When Birmingham, Alabama, girls’ basketball coach Roderick Jackson noticed that his team had to practice on bent rims in a non-regulation gym, while the boys’ team got to use much nicer facilities, he cried “foul!” As a result of his complaints, he says he was fired.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that Title IX, the law that demands equality for women’s sports, protects whistleblowers like Jackson who complain about Title IX violations. Jackson has since been rehired at the school that fired him. Today, he is being hailed as hero.

In this radio diary, Roderick Jackson reacts to yesterday’s court ruling, and recalls the conditions that led him to blow the whistle on the inequities in the school’s athletic department.

Guests:

Roderick Jackson coaches the girls’ basketball team at Ensley Magnet High School in Birmingham, Alabama. He was the victorious plaintiff in yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling, Jackson v. Birmingham Board of Education.