The Varsity Sweater: A Look At Women’s Athletic Memorabilia in a Post-Title IX Era

The sweater displayed here is known as a “letterman sweater” [1]. It is an artifact that was given to the library by Rosalie Resch. Rosalie is a senior employee in the University of Chicago Department of Athletics, as well as a former University female athlete and coach. The sweater is likely leftover inventory from 1979-1980. During these years, the department had a massive influx of high-achieving female athletes. These athletes sought out the University of Chicago athletics program due to its being one of the first collegiate departments to offer scholarships to female athletes [2]. This scholarship was introduced in 1973, and received heavy national press coverage which incited the onslaught of applications.

From a design perspective, the sweater is mainly maroon, with a button-down v-neck design and two internal pockets. In addition to this, there are two particular design details. On the front of the sweater, a University of Chicago varsity letter has been stitched on. Furthermore, the letters “WAA” – Women’s Athletic Association – have been added at the bottom in maroon. The other detail is a concentric white ring on the left sleeve. The sweater is made from 100% Dupont Acrylic Fibre, a synthetic wool material.  The object is made from single construction, other than the UChicago “C” logo flannel patch. The object was constructed by the “New Era Sportswear” company in Chicago (Fig. 1).

Figure 1: Frontal view of the varsity sweater.

This women’s varsity sweater can be used to reveal gender biases that were present in varsity athletics. These biases were common throughout varsity sports boards of that time. Comparing the design and use between men’s and women’s varsity clothing can be used to help understand these biases. 

One point of comparison is design. A similarity would be that the women’s varsity jacket shares the same “Letterman” patch as men’s varsity wear. A difference would be the material. The women’s sweater is synthetic material, rather than wool and leather as men’s jackets often were [3]. Another point of comparison is the utility between men’s and women’s sweaters. Looking back through the UChicago photographic archives, the men’s sweaters were part of the track uniform [4]. In contrast, the women’s designs weren’t, and are intended more as casual wear. This is partly because women’s varsity competition wasn’t allowed until the 1960s. It’s also interesting that the women’s sweater also has the additional “WAA” stitching. This refers to the “Women’s Athletic Association.” Before the introduction of Title IX, this was the only group hosting athletics events for women.

Through these comparisons, the sweater can be used to reveal the gender biases that were present in that era. Male-dominated sports boards of the era helped push these biases. These biases denied women the same opportunities as men. This mindset is reflected in objects like this sweater. Using this object as a point of comparison can help people understand these biases.

Further, this sweater can be read to understand the conditions under which women’s collegiate athletics were recognized in the late 1960s. At this time, the Title IX amendment had just been implemented [5]. Additionally, the University of Chicago’s Women’s Athletic Association (WAA) had become dedicated to just varsity athletics. As a result of these changes,  women were able to create a system of recognition for their athletic achievements. The system constructed under these conditions is manifest in this sweater. Based on the sweaters that were given to male athletes, the female sweaters have only a few differences. These are the white stripe around the left arm and the WAA on the varsity letter. 

These additions were made in an effort to distinguish the sweaters as distinctly for the female athlete. As expressed by Rosalie Resch, these details made it clear that the sweaters were “not something our boyfriends could have given us” [6]. Further, with these details, the sweater expands on its purpose of showing achievement. It also reinforces how the recognition of women was secondary to that of men. This sweater makes it clear that women felt a pressure to differentiate their achievements from the achievements of men. Yet, they could only make changes within a framework that was entirely male-constructed and reinforced male ideals of success.

Rosalie Resch, wearing her own personal sweater.

Published by: Nick Ogilvie & Ella Parker 

 

[1] Clemente, Deirdre. Dress Casual: How College Students Redefined American Style. The University of North Carolina Press, 2016.

[2] Interview with Rosalie Resch. February 20, 2020. 

[3] Douglas Gunn, Roy Luckett & Josh Sims, Vintage Menswear: A Collection from The Vintage Storeroom (London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd, 2012), 98-99.

[4] The University of Chicago, “Sports,” The University of Chicago Photographic Archive. http://photoarchive.lib.uchicago.edu/browse-sports.html

[5]“Title IX.” The United States Department of Justice, 6 Aug. 2015, www.justice.gov/crt/title-ix#10.%C2%A0%20Athletics%20(ï%C2%BD§%20__.450).

[6] Interview with Rosalie Resch. February 20, 2020. 

 

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