Tennessee bill aims to level the playing field for girls’ sports in schools

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — The Tennessee Equal Opportunities for Girls’ Sports Act, introduced by Senate Minority Leader Sen. Raumesh Akbari and House Minority Leader Rep. Karen Camper, is set to soon be heard in the Senate. The bill, known as SB 1327/HB 1276, seeks to ensure that girls in Tennessee have equal access to funding, facilities, and resources in school athletics.

While Tennessee has enacted several laws restricting participation in girls’ sports, there are currently no state laws guaranteeing that girl athletes receive the necessary funding, equipment, coaching, and opportunities to compete equally. This proposed legislation aims to address this by allocating state funding to provide equitable resources for girls’ sports programs in K-12 public schools.

“If we’re serious about protecting women’s sports, we need to put our money where our mouth is,” said Sen. Akbari. “Right now, girls in Tennessee face significant disadvantages in athletics — not because of who’s on the field, but because of what’s missing: funding, facilities and support. This bill begins to fix it.”

The bill’s sponsors point to research from the Women’s Sports Foundation that indicates girls drop out of sports at twice the rate of boys due to a lack of resources, limited access to facilities, and inadequate coaching support. Nationally, girls have 1.3 million fewer opportunities to play high school sports than boys.

The Tennessee Equal Opportunities for Girls’ Sports Act will dedicate state funding to ensure equal access to practice and competition facilities for girls, provide funding for equipment, uniforms, and training resources, ensure fair compensation for coaches of girls’ teams, support travel accommodations and per diem allowances for female athletes, and promote girls’ sports to increase participation and visibility.

The bill also establishes a process for addressing inequities. For example, if a female athlete finds that her team faces disparities in funding or resources, she or her parents can file a complaint with the state Department of Education, which will be required to investigate and allocate additional funds to resolve the issue. Additionally, local school districts must report participation rates and funding levels for boys’ and girls’ sports to state officials to ensure compliance.

“For too long, the conversation around girls’ sports has focused on exclusion when we should be focused on investment,” said Rep. Camper. “This bill changes that by prioritizing real solutions that give girls in Tennessee the same opportunities as boys to compete, develop skills, and succeed.”

The bill’s latest press release included the NFHS High School Participation Survey that shows the gender gap in Tennessee sports participation, with 73,608 boys participating in high school athletics compared to only 43,189 girls.

You can read the full legislation here.

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