American women's successes are a barometer of progress

RIO DE JANEIRO – The United States has dominated the Rio Olympics. American women, if they had seceded before the Olympics, would have tied for first among all countries in gold medals with Great Britain, with 27.

The U.S. sent the largest contingent of female athletes — 292 — to the Olympics in the history of the Games.

Simone Biles, a young black woman from the South, where decades ago she would not have been allowed to drink from the same water fountain as whites, became an athletic and television star. She carried the American flag at the Closing Ceremony.

Katie Ledecky became the latest and next dominant American swimmer. The U.S. women's basketball team won its sixth consecutive gold medal. Sprinter Allyson Felix became the most decorated U.S. female athlete in Olympic history.

When asked why his team overwhelmed its competition, U.S. women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma ticked off a long list of reasons.

A society that encourages young women to play sports. Funding from the U.S. Olympic Committee. A large, diverse, relatively affluent population. Excellent coaching.

"And college," he said. "You know, other countries do very well in under-16 and under-18 tournaments. The Russian under-18 team is phenomenal. I think the difference is that our women go to college and receive excellent coaching and get a chance to grow up while competing at a high level."

Enacted in 1972, Title IX guaranteed women an equal opportunity to participate in college athletics. It is not the sole reason for the Olympic dominance of U.S. women — many gymnasts and swimmers begin winning medals before they graduate from high school — but it has helped grow the ranks of female athletes, and has given girls incentive to pursue sports and athletic scholarships.

Stillwater's Megan Kalmoe would not have become an Olympic medalist in 2012 if she hadn't taken up rowing at the University of Washington.

Lindsay Whalen may not have developed into an international basketball star had she not played at the University of Minnesota.

Michelle Carter threw the shot at the University of Texas. She won gold in Rio.

Simone Manuel swims at Stanford. In Rio, she became the first black woman to win an individual Olympic swimming medal.

Upon the 40th anniversary of Title IX, Diane Schneider, a member of the National Education Association, told this to the organization's website:

"I just missed being covered by Title IX, so I lived in a time when there were no scholarships for women who played any sport. Our college basketball practice couldn't start until 8 p.m., after the boys were finished. We didn't have a trainer, and we had to wear skirts as part of our uniforms. The perception was, if you were a woman and a jock, you were just out of place."

In 1972, the U.S. sent 338 men and 90 women to the Olympics.

In 2016, the U.S. sent 263 men and 292 women.

And at the Olympics, often a celebration of less-publicized sports, women are often the most endearing stars.

According to a study by three college professors cited in the Los Angeles Times, during the first half of the Olympics 58.5 percent of NBC's prime-time telecasts were devoted to women. That would be the most in Olympic history.

"It's just smart programming," Andy Billings, a sports media professor at the University of Alabama and one of the study's authors, told The Times. "Because we have such a progressive culture, we have a lot of the greatest women athletes in the world."

Cyclist Kelly Catlin of Arden Hills grew up with her triplet siblings. She believed she should compete daily with not only her sister, but her brother. She found cycling organizations in the Twin Cities and plentiful bike paths and coaches, and became a silver medalist in Rio.

And if she hadn't become a star cyclist, she probably would have been a college soccer star. She could choose.

After a lopsided loss to the U.S. women, China women's basketball coach Tom Maher cited American coaching, funding, organization and culture for their advantage. He noted that China put together a strong team for the Beijing Olympics but has not replaced its former stars.

"The U.S. not only has a pipeline of great players, they have become international ambassadors," Maher said. "They are flag-bearers. They understand what it means to not only excel, but to represent your country well."

Sunday night, the American flag bearer was a young black woman from the South, who found no outside obstacles on her way to becoming the best gymnast in the world.

Simone Biles as the face of the American Olympic delegation? As many of her fellow American females might ask: Why not?

Jim Souhan's podcast can be heard at MalePatternPodcasts.com. On Twitter: @SouhanStrib. • jsouhan@startribune.com