By Amanda Moses
March is Women’s History Month, an annual commemoration that highlights the contributions female figures have made throughout history. As we honor all of the trailblazers and Sheroes in the world, we should also acknowledge the visionaries who developed superheroes that captured our childhood imaginations. The Spring Creek Sun has compiled a list of iconic female athletes who broke through barriers so other women could follow in their footsteps.
Toni Stone (1921-1996) also known as Marcenia Lyle Stone, is one of the first women to play professional baseball in a major men’s league. She was known for replacing Hank Aaron’s position on second base for the Negro American League. She had a record of 755 home runs and later retired from baseball in 1954. Stone was inducted in the Women’s Sports Hall of Fame and International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.
Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1911-1956) was a master athlete, excelling in baseball, basketball, swimming and more; however, her most notable achievements were in golf. In 1932, she was the first woman to compete in a men’s golf event, and then she later won the United States Women’s Amateur tournament in 1946. Soon after she won 17 golf championships, and she became the first American to earn the British Ladies Amateur. In 1948, she garnered a two-year winning streak at the United States Women’s Open.
Kathrine Switzer (1975) is the first woman to run the Boston Marathon. This infamous feat is embedded in history due to the enormity of sexism she faced trying to compete in 1967. As she ran as an officially registered competitor, race manger Jock Semple assaulted her, trying to remove her race bib and prevent her from competing, but he failed. Switzer persevered.
Billie Jean King (1943) is one of tennis greatest icons with a record of winning 20 championships at Wimbledon, infamously beating Bobby Riggs during the Battle of the Sexes competition and was the first woman in the history of sports to earn $100,000 in a single year. She was the President of the Women’s Tennis Association, and became Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year (which made her the first woman and tennis player to earn this honor).
Sheryl Swoopes (1971) was the first person to be signed to the WNBA, and has been named three-time WNBA MVP, one of the league’s top 15 Players of all Time in 2011 and earned three Olympic gold medals. There has only been 11 women to have won Olympic gold medals in basketball. She was also inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Serena Williams (1981) next to the phenomenal Billie Jean King, Williams is probably one of the world’s most notable tennis players, breaking racial and gender barriers. Williams’ steadfast determination in the sport earned the rank as number one in the women’s tennis league. She won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, which is more than any man or woman during the open era. Serena and her sister Venus Williams won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, and they both earned gold medals in doubles events in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Ronda Rousey (1987) is known for her judo prowess, which she has showcased in the Olympics, UFC, and WWE. She is the first woman to earn an Olympic gold medal in judo during the 2008 Summer Olympics, was the last Women’s Bantamweight Champion for the UFC. Rousey was also the UFC’s first female fighter and holds the record for most title defenses by a female (she won six titles).
