Title IX. It sounds like just another one of thousands of laws enacted by Congress over the years. But Title IX is much more than that.

Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972 begins: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

Signed into law by President Richard Nixon, the act was championed by Indiana Senator Birch Bayh. Senator Bayh was co-author of the legislation and a noted civil rights advocate.

35 years after the passage, the act is still controversial.

For example, Title IX says schools can't give teams more money just because they generate more revenue, receive more donations from alumni or booster groups or have more community support.

Or if a high school girls team plays at 4PM on Fridays and the boys play at 7PM, this is a violation of Title IX because "later games are more valued because parents, friends and spectators can attend."

With the NCAA Division 1 Women's Final Four in Cleveland, scholars, policy makers and legal experts came to Cleveland to discuss the past, present and future of Title IX and girls and women's sports.

In this interview, Senator Bayh tells why he was so involved in the creation of this act and gives a politician's answer to his pick for the Final Four champion.

Listen to this interview

Billie Jean King and Senator Birch Bayh
at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland