In today's society, women are able to play almost all the sports men play. In some cases, women compete with and against men. Other sports have separate teams for men and women. Women's sports in the United States took a giant step forward in 1972 with the enactment of Title IX legislation, which bans gender-based discrimination from athletics as well as academics in any school that accepts federal money.
Football
This sport is male-dominated, mainly because of the size and strength needed to play. Although at some lower levels women and girls can play in positions that have less physical contact, such as kicker or punter, there are no women in the National Football League or in elite college programs.
Field Hockey
In the United States, most of the participants in field hockey are women. Field hockey is similar to ice hockey in that you use a stick to put a ball into the opponent's goal in order to score. The United States fields both a women's and men's national team in this sport.
Golf
Many high schools and colleges around the United States have both a men's and a women's golf team. In professional golf, men play on the PGA Tour and women play on the LPGA Tour. Some women have played in PGA events, but they have not had very much success. The main difference between men's and women's golf is that the women's tee-box, the spot where you take your first shot at a given hole, is usually closer to the green than the men's tee-box.
Auto Racing
Only three women have ever participated in the Indianapolis 500, an annual auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 2005, 23-year-old Danica Patrick, an up-and-coming female driver, became the first woman ever to lead the Indianapolis 500, holding the top spot for 19 laps. Later in the year she became only the second woman to win the pole position at an Indy Racing League, or IRL, race. She finished 2005 by winning the IRL Rookie of the Year title and in 2006 was named the United States Sports Academy Female Athlete of the Year.
Ice Hockey
Males and females play ice hockey at all levels, from peewee to college and national teams. In 1993, Manon Rheaume, a French-Canadian goaltender, became the first woman to participate in a National Hockey League game when she suited up for the Tampa Bay Lightning in preseason action. Starting with the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, women's ice hockey joined men's ice hockey as an Olympic sport. Also that year, the men's tournament featured professional hockey players for the first time as the NHL's greatest superstars, including the legendary Wayne Gretzky, took part in the games.
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