How the UW-Madison women’s rowing team shapes the merge between sports and politics

The thrill of victory and the heartbreak of defeat. 

Sports in the U.S. bleed into politics more often than we think they do, and student-athletes are often at the center of this ongoing debate. While many athletes and programs seek to keep their sport separate from politics, the two are inherently intertwined, and they have been for some time. 

The passage of Title IX in 1972 opened the door for universities to add female athletes in an effort to balance the equal number of female and male athletic scholarships, a requirement stated in the law. For women rowers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, it’s an opportunity for athletes to learn, compete and wear Badger red with pride, even if they’ve never touched an oar before. With over 100 athletes in the program, head coach Vicky Opitz emphasized the importance of older generations inspiring younger ones. 

While Title IX did not mention sports, the requirement to provide equal funding and scholarships has resulted in a huge growth for women’s rowing. At Wisconsin, the program offers a unique opportunity for walk-ons that allow athletes to join the team without needing previous rowing experience. 

“Title IX really created an open door for a lot of women, certainly, maybe who didn’t grow up playing sports back in the 60s and 70s,” Opitz told The Daily Cardinal. “I hope that pride will continue for as long as there are sports at Wisconsin, which should be forever.”

Some athletes have never heard of rowing before they step onto campus, but Opitz is committed to introducing them to the special program at Wisconsin. 

“We take those young people that maybe weren't quite good enough to play their predominant sport in high school,” Opitz said. “Through a lot of hard work, sweat and enjoyment of the sport, they become very good at rowing.”

Wisconsin women’s rowing competes in a competitive and ever-expanding Big Ten Conference, and the Badgers’ program has sent 21 rowers to compete for the U.S. in the Olympics. Some of them were walk-ons. Most recently, Lauren O’Conner, Grace Joyce, Madeleine Wanamaker and Sophia Vitas competed for the U.S. in the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

“I’m really proud to say that Wisconsin values equality across the board,” Opitz said. “The men’s and women's resources are exactly the same and they have helped the sport grow tremendously.” 

But there’s still work to be done

While women in sports have the opportunity to compete for their respective teams at the Division I level, their media coverage is a small sum compared to men. Women’s college sports media coverage rarely exceeds 10% of total sports coverage, according to Purdue University.

“I hope women's sports continue to grow and to be put on television networks, and I think there's going to be a platform that people always want to watch to support women's sports,” Opitz said. 

The 2024 presidential election has brought women’s representation and equality to the forefront, Presidential nominee Kamala Harris looks to become the first female president of the U.S. Harris broke gender barriers by becoming the first female attorney general of San Francisco and later California.  

This also rings true for female rowers at Wisconsin, where Title IX has allowed female athletes to compete at the Division I level and then go on to compete for their respective countries at the Olympics. 

Women’s rowing has grown tremendously in resources and competition over generations. 

“There's a lot more resources and opportunities for today's student athletes to be better in all aspects of not only being a student, but also an athlete and also being a healthy person,” Opitz said. 

Now, female college athletes will have the chance to make their voices heard and to vote on issues that directly affect their lives. Harris’ campaign has leaned into this fact and have looked to mobilize not only female student athletes, but a younger generation of voters with different priorities. They’ve found the perfect place to find a range of potential voters: college football stadiums. 

Harris’ campaign also launched initiatives to pursue and capitalize on a growing audience of young male voters, reaching Americans both at home and those in attendance with an advertisement that aired during the game’s primetime slot on Oct.5. 

“Winners never back down from a challenge. Champions know it’s anytime, anyplace. But losers, they whine and waffle and take their ball home,” the 30-second ad stated, mocking Trump’s decision to refuse a second debate with Harris on CNN earlier this month. 

The Harris campaign played similar ads during Big Ten football games for audiences in the swing-states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. 

Students’ votes will play a crucial role in the outcome of this election, and there’s no denying that athletes’ issues are political issues too. While Title IX opened the door for many female student athletes to compete in the sport they love, there’s much more work to be done on the basis of equal coverage and representation for women’s sports. 

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