Fifty/50: Iowa high school girls' 6-on-6 basketball still beloved
For decades, Iowa high school girls played 6-on-6 basketball, and the sport surpassed the boys in popularity. Title IX created new opportunities for girls and women in sports, but it also brought change to the revered Iowa game.
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IN THE WINTER of 2020, just before the pandemic hit, Jan Jensen was rummaging through storage at her home in Coralville, Iowa, when she came upon a folder. It was in an unmarked box that she had packed away in 2015, just after her mother had died.
Jensen opened the folder and found something unexpected. A diary. In three old composition books, a teenager's life unfolded in faded blue cursive.
March 15: ... after practice I could just have cried as it was my last B.B. practice in the Audubon gym for me. It was like saying goodbye to a very dear friend.
Women's History Month + Fifty/50
Throughout Women's History Month, espnW presents "History in the Making," a collection of stories recognizing contemporary sports figures' voices, achievements, contributions and more.This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX (effective June 23, 1972), the federal civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in any educational institution receiving federal funding. In June, ESPN will launch "Fifty/50," a month of content focused on the intersection of women, sports, culture and the fight for equality.
Jensen is an associate head coach for the Iowa Hawkeyes, so of course basketball was important in her family. But the diary was written by her grandmother. In 1921