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Thursday, July 28, 2016

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS

Finn, ‘M’ address 
past inequalities 

The senior delivered 
new varsity jackets 
to several alumni

By ORION SANG

Summer Managing Sports Editor

A glance at the two Michi-

gan varsity jackets lying side-
by-side was all 
anyone 
need-

ed to realize 
something was 
wrong.

One 
jacket, 

given to former 
male athletes, 
features a block 
M 
displayed 

in the normal 
hue of maize 
that those who 
watch Michigan athletics have 
come accustomed to seeing. The 
other jacket, given to former 
women athletes who played on 
varsity teams from 1973 to 1991, 
features a smaller, darker block 
M — along with sleeves that are 
a different color from the first 
jacket.

To former Wolverines, many 

of whom brought up the issue 
throughout the years, this dis-
crepancy 
in 
varsity 
jackets 

wasn’t just a matter of a differ-
ence in design — it was a matter 
of equality.

Erin Finn, a senior track-and-

field athlete, 
first 
found 

out about the 
inequity 
as 

a 
freshman 

when 
she 

attended 
a 

panel on the 
issue and was 
immediately 
drawn 
in. 

She persisted 
in 
remind-

ing people of the issue, and she 
asked for something to be done.

And when Michigan Athletic 

Director Warde Manuel decid-
ed that it was time for the ath-
letic department to correct its 
past mistake, Finn was one of 
the people contacted, because 
of her previous efforts.

She was asked to write a let-

ter to the women who would 
receive the new jackets, and 
was also tasked with delivering 
the new and improved varsity 
jackets to local alumni starting 
in July — something that was a 
unique experience in itself.

“Most of them don’t cry, 

but you can tell they’re trying 
to hold back teary-eyed emo-

tion,” 
Finn 

said. “They get 
this completely 
joyful 
smile. 

They’re just so 
happy to finally 
have their jack-
et. It’s like now 
they’re finally 
accepted. It’s a 
wonderful feel-
ing 
for 
them 

and 
you 
can 

tell that they’re just so excited, 
so happy and so thankful that 
Michigan did the right thing.”

Finn, one of several return-

ing veterans for the Wolverines 
next year, used the opportu-
nity as a chance to educate her 
teammates.

“I’ve been trying to let every-

one know that things haven’t 
always been as good as they 
have now,” Finn said. “Women 
didn’t always have equal oppor-
tunities. I’ve just been remind-
ing everyone how lucky we 
are and trying to get (people) 
involved in helping hand out 

the 
jackets 
so 

they can see on a 
first-hand level 
how lucky we 
really are.

“It’s 
an 

incredible 
honor. 
I 
can’t 

even 
begin 
to 

express 
my 

thanks to these 
women for set-
ting the prec-

edent of what it means to be a 
Michigan woman and opening 
these opportunities that we get 
to experience today because of 
what they went through. To be 
able to thank them myself and 
to see the joy on their faces 
when they received their jack-
ets was so, so special. I can’t 
even put it into words.”

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Erin Finn (left) was an integral part of the recent deliveries of new varsity jackets to former Michigan women athletes.

“They’re just so 
happy to finally 

have their 

jacket.”

“I can’t even 

begin to express 

my thanks to 
these women.”

WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

