Mabel Lee was born in 1886 in a small town in Iowa, where she would grow up and eventually attend Coe College. After graduating with a degree in psychology, Lee became Coe’s second physical director in the history of the college in 1910. After Lee’s stint at Coe, she would then go on and become the Director of Physical Education for women at University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1924-1952. Lee would also become the first woman President of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation and the American Academy of Physical Education in 1931. She presided over the women’s Olympics in the Los Angeles Games of 1932. Lee was honored by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 1982 as one of five women in America who meant the most to women’s fitness.i

For much of the early 20th century, women faced significant restrictions in the realm of athletics, including being excluded from both intercollegiate sports and even many intramural activities. These limitations stemmed from widespread societal beliefs that physical exercise was harmful to women’s health, particularly their reproductive capabilities. Many educators and medical professionals of the time warned that physical activity would damage a woman’s “delicate” constitution or make her appear too masculine and would shy away from the appearance that a woman at this time should obtain. Maintaining femininity, modesty, and a “clean” appearance was prioritized over strength, endurance, or skill. Unlike men, who were celebrated for pushing their physical limits and enduring pain, women were discouraged from sweating, competing aggressively, or engaging in sports, whether it was a contact sport or not. Some schools even had dress codes requiring women to wear restrictive clothing that made any active moment or physical activity more difficult. These double standards were deeply embedded in the cultural norms of the certain day and age, and they reinforced a narrow definition of womanhood that excluded athleticism. Lee, at a very young age, was a sickly and underweight child with poor posture who survived battles with typhoid, diphtheria, measles, chicken pox, scarlatina, and whooping cough, which may also have been another reason why she pushed so hard to get women involved in sports and other physical activities.ii It was against this backdrop that pioneers like Mabel Lee pushed for change, challenging these outdated assumptions and opening new and different doors for women to claim their rightful place in sports and physical activities.

For much of the early 20th century, women faced significant restrictions in the realm of athletics, including being excluded from both intercollegiate sports and even many intramural activities. These limitations stemmed from widespread societal beliefs that physical exercise was harmful to women’s health, particularly their reproductive capabilities. Many educators and medical professionals of the time warned that physical activity would damage a woman’s “delicate” constitution or make her appear too masculine and would shy away from the appearance that a woman at this time should obtain. Maintaining femininity, modesty, and a “clean” appearance was prioritized over strength, endurance, or skill. Unlike men, who were celebrated for pushing their physical limits and enduring pain, women were discouraged from sweating, competing aggressively, or engaging in sports, whether it was a contact sport or not. Some schools even had dress codes requiring women to wear restrictive clothing that made any active moment or physical activity more difficult. These double standards were deeply embedded in the cultural norms of the certain day and age, and they reinforced a narrow definition of womanhood that excluded athleticism. Lee, at a very young age, was a sickly and underweight child with poor posture who survived battles with typhoid, diphtheria, measles, chicken pox, scarlatina, and whooping cough, which may also have been another reason why she pushed so hard to get women involved in sports and other physical activities.ii It was against this backdrop that pioneers like Mabel Lee pushed for change, challenging these outdated assumptions and opening new and different doors for women to claim their rightful place in sports and physical activities.

Lee did not so much "abandon" intercollegiate athletics for women as much as she prioritized more accessible, inclusive, and less competitive forms of athletic engagement for women at a time when expectations and barriers made organized sports inaccessible to women Lee worked to carve out space where women could still benefit from physical education. At the University of Nebraska and through her leadership in the American Physical Education Association, she promoted intramural and recreational programs that emphasized health, education, and community over competition Lee’s approach ensured that physical activity was not limited to elite athletes but available to all women, regardless of skill level or competitive interest. While her model may seem conservative by today’s standards, it laid a crucial foundation for the broader acceptance and institutional support of women’s athletics in later decades. Mabel Lee’s work with intramural activities and contests was crucial in providing women with accessible and organized opportunities to engage in physical activity at a time when intercollegiate competition was typically off-limits to them. She believed strongly that participation in sports built character, leadership, and community qualities just as vital for women as for men. Through her efforts, intramural programs at institutions like the University of Nebraska became vibrant spaces where women could develop athletic skills, experience teamwork, and build confidence in environments that were otherwise lacking in support for female athletes. Her advocacy laid the groundwork for broader acceptance of women's physical education and helped shift public attitudes by proving that women were not only capable of athletic participation but thrived in it. These programs also served as early models for other colleges, fostering a slow but powerful ripple effect across the country, which led to a nationwide movement of other countries joining in and going along with the idea of women participating in athletics and physical activity. By promoting intramural sports as legitimate and essential, Lee helped create a foundation that made the eventual rise of intercollegiate women’s athletics and the passing of Title IX law more culturally and institutionally viable.iii