Where women once were not even considered a possibility to be athletes, now we are blazing a trail for gender equality. Before title IX, women barely ever participated in sports. Now, women have the opportunity to participate in any program the Olympics offer. Women also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the first time in the year of 1972, when the new law was enacted. Making the cover of Sports Illustrated was a huge stride for women because it gives athletes recognition for their sport. Without recognition, women will forever stay in the shadows. The more sponsorships, the more opportunity for equality. High schools and colleges have been giving more opportunity for female athletes also. There is a rule in place saying that women have to have equal or better facilities to use and there has to be a ratio of female to male athletes. In 1972, only 295,000 women participated in sports while today, there are 3.2 million women participating in sports. Despite all this improvement, women are still being overlooked in sponsorships. A goal for the future of female athletes is to respect your body. Don't allow your publicity to come from wearing skimpy clothes. Let people see you for the strong, confident, hardworking woman that you are.