A chilling new public service ad from the Women’s Sports Foundation paints a bleak picture for the future of girls and sports — and slams an image-obsessed culture that propels many young gals out of athletics.

As we’re sure you’re well-aware, this Saturday is the 40th anniversary of Title IX, the landmark law that (among other things) created equal opportunities for women in sports. And what better way to celebrate this occasion than rooting through the Library of Congress photo archives and picking out some breathtaking moments in women’s pre-Title IX sports history?

If you’re an Oklahoma City Thunder fan, you’re probably wearing some piece of Thunder-themed gear during every waking hour of every day right now (and probably some of the non-waking hours, too). And, if you’re one of those bandwagon turds fans, chances are you’re in the market for some gear. If you’re a guy, you’re shopping for a t-shirt or a hat.

If you’re a woman, however, your options are little, well, “different.”

Well, look at that: The Badminton World Federation has axed a rule that would have required women Olympic competitors to wear skirts during the games.

Did I mention that this rule lasted just one year?

Female collegiate basketball players are far more likely to finish a four-year degree than their male counterparts, according to a new study released today by the University of Central Florida. The report, published by Bloomberg, analyzed graduation rates among the 64 women’s teams in the NCAA tournament and the 68 teams in the men’s showdown. The results? The women’s teams had an average graduation rate of 89 percent, while the men’s slumped at 67 percent.

While it’s easy to cheer this as a sign academic achievement, this pattern reveals something troubling about women’s sports — and the regulations that deny many female athletes a fair shake at the pros.

Racecar driver Danica Patrick broke records this weekend by becoming the fastest female and second woman in Nascar history to capture a pole position in the three major touring series. Don’t know what that means? Here’s what you need to know: it’s a big deal. But Patrick doesn’t want attention for being a record-breaking woman — she wants attention for being a record-breaking driver.

Golf, as a sport in general, tends to be considered something of a boys’ club. But at a few golf clubs across the country, they’re literally “boys’ clubs,” as in, no ladies allowed.

Today’s This Week touched on a lot of important topics — from the Susan G. Komen Foundation to religious liberties to Mitt Romney’s viability as a candidate. But the undoubted highlight of the show was Arianna Huffington’s spot-on Super Bowl predictions.

Ladies, grab your salsa, Bud Light, and a large order of wings. It turns out the much-advertised notion that women don’t like to watch football is actually rather wrong.

Mav’s owner Mark Cuban spoke with celeb-rag TMZ recently to talk about future diversity in the NBA — specifically, the chances of there ever being a female coach in the league. And he sounded optimistic that it could happen! Kind of!