraged legislators to support three relevant pieces of upcoming legislation, including the Fair Play for Women Act that will look at a wide range of Title IX compliance, the Women in NCAA Sports (WINS) Act that will establish a commission to explore NCAA tournaments and promote equality and fairness between men’s and women’s programs, and the Safer Sports For Athletes Act which will implement feedback from athletes on how to make sports safer for athletes.
For the WSF, NGWSD is a reminder that despite tremendous growth that the women’s sports industry has experienced in the last few years, there is still work to be done for progress to continue–especially when it comes to protecting and upholding Title IX.