Beginning in the 1890's the newly-invented game of basketball
quickly became the most popular women's sport. It served as a catalyst
for female physical educators, allowing them to have greater control over
women's collegiate athletic experiences. Female physical educators
modified the game so as to remain safely within the "women's sphere" of
socially acceptable female behavior. They rid the game of any
objectionable, "unladylike" features-- women wore flannel skirts, and were
confined to distinct court zones, as contemporary views about female
physiology restricted women from "excessive running, close guarding, ball
snatching, arm movement, and perspiration." (Pope, Steven. 1993. pg.327)

Women's sports have changed in the last 25 years since the 1970's
when women started challenging the traditionally men-only sports. Ann
Meyers signed a one-year basketball contract with the Indiana Pacers.
Jockey Diane Crump raced in the Kentucky Derby and Janet Guthrie raced in
the Indianapolis 500. (Woodlum, Janet. 1992) This ramatic rise in
attention to women's sports has ...