Sports Bra

In 1972, school athletics programs exploded across the country after the passage of Title IX. But discomfort and self-consciousness kept many women and girls off the playing field. So, 28-year-old Lisa Lindahl invented the sports bra. The prototype, which was two jockstraps sewn together, now sits in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Lisa Lindahl’s memoir is called “Unleash the Girls: The Untold Story of the Invention of the Sports Bra and How It Changed the World.” (Originally aired Mar 19, 2020).