For years, Chris Evert Lloyd looked across the court during tournaments to see the name "Mrs. J.M. Lloyd" lit up on the scoreboard. It didn't matter that she -- not her husband -- was the tennis star. What really mattered in the Dark Ages of women's professional sports was social respectability.

But as social tides turned, professional female tours recently took off with increased television exposure and corporate sponsorships. True equity -- in terms of prize money and attitudes -- however, is still a leap for female athletes.

"It's like, 'Oh, we have to have a women's tour just because' -- not, 'let's have a women's tour and really support it'," said Lisa Sommer, marketing director for Sam's Town Lady Pro Bowlers Tour.

Sommer said there are currently 50 female and 120 male touring pros on the main bowling circuit. The lady pros can win $50,000 for a non-sponsored event, while men's prizes are $100-125,000. The men play on CBS, while the women play on ESPN.

And although men still rake in about twice as much in bowling ball endorsements, Sommer said things are looking up for female bowlers. The Lady's Pro Bowlers Tour just signed a three-year contract with Sam's Town, a gaming corporation in Las Vegas.

"We're doing very well," she said. "We've come a long way."

Corporate sponsorship is one of the largest determinants of whether a lady's tour will succeed. In 1978, a professional women's basketball league was founded in the United States, but it crumbled in 1980 due to lack of corporate sponsorship. Although pro teams exist in Japan and Europe, women's basketball never took off at home -- beyond a collegiate Division I level.

Assistant Women's Basketball Coach Susan Robinson, who competed professionally last year in Japan, said she thinks American corporations will eventually sponsor women's teams.

"The men had NCAA championships since way back, whereas the women have only had it for about 13 years," she said. "So our sport has actually grown faster." Robinson said women's teams have to begin developing in small towns as opposed to big cities, because in large cities, fans can choose to see major events.

However, the professional women's tennis tour has been recieved well nationally. All of the constituencies of women's professional tennis have recently joined the WTA Tour, which is sponsored by Virgina Slims. The women's prize pool, which will round out at about $38 million in 1995, has risen 200 percent from 1986. But it is still not equal to the men's prize pool.

"The biggest problem for us is getting equal money at the French Open and Wimbledon," said Doug Clery, WTA Tour publications editor. In 1992, champion Steffi Graf took home $79,930 less than Andre Agassi from Wimbleton. "We feel (equal prize money) is the biggest hurdle left," Clery added.

But television exposure is also a point of contention. Clery said women's matches are often tape-delayed, while men's are broadcasted live. He said this deters viewers from watching because they already know the outcome of the match.

However, in matches that were not tape delayed, WTA Tour viewers were equal to --or exceeded -- the number of viewers for men's tournaments, he added.

More people are also interested in watching and playing women's golf. Increased exposure of the Ladies Professional Golf Association tournaments has gone along with the recent boom in women golfers. In 1992, women made up 37 percent of all beginning golfers.

Judy Thompson of the National Golf Foundation, Jupiter, Fla., said more women are using the golf course as a vehicle to network with business and executive partners, adding that "the biggest growth rate is in junior girls."