Today lots of girls play sports.
今天，有许多女孩子从事体育活动。
But, for a long time, girls were not encouraged to kick, throw, run, jump, shoot, slide, or hit like boys.
但在过去很长的时间里，女孩子是不被鼓励像男孩子一样踢、投、跑、跳、射击、滑、打的。
So, why did things change? And how much have they changed?
那么，为什么情况发生变化了？变化有多大？
Are girls and boys treated equally when it comes to sports?
在运动中，女孩子和男孩子是被平等的对待吗？
To begin to answer these questions, we have to look back.
为了找到这些问题的答案，我们需要先回顾过去。
In 1972, Congress passed a law called Title IX,
在1972年，美国国会通过了一项名为《教育法修正案第九条》的法案，
which protected girls and women from discrimination in schools, colleges, and universities.
该法案保护女孩子和妇女在学校、学院和大学中免受歧视。
This included discrimination in school-sponsored sports.
这包括在学校举办的体育活动中所遭受的歧视。
At that time, only 15% of college athletes were women, and in high schools, only 7% of athletes were girls.
那时，仅有15%的大学运动员是女性，在高中，仅有7%的运动员是女孩子。
Female athletes didn't get a lot of support either and often had to provide their own uniforms and equipment.
女性运动员也得不到大量的支持，她们经常不得不自己准备制服和设备。
It was Title IX that forced school administrators to make sports more equal.
正是《教育法修正案第九条》强制学校的管理者们使得体育活动更平等。
But what does equal mean in sports?
但是，在体育活动中平等意味着什么？
The government developed rules to measure equality under two general categories: participation and treatment.
政府制订了规则，在两个常规类别中衡量平等的程度：参与和待遇。
In the early days of Title IX, the number of girls playing sports was so low
在《教育法修正案第九条》实施的初期，参与体育活动的女孩子人数非常少，
that it would have been very difficult for schools to suddenly provide exactly the same number of opportunities for girls and boys.
使得学校很难在短时间内为女孩子和男孩子提供完全相等的机会。
Instead, the government wrote rules that gave schools three options, or tests, to demonstrate fairness in opportunities for girls.
于是，政府在规则中为学校制订了三种选择方案，或者说是评测，用以显示女孩子们是否获得平等的机会。
The three tests are proportionality, progress, and satisfied interests.
这三个评测是比例，进度和满意度。
A school can pick which test to follow.
学校可以选择所要遵循的评测方式。
Proportionality means that girls should receive the same percentage of athletic opportunities as the percentage of girls in the student body.
比例意味着女孩子们得到的体育活动的机会应该和在校女生的比例相同。
So, if 51% of students are girls, then girls should have approximately 51% of the opportunities to play sports.
所以，如果51%的学生是女孩子，那么，应该有大约51%的女孩子参与体育活动。

The second test, progress, requires schools to make up for the days
第二种评测方式是进度，要求学校
when girls had fewer opportunities by adding new sports for girls on a regular basis.
要在常规的基础上为女孩子增加新的体育活动，来弥补女孩子获得较少机会的情况。
The third test asks if girls interested in athletics are satisfied.
第三种评测方式是，询问女孩子是否对体育活动感到满意。
Under this test, a school must regularly ask female students what sports they are interested in
在这个评测之下，学校必须定期询问女学生们什么是她们感兴趣的活动，
and also take into consideration the popularity of certain sports in the area where the school is located.
并且还得考虑哪些体育活动在学校所在区域更受欢迎。
It must, then, add teams according to the girls' interests.
随后，学校必须根据女孩子们的兴趣组建团队。
Another important part of Title IX is that it doesn't just look at how many athletic opportunities are available to each sex
《教育法修正案第九条》的另一个重要部分是它不只是评测每一个性别获得体育活动机会的数量，
but whether those opportunities are of equal quality.
也要衡量这些机会是否具有相等的质量。
Specifically, Title IX requires equality between boys and girls teams for things
具体而言，《教育法修正案第九条》要求男孩子和女孩子团队之间的平等，
like equipment and supplies, publicity, the scheduling of games and practice times, and the quality and number of coaches.
比如运动设备和用品、宣传、游戏规划和练习的时间，以及教练的品质和数量方面的平等。
Girls should also have equal access to locker rooms, practice spaces, and competitive facilities, as well as medical services.
女孩子也应该在储物柜的使用、练习场地和竞争设备以及医疗服务方面获得平等的使用权。
So, if the best time to play basketball is on Friday nights because that's when most parents and fans can come,
所以，如果周五晚上是打篮球的最佳时间，因为那时大部分家长和球迷们能来观看，
then the girls and boys teams should take turns playing on Friday night.
那么女孩子和男孩子的团队应该在周五晚上轮流打球。
If boys teams play in a stadium with lights, scoreboards, and concession stands,
如果男孩子的团队在体育馆里打球时，有灯光，有计分牌，有食品摊位，
then girls teams must have the same opportunity, either by sharing those facilities or getting their own of equal quality.
那么女孩子的团队也必须有这些相同的机会，要么和男孩子分享那些设施，要么她们能得到相同质量的设施。
But, as we all know, just because a law exists doesn't mean that everybody follows it.
但是，众所周知，仅仅因为一项法律的存在并不意味着每个人都会遵守。
School officials are responsible for making sure there is fairness in sports,
校方管理者有义务确保体育运动上的公平，
but you can help, too, by keeping an eye on your own school. Look around.
但是你也可以帮忙，监督你的学校。四处看看。
Are there a lot more boys than girls who play sports?
在那些参与体育活动的人群中，男孩子数量比女孩子多很多？
Is the boys' soccer field better than the girls'?
男孩子的足球场要比女孩子的好？
Are athletic trainers available to all teams equally?
所有团队都有平等的机会获得运动训练员的指导吗？
Does the baseball team get new uniforms every year, while the softball team gets them every three years?
棒球队每年都可以得到新制服，而垒球队每三年才会得到？
If you think there might be inequality in your schools,
如果你认为你的学校有可能存在不公平现象，
you can approach a school administrator, a parent, or the Office of Civil Rights,
你可以联络学校的管理者，父母或民权办公室，
a government agency that makes sure schools comply with Title IX
这是一个旨在确保学校遵守《教育法修正案第九条》的政府机构。
because equality is important for everyone, both on the field and off.
因为平等对每个人来说，无论是在场上还是在场下，都是重要的。