‘More than checking a box:’ Jyllissa Harris speaks on viral Title IX moment at USC
Jyllissa Harris and more than 200 other women’s sports student-athletes at South Carolina were brought onto the field inside Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday with the excitement of being honored.
They were told earlier in the week that they’d be recognized during the USC-Georgia football game in honor of the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
“Title IX is a big deal, especially for women,” Harris told The State. “A lot of us wouldn’t be here and have the opportunities that we have without it.”
The result, however, became a now-viral social media moment that showed the athletes being rushed off the field at the beginning of the second quarter, when the Gamecocks were attempting to run a fourth-down play.
Harris, a fifth-year senior defender for the No. 8 USC women’s soccer team, said she and the other athletes did not expect the brief ceremony to unfold how it did.
“We felt that more time and effort should be put into it,” Harris said.
The next day, Harris carried those same sentiments over to Twitter. And from there, her words took off.
As of Wednesday, her social media post had more than 8,000 retweets, 1,000 replies and 65,000 likes.
For those not at the game, a feeling of confusion was developed when seeing the moment on the broadcast. The ESPN commentators didn’t realize what was going on, and neither did USC head coach Shane Beamer — who was shown on camera saying, “Get off the field.”
“I had no idea who was down there,” Beamer told reporters Sunday night when discussing his initial reaction. “We were so immersed on making a decision of what we’re going to do. I didn’t even look down there in the end zone. I was worried about what was going on in our own offensive huddle. I apologize to anyone I offended.”
Athletic director Ray Tanner attributed the events of Saturday to a “miscalculation of time.”
“I feel horrible about it and I know a lot of our young women were disappointed,” Tanner said in a radio interview Monday with 107.5 FM. “I certainly understand that. I’m irritated with the whole situation that we missed. ... Our intention was to celebrate, not to have to be talking about that we ran out of time.”
The greater dialogue Sunday and Monday became about the treatment of women in sports. Some on social media felt that the gesture during the Georgia game wasn’t a sufficient way to honor the athletes.
“It has to be more than checking a box,” Harris said. “It has to be something more than just for show. It has to have time and energy put behind it. It has to have something that actually recognizes the success and the progress that women have made in sports and in general over the past years.”
Title IX legislation was passed in 1972. For athletes, Title IX meant equitable opportunities for men and women with participation, scholarships and such things as equipment, game scheduling, facilities and travel.
Harris commended Beamer via Twitter for his support of women’s sports over the years, saying that her tweet had nothing to do with him.
Beamer called her Sunday night, Harris said, the same day she posted her tweet. Harris said she made it clear to USC’s coach that she wasn’t directing her feelings toward him, and Beamer told her that she and the women’s sports athletes deserved better and reiterated that his initial reaction was made in the heat of the moment while coaching.
Beamer told reporters Tuesday that he supports women’s athletics at South Carolina and has respect for the players he’s been able to meet.
“I know how hard they work,” Beamer said. “They put in the same amount of time and make the same sacrifices that our male athletes do.”
Harris tweeted that there is “still work to do” regarding the recognition of women in sports.
There must be continual support offered, she said, adding that people become invested when time and money are put into women’s athletics.
“We have to keep pushing to bring awareness and recognition to women because they deserve it,” Harris said. “ I think that’s the dialogue that’s happening, which is obviously a positive thing when it’s focused on that.”
Next USC women’s soccer match
Who: No. 8 USC (5-1-3, 0-1 SEC) at Georgia
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Watch: Stream on SEC Network Plus
