March 16 – First official female boxing match held in NY
On March 16,1876, Nelly Saunders and Rose Harland fought the first female boxing match in sports history. According to WNYC News, the prize for winning the match, which was held at New York Hills Theatre, was a silver butter dish. Considered the first official female boxing match, the event served as the starting point for a long history of women fighting for the right to fight. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that states began to give boxing licenses to women, and until 1994 that the Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) lifted the ban on women’s boxing.
March 19 – Pennsylvania becomes the first state to allow girls and boys to compete together in high school sports
In 1975, court case Darrin v. Gould reversed a Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) rule that barred girls from competing with boys on high school sports teams. The case brought up the issue of unequal opportunities for girls and boys in sports and sparked controversy over whether or not girls and boys should play on separate teams. The WIAA rule was ultimately struck down, making Pennsylvania the first state to allow boys and girls to compete together.
March 21- NFL owners passed the infamous anti-celebrating rule
On March 21, 1984, the owners of the National Football League (NFL) created a rule that defined illegal celebrations as “any prolonged, excessive, premeditated celebration by individual players or groups of players,” according to an expert from the official 1984 rulebook. The rule sought to put an end to a tradition of touchdown celebrations that had been started in 1965 when New York Giants wide receiver Homer Jones spiked the football at the ground in celebration after scoring a touchdown. According to the Bleacher Report, the rule’s impact can be seen as signature touchdown celebrations have become less elaborate and less flashy with time.
March 22- Lawrence Taylor pleads guilty for misdemeanors of sexual misconduct
On March 22, 2011, American Hall of Fame football linebacker Lawrence Taylor pleaded guilty to misdemeanors of sexual misconduct and was sentenced to six years of probation. His guilty plea followed his arrest on May 6, 2011 for felony statutory rape. Although only sentenced to six years of probation, he was also required to register as a sex offender and to pay $1,300 in fees, according to ESPN.
