Nike Is a Goddess : the History of Women in Sports by Lissa Smith

With the launching of women's professional leagues, the success of Olympic gold medal women's teams, and the focus on female athletes in new magazines, on TV, in print ads and in best-selling books, it seems Title IX's efforts are finally paying off. Women's sports have exploded in popularity, attracted corporate sponsorship, and attained a level of cultural significance equal to men's. Nike Is a Goddess is the most comprehensive book to tell the dramatic story of the rise in women's sports during the last century. In a series of twelve original narratives, each focusing on a particular sport and the top female athletes who were the pioneering figures in their arena, the book captures the profound changes women's sports have undergone and pays tribute to the remarkable athletes who have LED the way. Nike Is a Goddess spans from women's college leagues to present day Olympic squads and professional teams. It highlights athletes like Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Althea Gibson, who rocked the image of the pristine, feminine athlete in the early years, and profiles superstars like Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Rebecca Lobo, and Tara Lipinsky who have become heroes and role models to millions today. The stories in Nike Is A Goddess also give historical perspectives and show cultural nuances: Gertrude Ederle swimming the English Channel in 1926, a time in America when women who removed their stockings and shoes could be arrested for "nude" swimming; Billie Jean King, beating Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes in 1973 and getting women's tennis endorsements and prize money; and the WNBA and ABL making strides to compete in a traditionally male arena.