During Women’s History, Sharing How Title IX Has Fueled My Passion
by ROB KNOX
Title IX turned 50 last year. A golden anniversary for the most important 37 words in the English language.
My passion for ensuring women’s stories are told and their voices are intentionally amplified has made my platform as a strategic storyteller even more critical. The opportunity to help celebrate this magnificent milestone as an Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications is one of the biggest influences I can have to ensure the mission of Title IX grows stronger.
While women have made plenty of positive progress in making boss moves on and off the playing field, there are still ways to level the field. With this spirit, I strive to understand and value my assignment of supporting, empowering, investing in, and mentoring women each chance I get.
WNBA legend Candace Parker, the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, challenged everybody during a Zoom I was on with her in 2019 for “men to pull up a chair for women at the table whenever possible.” I took that to heart.
It has fueled me by deepening my purpose and passion.
I am blessed to be in plenty of spaces I used to dream about, expand my network beyond my wildest imagination, and have influential leadership positions. I am consistently creating opportunities, speaking the names of women who aren’t in the room, and advocating ardently for women.
We all understand that sports empower women with the confidence to navigate male-dominated spaces traditionally. In addition, the positive impact of intercollegiate women’s athletics can be just as powerful for them.
Title IX influenced my life after watching the opportunities generated after the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. I fell in love with women’s basketball forever following that summer of excellence when they rolled to the gold medal. That success and investment allowed the WNBA to be born, which created a chance for me as a sports reporter to share the success of the league and the stories of those who played with a wide audience.
During my professional journey in college athletics, many women have invested in me and made sure I had the needed tools to accomplish my goals in college athletics.
Lights of excellence such as Dr. China Jude, Dianthia Ford-Kee, Alecia Shields-Gadson, Natasha Wilson, Dena Freeman-Patton, Jennifer Williams, and Bria Bennett helped me. They taught me how to be a professional, and not take things personally. They invested in me so that I could pour into other women while paying it forward.
My network includes talented leaders and even better humans Karen Carty, Chevonne Mansfield, Kali’Shea Menedez, Denise Thompson, and DeAna Tyler. They have been there whenever I’ve needed them or sent them a crazy text message.
Along the way, I fell in love with girls’ basketball after I covered it for two years during my years as an intern for the Philadelphia Inquirer, escalating into a passion for women’s basketball thanks to the 1996 Olympic Team and the birth of the WNBA.
My fandom of women’s sports continues to this day. One of the memorable times in my life was covering high school girls’ soccer for the Delaware County Daily Times from 2000-to 2005.
The opportunity to write about WNBA and Division III women’s basketball changed my life. Not only did I meet several women that I admire and were fans of, but I was also happy knowing I was making an impact by amplifying their voices and sharing a 360-degree view of their journey.
While working at Lincoln, I had the chance to cover Ashley Parker, who was the first finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award from a Historically Black College in 2007. That was such a thrill for me to share her powerful story. I got a similar opportunity to write about two phenomenal women in track standouts, Christina Epps and Deandra Daniel, at Coppin State.
Having a platform to shine a light of excellence on female athletes and women’s sports is a privilege that I don’t take lightly. During my two years of working at ESPN, my love for women’s basketball grew even more. I had one of my three television sets at my work station tuned to a WNBA contest or a random Tulsa women’s hoops game on television during production.
That’s how I discovered the brilliance of Tulsa legend Taleya Mayberry and grew to admire her game. Imagine my giddiness when we would work in the same industry a few years later and have an actual conversation. I consider her one of my good buddies now. Somebody pinch me.
Knowing there are constantly underrepresented women in leadership roles in sports, I have to make sure I use my network and provide access whenever possible. Women’s investments require empathy, patience, hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm.
It would be best if you led the right way, usually by your actions and not your words. Intentions mean nothing. Impact matters more.
During my time in college athletics, I’ve been fortunate to watch so many talented young ladies grow into strategic communications professionals or just life in general. Every day wasn’t easy as there were some challenging moments. I got frustrated at times, but I continued to show up.
The common theme was that they trusted me while I consistently encouraged, challenged, and supported them while continuing to empower them. They did all the work to excel. I take zero credit for their accomplishments as they were already motivated and talented.
My first mentee, a trusted friend, Jordean Matthews, became the first African American woman to win the distinguished Bill Esposito Award in 2009. To this day, she’s the only Black woman to win the award. My graduate assistant at Kutztown and friend Britney Redick was the winner of the inaugural CoSIDA Langston Rogers Scholarship in 2011.
The accomplishments for my tribe are endless.
My Coppin State intern Candace Johnson went on to a fantastic career covering the UConn women’s basketball’s 2016 national championship before finding her niche at Ohio State. One my former Coppin State student workers, Randi Bohler is now the Assistant AD for Strategic Communications at New Orleans.
Bria Cade, who I had the pleasure of providing an announcing opportunity in the spring of 2021 during a UNCG softball game, won the prestigious McLendon Scholarship and worked with both of Gonzaga’s nationally ranked basketball programs.
Two of my mentees, Isis Young, a former college basketball athlete, and Ajah Hawley-Alexander, a former strategic communicator, live their dreams by working as the color analyst for the Connecticut Sun and Director of Communications Westchester Knicks, respectively. Another former college basketball athlete, Tykera Carter, works for the WNBA’s digital team. Tiffany Million is making an impact working in academics at Florida State University.
It’s so amazing to see and makes my heart happy.
Here’s some recent evidence of Title IX’s transcendence. People are paying attention. Money and resources matter. Investing in women is a winning formula for long-term success, progress, and impact.
— The South Carolina-UConn NCAA women’s basketball national championship averaged a combined audience of 4.85 million viewers across ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU, up 18% from Stanford-Arizona on ESPN alone last year (4.13M) and the largest audience for the event since 2004 (UConn-Tennessee: 5.58M).
— The 2021 Women’s College World Series (WCWS) NCAA Softball Championship was the most viewed ever, averaging 1,203,000 viewers, up 10 percent over the 2019 WCWS.
— The three-game Championship Series between №1 Oklahoma and №10 Florida State averaged 1,840,000 viewers, up 15 percent over the 2019 Championship Series.
— The 2020 NCAA Women’s College Cup Championship between №1 Florida State and №11 Santa Clara on ESPN2 averaged 149,000 viewers, up 51 percent from the 2019 championship on ESPNU, making Santa Clara’s victory the most-viewed Women’s College Cup match on record.
— The 2021 WNBA season was the most-viewed Finals since 2017, the playoffs were the most viewed postseason since 2014, and regular-season viewership was up 49 percent over the 2020 regular season and 24 percent over the 2019 season.
While this is an amazing trend, there are many grassroots ways to continue to significantly support women in sports.
Accessible opportunities include:
— support financially and provide resources for success.
— purchasing merchandise designed by women.
— reading books by women authors.
— listening to podcasts featuring women podcasters.
— buying tickets to women’s sporting events.
— offering encouraging words.
— listening to them.
These are just a few of the numerous ways to support women in sports and achieve gender equality. I am determined and committed to supporting, empowering, and uplifting women to help them accomplish their goals.
Title IX has been a terrific start, and it’s moved the needle plenty. Still, the fight allows the next generation of women to enjoy plenty of fantastic opportunities.
If there’s breath in my body, I will keep doing my part as a male champion because Title IX means to always open doors and make room at the table whenever I have the chance.
A huge fan of women’s basketball, Rob Knox is a CoSIDA past president. An award-winning communications professional, Knox has over 15 yearsof experience in several media sectors, including sports information, newspapers, and television. A member of The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania Athletics Hall of Fame, a graduate of the NCAA Leadership Institute, and 2011 CoSIDA Rising Star Award winner, Knox is one of the most influential, passionate, and accomplished athletic communications professionals in the country.
