U.S. Women in the 2012 Olympics: More than Equal
The United States did it again at the 2012 Olympics, coming away with more medals than any other nation. That didn't rock the world, but how we did it should have -- American women stole the show! Women's sports can rarely be found on prime-time broadcast television. Yet U.S. women left London with significantly more medals than our men, who dominate our airwaves. U.S. women took 58 medals, 13 more than our men (58-45), including 29 gold medals, 12 more than the men (29-17). Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Brunei sent their first women to the games this year, but the U.S. sent more women than men. My favorites were three spectacular record-breakers: Gabby Douglass, the "flying squirrel" gymnast from Virginia; Katie Ledecky, the teen swimmer from Maryland; and Allyson Felix, the runner from California. Soccer is the rest of the world's favorite sport, not ours, but U.S. women took gold in soccer for the third time.
Some say the popularity of sports today ordained the stunning 2012 Olympic results, but with its 40th anniversary this year, it's time to give Title IX its due -- and the gold it also deserves for the history U.S. women made this year.
Published: August 15, 2012