BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Folks traveling along Upper Court Street in Binghamton have noticed a major improvement to the building most people think of having been the original location for Dick’s Sporting Goods.

The Department of Public Art hired muralist Bruce Greig to paint a tribute to Title IX. Passed in 1972, the law prohibits discrimination based on sex in education and activities that receive federal funding. It ensures that scholastic sports for boys and girls and collegiate sports for men and women receive equal funding.

Kim Myers says that when the DPA approached Dick’s with the idea, they jumped at the chance. She says the building was a perfect blank canvas to celebrate the company’s ongoing commitment to female athletes.

“This mural is amazing. It says everything. It’s upbeat. It certainly brightens up the building. We’ve had a lot of people drive by and even stop and say, ‘That looks amazing,” said Myers.

Dick’s has a number of initiatives that support female athletics, including hosting clinics, funding girls’ sports leagues and making certain to carry sporting goods made specifically for female athletes.

The mural joins a number of other public art displays that have been going up across Greater Binghamton over the past two years, some funded by the DPA, some by grants from Broome County and the Arts Council and some privately funded.

Greig has been painting murals in our area for nearly a decade.

“It sort of adds culture to the whole place. Especially a place that’s seen better days. Binghamton is definitely having a bit of a comeback these days and the arts are part of that. Just makes it look like people care about the place,” said Greig.

The mural includes a quote from the late Olympic track champion Wilma Rudolph, “The potential for greatness lives in each of us.”