The Impact of Title IX
Title IX, the landmark law that has made possible
incredible advancements in women's sports, is under review by
a special Commission established by the U.S. Secretary
Department of Education. Some people try to argue that
Title IX deprives men of opportunities to play sports.
Where they miss the mark, however, is that girls and women
routinely were denied athletic opportunities before Title IX
passed 30 years ago. Girls growing up today wouldn't
even recognize the world before Title IX, when one out of
every 27 high schools girls played varsity sports. Today
that figure is 1 in 2.5. Now there are nearly five times
more women participating in college sports than before Title
IX.
Do we really want to reverse 30 years of progress, when we
still haven't gone far enough to level the playing
field? Women and girls still aren't receiving equal
treatment - their athletic budgets are lower and their
facilities are inferior to men's. The Commission could
better spend its time examining the institutional choices of
fund allocations to high profile sports. This choice
often means they elect to drop sports for both men and women
rather than eliminate excessive expenditure in these
"professional development" sports. There are many young
men and women interested in participating for their
institutions but are not provided the opportunity because
schools continue to spend millions of dollars on sports such
as football and men's basketball. This Commission should
not consider weakening a policy that has done so much for
gender equity.
Opponents of Title IX are operating from the stereotype
that women are not as interested in playing sports as men - a
belief that is blatantly untrue. Would Teresa
Weatherspoon, Mia Hamm, and Serena Williams believe
them? The fact that female participation in sports has
skyrocketed since Title IX proves that interest follows
opportunity. Women are just as interested in playing
sports as men and deserve an equal opportunity. Contact
your House and Senate Representatives and ask them to preserve
Title IX and its compliance regulations.
Jennifer Alley NACWAA Executive Director
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