How the UW-Madison women’s rowing team is merging sports and politics

The thrill of victory and the heartache of defeat.

Sports in the United States influence politics more often than we think, and student-athletes are often at the center of this ongoing debate. While many athletes and programs try to separate their sports from politics, the two are inextricably linked and have been for some time.

The Passage of Title IX In 1972, universities were given the opportunity to admit female athletes in order to equalize the number of athletic scholarships for women and men. a requirement set out in law. For women rowers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, it’s an opportunity for athletes to learn, compete and wear Badger Red with pride, even if they’ve never touched an oar before. With over 100 athletes in the program, head coach Vicky Opitz emphasized the importance of older generations inspiring the younger ones.

While Title IX did not mention sports, the commitment to providing equal resources and scholarships has led to tremendous growth in women’s rowing. At Wisconsin, the program offers a unique walk-on opportunity, allowing athletes to join the team without needing prior rowing experience.

“Title IX certainly opened a door for a lot of women, perhaps including those who didn’t grow up playing sports in the ’60s and ’70s,” Opitz told The Daily Cardinal. “I hope that this pride continues as long as there is sports in Wisconsin, and that should be forever.”

Some athletes have never heard of rowing before they step on campus, but Opitz is eager to introduce them to Wisconsin’s special program.

“We take in the young guys who maybe weren’t good enough to play their main sport in high school,” Opitz said. “Through a lot of hard work, sweat and enjoyment of the sport, they become very good at rowing.”

Wisconsin women’s rowers compete in a competitive and ever-growing Big Ten conference, and the Badgers’ program has sent 21 rowers to compete for the United States in the Olympics. Some of them were walk-ons. Most recently, Lauren O’Conner, Grace Joyce, Madeleine Wanamaker and Sophia Vitas competed for the USA at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

“I’m really proud to say that Wisconsin values ​​equality in all areas,” Opitz said. “The resources of men and women are exactly the same and they have helped the sport grow tremendously.”

But there is still a lot to do

While women in sports have the opportunity to compete for their respective teams at the Division I level, their media coverage is low compared to men. Media coverage of women’s college sports rarely exceeds 10% of total sports coverage. according to Purdue University.

“I hope that women’s sports continue to grow and be featured on television networks, and I think there will be a platform that people will always want to see to support women’s sports,” Opitz said.

The 2024 presidential election has brought female representation and equality to the forefront. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris wants to become the first female president of the USA first female attorney general from San Francisco and later California.

This also applies to women rowers in Wisconsin, where Title IX has allowed female athletes to compete at the Division I level and then compete for their respective countries in the Olympics.

Women’s rowing has gained enormous resources and competition over the generations.

“Today there are a lot more resources and opportunities for student-athletes to get better in all aspects, not just as a student, but as an athlete and also as a healthy person,” Opitz said.

Now college female athletes have the opportunity to make their voices heard and vote on issues that directly affect their lives. Harris’ campaign has taken cues from this fact and sought to mobilize not just female student-athletes; but a younger generation of voters with different priorities. They’ve found the perfect place to find a range of potential voters: college football stadiums.

Harris’ campaign have also launched initiatives The goal was to appeal to a growing audience of young male voters and capitalize on this by reaching both Americans at home and viewers with an advertisement that aired during the game Primetime slot on Oct. 5th.

“Winners never back down from a challenge. Champions know it can happen anytime, anywhere. But losers, they whine and waffle and take their ball home,” the 30-second ad says specifiedmocking Trump’s decision reject a second debate with Harris on CNN earlier this month.

The Harris campaign ran similar ads during Big Ten football games to viewers in the swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Student votes will play a critical role in the outcome of this election, and there is no denying that student-athlete issues are also political issues. While Title IX opened the door for many female students to compete in the sport they love, there is still much work to be done based on equal coverage and representation for women’s sports.

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Shane Colpoys

Shane Colpoys is sports editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has written extensively about the Wisconsin women’s hockey team’s stroke.