Women's Sports and Physical Education at the University of Tennessee: 1899-1939

Sports historians have demonstrated that the early twentieth century, particularly the 1920s and the 1930s, was a period of both increasing and decreasing opportunities of women to participate in skilled and competitive athletics. Most would agree that a philosophy of anti-competition and universal participation as advocated by the Women's Division of the National Amateur Athletic Federation (WDNAAF) steered women's collegiate sports and physical education during the period. However, they disagree over the extent of the application of that philosophy and its effectiveness once put into practice. While examining the development of women's sports and physical education at the University of Tennessee for the period between 1899 and 1939, this study focuses on the decades of the 1920s and 1930s and measures the WDNAAF's philosophy on the University. The thesis provides a model for similar studies at other institutions and is also a stepping stone for future studies of women's athletics at the University of Tennessee.

This study shows that skilled and competitive athletics, and the recognition and prestige derived from them, were important factors in the development of women's sports and physical education at the University of Tennessee; and they remained significant throughout the 1920s and 1930s, despite the elimination of women's varsity sports and the development of forms of universal participation. Tennessee first introduced physical education to its coeds in 1899. Skilled and competitive individual and team sports, such as tennis and basketball, were important features of the women's physical education program. Prior to 1926, the University supported these sports at both the intercollegiate and interclass levels. During this period, Tennessee produced many outstanding coed varsity teams, particularly in basketball. In 1926, as the WDNAAF's philosophy became more influential nationwide, Tennessee eliminated its women's varsity sports and began to develop forms of universal participation. The latter, however, continued to emphasize skill and competition. By the mid-thirties, the University had developed a women's intramural system which offered all individuals and groups the opportunity to compete for recognition and prestige in skilled and competitive sports.

This thesis demonstrates that the anti-competitive and universal participation philosophy of the WDNAAF certainly had an effect upon the University of Tennessee, but only in an indirect manner. Tennessee eliminated its women's varsity athletics not in response to a directive from the WDNAAF itself, but because nearby schools had already abolished their teams. The University of Tennessee, moreover, failed to adhere strictly to the WDNAAF's policies by continuing to stress skill and competition and emphasizing recognition and prestige through athletics. Finally, this thesis indicates that the development of universal participation was not an immediate process, but rather one requiring many steps in the reorganization of groups, individuals, and activities. Overall, this study suggests that compliance with anti-competitive and universal participation policies of the WDNAAF was largely the responsibility and design of the individual institution.