For Title IX Month, Riley Gaines Reflects on the Opportunities That Built Women’s Sports

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In honor of Title IX Month, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) today released the following statement from Riley Gaines, Vice Chair of Athletes for America, on the importance of Title IX and opportunity in women's sports:

“People sometimes think Title IX is about trophies and scholarships. It is about so much more. Sports teach a young girl who she is. She learns discipline when the alarm goes off before sunrise, resilience when she loses a race she trained months for, and confidence when she finally touches the wall first. She learns to lead, to be coachable, and to carry herself with grace in victory and defeat. Those lessons follow her into every classroom, every job, and every challenge for the rest of her life. I have lived the opportunities this law created, and I want every young woman to have that same chance.

Every girl deserves a fair shot to find out what she is capable of through the love of sports. I was given that chance, and through our work at Athletes for America, I will spend my life making sure the next generation of girls gets it too.”

Learn more about AFPI’s Athletes for America here.