Book excerpt: Title IX, a landmark federal statute enacted in 1972 to prohibit sex discrimination in education, has worked its way into American culture as few other laws have. The subject of web blogs and T-shirt slogans, it is credited with opening the doors to the massive numbers of girls and women now participating in competitive sports, yet few people fully understand the extent to which it has succeeded in challenging the gender norms that have circumscribed women's place in society more generally. In this legal analysis of Title IX, the author, a law professor assesses the statute's successes and failures. She provides an understanding and appreciation of what Title IX has accomplished, while taking a critical look at the places where it has fallen short.