ESPN honors Title IX 50th anniversary with Fifty/50 programming
ESPN and The Walt Disney Company will be commemorating the Title IX 50th anniversary by leading a major project titled Fifty/50 later this June across their platforms. ESPN Fifty/50 celebrates Title IX by showcasing an initiative which highlights the civil rights journey of women within the sports and cultural landscape.
Title IX is a federal civil rights law that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It makes it illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender in any federally funded school or educational program. The goal of Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 was to amend Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited a variety of forms of discrimination in the workplace but did not identify or address discrimination in education.
Throughout this upcoming June, ESPN Fifty/50 celebrates Title IX 50th anniversary by delivering content and experiences that portray the nexus of women, culture, sports, and the battle for equality. 37 Words from award-winning filmmaker Dawn Porter (Bobby Kennedy for President, John Lewis: Good Trouble, The Way I See It) will be at the heart of the content rollout, capturing the essence of the history of women’s sports and culture.
The multi-part documentary will showcase the long struggle for equal rights in both athletics and education. Each episode will provide a look at the decades-long battle to overturn Title IX’s significance. “Title IX is one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation in America’s history, but it may also be the most misunderstood,” said Dawn Porter. “I wanted to make this film because it speaks not just to my heart, but to issues that remain critical today. This is a story we think we know, but don’t.”
ESPN Fifty/50 celebrates Title IX 50th anniversary with further content such as Dream On from award-winning director Kristen Lappas (Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible), the first multi-part 30 for 30 dedicated to a female-centric topic. Five short films called the Fifty/50 Shorts will examine a variety of women’s sports stories, and all of which were created by female directors and producers. Furthermore, podcasts, features, vignettes, and other content will be added throughout the month of June.