Women's Sports Foundation

Infobox Non-profit
Non-profit_name = Women's Sports Foundation
Non-profit_
Non-profit_type = 501(c)3 charitable educational foundation
founded_date = 1974
founder = Billie Jean King
location = Eisenhower Park East Meadow, NY 11554
origins =
key_people =Chief Executive Officer Karen Durkin [ [http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Articles/About-WSF/W/Womens-Sports-Foundation-Names-New-CEO.aspx Women's Sports Foundation Names New CEO - Women's Sports Foundation] ] Chair of the Board Ilana Kloss
area_served =
focus = to advance the lives of girls and women through sport and physical activity
method = Educational projects, public education/recognition, grant making, advocacy
revenue = $6,414,375 (2004) [http://charityreports.give.org/Public/Report.aspx?CharityID=1664 Women's Sports Foundation Charity Report] . Give.org. Better Business Bureau, June 2006.]
endowment =
num_volunteers =
num_employees = 50
num_members =
owner =
Non-profit_slogan =
homepage = [http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/ womenssportsfoundation.org]
dissolved =
footnotes = The Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) "is an educational nonprofit (501(c)(3) charity) organization founded in 1974 by tennis legend Billie Jean King." Its stated mission statement is "To advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity." [ [http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/About-Us/Who-We-Are.aspx Who We Are - Women's Sports Foundation] ]

Background

The foundation was established in 1974 by Billie Jean King, former husband Larry King and Jim Jorgensen, funded with a $5,000 check from Bob Hope that Billie Jean King had won as the Gillette Female Athlete of the Year [ [http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Articles/Athletes/About%20Athletes/A/A%20Champion%20of%20Womens%20Sports.aspx A Champion of Women's Sports - Women's Sports Foundation] ] . The WSF began its multi-sport emphasis at the 1975 ABC TV show “Women’s Superstars” which was held at the Houston Astrodome at which Olympic swimmer Donna de Varona and other women’s sports stars became interested.

From 1975 to 1990, under the direction of Executive Director, Eva Auchincloss, Deputy Director Holly Turner, and Chairwoman Billie Jean King, the Board of Trustees was expanded beyond Billie Jean, Larry King, Jim Jorgensen and Donna de Varona to include influential persons like Peggy Fleming, Snoopy creator Charles M. Schulz, and Bristol-Myers executive Marvin Koslo. In 1990, "Life" magazine named King one of the [http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016060.html "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century,"] in part because of projects such as the Women's Sports Foundation.

WSF advocates that coed, gender balanced teams are the ideal situation, but that separate single sex teams for girls may be desirable in some circumstances once players reach puberty [ [http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Articles/Issues/Title%20IX/C/Coed%20Participation%20%20Girls%20Playing%20on%20Boys%20Teams%20and%20Male%20Versus%20Female%20Competition%20The%20Foundation%20Po.aspx Issues Related to Girls and Boys Competing With and Against Each Other in Sports and Physical Activity Settings: A Women’s Sports Foundation Position] ] .

Past presidents include Julie Foudy, Dawn Riley, Donna Lopiano- current CEO, Jim Jorgensen, Donna de Varona, Dominique Dawes and Nancy Hogshead-Makar. The current Chairwoman of the WSF is Illona Kloss.

Award ceremonies

Women's Sport Hall of Fame

During this period, WSF created the Women’s Sport Hall of Fame and its annual award dinner which has become one of the most prestigious award nights in women’s sports in the US (2006 event highlighted by Sheryl Crow. With initial guidance from Donna de Varona and the public statements of Billie Jean King, the WSF has been a proponent and defender of Title IX which passed in 1972.

The Billie Awards

The "Billie Awards" are given each year in four areas: Journalism, Entertainment, Breakthrough and Innovation, and Outstanding Journalist. They honor "positive portrayals of female athletes in the media" [ [http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/News-And-Events/Awards/The-Billie-Awards.aspx The Billie Awards - Women's Sports Foundation] ] and are named after Billie Jean King.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.WomensSportsFoundation.org Official website]