Maggie Steffens, a three-time Olympic
champion and four-time World Champion, was named Women's Sports Foundation
SportsWoman of the Year (team category) last night in New York City. The
all-time leading scorer in women's water polo at the Olympic Games, Steffens is
just the second water polo athlete to win this prestigious honor joining
Ashleigh Johnson (2016).
Maggie Steffens Acceptance Speech
More information is available below
via the Women's Sports Foundation.
New York, NY (October 12, 2022) —
This evening, the Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) celebrated the extraordinary
achievements of athletes and leaders in sports and the girls that they inspire,
at its Annual Salute to Women in Sports. Recognized as the biggest night in
women's sports, the event, like the Foundation's programming throughout this
year, highlighted the 50th anniversary of Title IX while also calling attention
to the vital need for more progress. Honored this evening with WSF's signature
Salute awards were history-making athletes – Sunisa Lee, Maggie Steffens, and
Elana Meyers Taylor – one of the fiercest coaches in the SEC, Dawn Staley, and
the lead founding investor in Angel City FC, Alexis Ohanian. The Salute was
held at Pier Sixty on Manhattan's waterfront, and was presented by WSF National
Partners Athleta, ESPN, Delta Air Lines, Gatorade, Michelob ULTRA, NBC Sports,
and TIAA with an exclusive reception partner DraftKings.
Throughout the night, the Foundation
took time to commemorate Title IX's 50th anniversary, reflect on the progress
made and the work that still needs to be done to achieve a truly equitable
future for all girls and women in sports. The Foundation's research report,
"50 Years of Title IX: We're Not Done Yet" released earlier this year
revealed that although girls' participation in sports is nearly 12 times higher
than it was at the time of the law's passage in 1972, girls still have far
fewer sports opportunities than boys had 50 years ago. Today, girls miss out on
an estimated 1 million sports opportunities at the high school level compared
to boys. This opportunity gap is widest among girls and women of color, LGBTQ+
youth and those with disabilities – who consistently have less opportunities
than their peers. Tonight's event was a reminder to all that there is a
critical need for the Foundation's essential work as they strive to build a
future where every girl and woman can play, be active and realize her full
potential.
"The Women's Sports Foundation
is a guardian angel and champion of Title IX, and fully understands and accepts
its decades long mission to ensure true equity for girls and women," said
Billie Jean King, WSF Founder. "I am inspired by this remarkable group of
honorees who are breaking records, eliminating barriers and blazing a path for
a brighter future in and out of sports for girls and women."
The coveted Foundation's awards and
this year's honorees included:
Sportswoman of the Year Award – Team,
presented by Clara Wu Tsai and Joe Tsai, and Sportswoman of the Year Award –
Individual, presented by Delta Air Lines, – recognize athletes (in both team
and individual sports) who exhibited exceptional athletic performance over the
last 12 months.
Team Sport, Maggie Steffens (Water
Polo) – Three-time Olympic gold medalist, 2012, 2016, 2020; four-time
Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) World Championships gold medalist,
2015, 2017, 2019, 2022; three-time NCAA champion with Stanford University,
2014, 2015, 2017; three-time FINA World Player of the Year, 2012, 2014, 2021;
all-time leading scorer in Olympic women's water polo history with 56 goals.
Individual Sport, Sunisa Lee
(Gymnastics) – Olympic all-around gold medalist, 2020; Olympic silver medalist
(team), 2020; Olympic bronze medalist (uneven bars), 2020; three-time world
championship medalist, 2019; NCAA balance beam champion, 2022; SEC Freshman of
the Year, 2022; SEC uneven bars champion, 2022; Sports Illustrated Female
Athlete of the Year, 2021.
Wilma Rudolph Courage Award,
presented by Athleta, recognizes a female athlete or a team who exhibits
extraordinary courage in their athletic performance, demonstrates the ability
to overcome adversity, makes significant contributions to sports and serves as
a role model.
Elana Meyers Taylor – Five-time
Olympic medalist in bobsled and flag bearer for 2022 Team USA; most decorated
Black athlete in Winter Olympics history; advocate for mom-athletes and
disability inclusion.
In partnership with the Billie Jean
King Leadership Initiative, the Billie Jean King Leadership Award presented by
Y. Michele Kang recognizes an individual or group who demonstrates outstanding
leadership and makes significant contributions to the advancement of women
through achievements in sport and the workplace.
Dawn Staley – Head Coach of South
Carolina Gamecocks; first Black woman to win two NCAA Women's Basketball
Championships as head coach; Naismith Hall of Fame basketball player and
two-time National Coach of the Year; five-time WNBA all-star; advocate for
gender and racial equality.Champion for Equality Award, presented by TIAA
acknowledges an individual or organization that shows unwavering commitment to
gender equality and to the advancement of girls and women in sports.
Alexis Ohanian – Founder of Seven
Seven Six; Co-Founder and Former Executive Chair of Reddit; lead founding
investor in the professional women's soccer team Angel City FC; outspoken
advocate for paid family leave.
More information about the honorees
and their awards can be found here.
In addition to the award honorees,
the evening showcased a special star-gazing experience featuring some of the
nation's top athletes, including Alysia Montaño, Toni Breidinger, Grete
Eliassen, Jessica Long and more. The hosts for the evening were Emmy award
winning broadcaster, Mary Carillo, three-time soccer Olympic medalist, Julie
Foudy and award-winning basketball analyst, LaChina Robinson. Award presenters
included long-time softball player and coach, Sue Enquist, track and field
Paralympian, Scout Bassett and the first female to win the NFL Honors Game
Changer Award, Sam Gordon. Each host, presenter and award winner shared their
own unique Title IX story, highlighting the landmark law's impact and the
urgent need to protect it.
"Tonight, was not only about
shining a well-deserved spotlight on everyone's glass-shattering achievements,
it was about paying homage to the Title IX pioneers and advocates whose vision,
grit and determination got us to where we are today," said Danette
Leighton, CEO of the Women's Sports Foundation. "As transformational as
Title IX has been, its full promise has yet to be realized. It is vital for
everyone – especially younger generations – to understand their rights to equal
access and opportunity, to be vigilant in ensuring those rights are upheld, and
to not take them for granted. We leave tonight energized and ready to carry
Title IX into the next 50 years while remaining steadfast and resolute in our
mission for girls and women to reach their full potential in sport and
life."
More information about the Salute can
be found here. https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/get-involved/annual-salute/
About the Women's Sports Foundation
The Women's Sports Foundation exists
to enable girls and women to reach their potential in sport and life. We are an
ally, an advocate and a catalyst. Founded by Billie Jean King in 1974, we
strengthen and expand participation and leadership opportunities through
research, advocacy, community programming and a wide variety of collaborative
partnerships. From its inception to Title IX's 50th anniversary in 2022, WSF
has invested over $100 million in these impact efforts, helping to shape the
lives of millions of youth, high school and collegiate student-athletes, elite
athletes and coaches. We're building a future where every girl and woman can
#KeepPlaying and unlock the lifelong benefits of sport participation. All
girls. All women. All sports.® To learn more about the Women's Sports
Foundation, please visit www.WomensSportsFoundation.org.
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