Hillary Clinton Gets Sporty

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and ESPN president John Skipper announced today a global sports-mentoring partnership, which will identify female leaders in sports—from athletes to coaches to managers—and pair them with young athletes around the world. To kick-start the effort, the State Department and ESPN are enlisting a council of former and current competitors such as Billy Jean King, Mia Hamm, and WNBA star Tamika Catchings. Secretary Clinton, speaking from the White House, said, “I was never a great athlete, but I loved sports. Sports helped me to learn how to be part of a team. It also helped me learn how to lose. You can’t win every time you go out, and you have to figure out what you’re made of after you do lose and whether you’re ready to get up and keep going.” Clinton said she played soccer, softball, and the even the good old half-court basketball. The announcement precedes the 40-year anniversary on June 23 of the landmark Title IX legislation, which prohibits sex discrimination in education-related activities.