Lost in all the eye-popping news of last week was an event the Obama administration hoped would garner good press: The first White House celebration of the anniversary of Title IX. The landmark legislation ensuring educational equality for women turned 37, and the father of two girls who occupies the Oval Office marked the occasion with a gathering of athletes, scientists, policymakers and advocates.

When President Nixon signed the law requiring educational institutions that receive federal funds to treat men and women equally, he couldn’t have known that he was building a huge new arena for female athletes, but that has been the effect of Title IX. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the White House gathering that the percentage of women students playing college sports has jumped from 15 to 43, and high-school girl athletes multiplied from 300,000 to almost 3 million.

Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes rejoiced in those numbers along with others at the event, but insisted there’s still much work to be done before a girl can expect the same salary and celebrity in the wide world of sports as her brother. “The lack of coverage of female athletics in the media sends them a negative message that women are not important enough to follow,” she said.