On The 40th Anniversary Of Title IX, Girls Still Leave Sports At Twice The Rate Of Boys

CHICAGO, June 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 23, 1972 the passage of Title IX granted women access to the same federally funded programs as men and got millions of girls in the game. But, 40 years later there's still work to be done. As a proud partner of the Women's Sports Foundation (WSF), Gatorade is dedicated to building awareness and raising funds by launching a nationwide PSA and social media campaign and creating KeepHerInTheGame.org, where supporters can donate to help give girls access to sports programming and opportunities to become physically active.

The Women's Sports Foundation and Gatorade are asking everyone – men and women – to change their social media profile pictures to a photo themselves as a young athlete or a young female athlete in their life beginning tomorrow, June 15th. Whether it's their sister, cousin, their niece or their 14-year-old self, the pictures will help inspire young girls to stay in the game and encourage people to donate to the Women's Sports Foundation via KeepHerInTheGame.org. 

Ten years after Title IX, girls were dropping out of sports at six times the rate of boys. While today's figures show significant progress, there is still room for improvement. Research proves girls who participate in sports and physical activity are more likely to have better emotional and physical health, get better grades, graduate from high school and go on to college. In fact, a study found that four of five executive businesswomen played sports growing up, attributing the lessons they learned on the playing field as a key to their success.

"The Women's Sports Foundation is dedicated to helping girls and women reach their potential on and off the field of play, and this is a cause that everyone in America can join together to support," expressed Kathryn Olson, CEO of the Women's Sports Foundation. "We applaud Gatorade and all of the organizations and individuals that are helping the Foundation keep more girls in the game during the Title IX 40th Anniversary year and for years to come."

"We all know that sports teach girls important life lessons on teamwork, independence and leadership.  I know that I would not be where I am in my life and career had I not had the life lessons of sports in my childhood.  The more noise we can make around the anniversary of Title IX, the more girls who will reap the benefits of sports," says Sarah Robb O'Hagan, President of Gatorade and WSF Board member. "We are thrilled to be working with the Women's Sports Foundation and are dedicated to raising awareness and funds to keep girls in the game."

To keep the spotlight on the importance of sport for girls, Gatorade will be leading the charge over the next month with a fully integrated advertising, PR and social media campaign, including the launch of KeepHerIntheGame.org.  The PSA campaign, created by TBWA/Chiat Day, will begin airing June 15th on sports and prime time programming. Sports Illustrated will run KeepHerInTheGame.org print ads prior to the Title IX anniversary.

About Gatorade

The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), provides sports performance innovations designed to meet the needs of athletes at all competitive levels and across a broad range of sports. Gatorade Thirst Quencher® is backed by more than 40 years of research and is scientifically formulated and athletically proven to quench thirst, replace fluids and electrolytes, and provide carbohydrate energy to enhance athletic performance. The company's product portfolio is built around the G Series™, a 1-2-3 approach to athlete nutrition and hydration before (Gatorade Prime 01™), during (Gatorade® Perform 02 and G2® Perform 02), and after (Gatorade Recover 03™) training or competition. For more information, please visit www.gatorade.com.   

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 18 different product lines that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales.  Our main businesses – Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade – also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in over 200 countries.  With more than $43 billion in 2008 revenues, PepsiCo employs 198,000 people who are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose.  By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide.  For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

About Women's Sports Foundation

The Women's Sports Foundation®, founded in 1974, is the leader in promoting sports, health and education for girls and women. With Billie Jean King as its founder and ongoing visionary, the Women's Sports Foundation continues to have a profound impact on female athletics, from its vigorous advocacy of Title IX legislation to providing grants and scholarships, grassroots programs for underserved girls, and groundbreaking research. An agent for change, the foundation has relationships with more than 1,000 of the world's elite female athletes and is recognized globally for its leadership, vision, strength, expertise and influence. For more information, visit www.WomensSportsFoundation.org.

SOURCE Gatorade