By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics

Last September, William & Mary announced that seven varsity programs would be eliminated. Two months later, the university changed course.

Still, the mere notion of such a thing led women's volleyball player Sydney Taylor '23, whose sport was one of the seven, to learn more about Title IX. Encouraged by a friend, she joined Voice In Sport, a non-profit that supports female athletes ages 13-22.

Now, she's of 31 athletes on VIS's Advocacy Leadership Team.

"It's a great way to build my knowledge of women's athletics, to continue advocating for it, and to help build this other professional side of my career," said Taylor, a redshirt sophomore outside hitter.

"To get something positive out of something that was so negative, it worked out perfectly. It opened this opportunity for me to really do something about this new-found interest in Title IX."

Signed into law by Richard Nixon in 1972, Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination "under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

It was the threat of a Title IX lawsuit, at least in part, that led W&M to restore the three women's sports slated to be cut on Oct. 19. Three weeks later, the four men's teams also were reinstated.

"I think a lot of young women aren't aware of how important Title IX is," Taylor said. "Without it, we'd see a lot more disparities than there are today.
"It's incredibly important for schools to be more transparent in what their flaws are. And to create environments where young women like myself feel like they can raise their voices when they see something wrong."

Voice In Sport was launched on Aug. 24, 2020 — two days before the 100^th anniversary of the 19^th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. It was founded by former Nike executive Stefanie Strack to educate young female athletes, offer mentorships, and address gender disparities.
Taylor was encouraged to join by former high school teammate Sydney Moore, who now plays at Cornell. Her coach at William & Mary, Tim Doyle, sees it as a natural fit.

"She's shown leadership qualities since day one," he said. "I recall pretty vividly a team meeting when she stood up and said her piece, and it was so articulate and authentic. It was sensible in its ability to command the room.

"The fact that she represents volleyball is right in line with what we want to be as a program. We really want people to have this perception and reality of how our women are doing all things the highest level."

Voice In Sport's mission is to provide young female athletes with information and mentorship programs while encouraging them to address gender disparity within sports. Although this is the 21^st century, the latter remains an issue.

Case in point: The 2021 NCAA basketball tournaments. The workout room at the men's event was significantly larger and better equipped than at the women's. The men dined on fancy buffets; the women received box meals. The NCAA fixed those inequities only after being called out on social media.

"It was devastating to see, but the NCAA had to really face what was happening," Taylor said. "I see an upturn in women's athletics and the media. I hope people are taking it a little more seriously."

Going into her third year academically at William & Mary, Taylor is anxious to play her first full season on the court. Her freshman season in 2019 ended before it started with a knee injury. There was no '20 fall season due to the pandemic, and Taylor played four of her team's eight matches last spring.

Doyle was impressed with how Taylor played in last weekend's scrimmage against Christopher Newport University.

"I'm looking forward to her playing a bigger role in the offense," he said. "She's going to see starting time, and it's been a while since she's done that. I just hope she keeps building on it."

Taylor plans to. And while she's at it, she'll remain an advocate for Voice in Sport.

"People don't raise these concerns to create drama," she said. "They're really trying to better the programs. We're seeing programs being cut and reinstated all over the country. We saw it at Stanford and all different levels of athletics.

"That's why this is a really good way for young athletes to gain this voice and take charge of their own careers. This provides women with this extra boost to really advocate for themselves when they see something not fair."