High school sports play a big role in the lives of many high school students in the United States. This is true not only for the athletes, but also for the student body that supports the school teams. High school sports also serve as a focal point for local communities. In many rural areas, high school sports have a large following. Even in big cities, newspapers report extensively on high school athletics, especially during tournaments and championship games.The biggest change in high school athletics over the last fifty years has been in the number of girls who play sports. In 1972 Congress passed Title IX. This landmark legislation said that any school receiving federal money could not prevent a student from participating in any educational program or activity based on their sex. This meant that girls had to be given the same opportunities to play sports as boys. Before Title IX, girls were limited mostly to becoming cheerleaders or playing field hockey. Now there are girls’ teams for almost all the same sports that boys play. In 1971, only 7.5 percent of high school athletes were girls. By 1996, 39 percent of high school athletes who played on school teams were girls.