Title IX
Pro Title IX
By Matt Morris
The history of sports up until the 1970's largely consisted of incredible athletic feats by male athletes and legendary male sports figures such as Babe Ruth and Jim Thorpe. But, in 1972, Congress passed a bill that sent shock-waves throughout the sporting world, and has led to the emergence of female sports heroes. The passing of the bill put female athletes on the map, so to speak. The bill that shook the world and forever changed female athletics was Title IX.
Title IX was passed as part of the Educational Amendments in 1972. Under Title IX, the government deemed it illegal to discriminate against women in federally funded education, athletics included. Before Title IX, the conditions facing female athletes were sickening. It was not uncommon for women to have to pay for their own sports equipment and be forced to shower at home, rather than in a locker room. It was commonplace for "women athletes traveling to away games to sleep two to a bed, four to a room, while their male counterparts were given separate beds in double rooms" according to the Brookings Review.
Title IX requires colleges to provide athletic funding based on a school's male to female ratio. If school A has 65% female students, and 35% male students, then females should receive 65% of the athletic budget. Although these percentages are not strictly enforced, there has been a large increase in the amount of funding issued to female college athletic teams.
The improvements made to female athletics and female interest in sports due to Title IX are remarkable. "A generation ago, only 1 in 27 young women participated in sports" (http://www.mdle.com/writtenword/rholhut/holhut43.htm) . Nowadays, that figure has risen sharply. Thirty-four percent of high school females play competitive sports. Much of the increase in athletic participation among females has to be attributed to Title IX.
A generation ago, as referred to above, sports were not readily available to women. Women were not encouraged to play, and there were very few prominent female athletes. Now, the sports world has been forever impacted by the athletic brilliance of women. Athletes such as Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Florence Griffith-Joyner, and Bonnie Blair have all made their own marks on the Olympic Games and in the sports world. Sports have long offered human beings a refuge from their daily lives of school and work, but now women can have a sport be their work.
In recent years, two American women's professional basketball leagues were formed. One failed, but the other, the WNBA, has national television contracts and a large female fan-base. Still, many men would argue that women obtained success by taking away from men. But the truth is, the men did not need so much to begin with.
One of the main problems associated with Title IX is football. The NCAA currently allows college football teams to offer 85 scholarships per football team. These scholarships are figured into the equation. Because of these excessive scholarship numbers, athletic departments are cutting smaller men's sports teams. These men do not blame football teams, however. They go out and blame women's teams that have been added in order to keep the Title IX quota system in effect. Freshman Laura Granville, a Stanford tennis player feels like the number of football scholarships could be reduced "to around 50". This solution would enable 35 more scholarships out among men and women. Granville added, "blaming women is not the answer."
NFL teams only have around 50 players on their active roster, so I do not think it would be too much of a stretch to only have that many on college football teams. So, it is not fair for men's teams to come out and point their fingers at women. A more productive approach to their problems would be to try to lower the number of football scholarships. As Stanford soccer player Todd Dunivant put it, "football players who don't even see a minute of playing time receive full scholarships. It doesn't make much sense."
The United States victory in the Women's Soccer World Cup was one of the greatest accomplishments of the 1990's. This team was carrying the weight of every little girl on the shoulders during each soccer match, and they came away victorious. Because of their accomplishments, the women's soccer team was honored as "Sportsmen of the Year" by Sports Illustrated, an award traditionally given to sports icons such as Michael Jordan or Joe Montana. Many people believe that Title IX made the World Cup victory "a reality" (http://www.intermatwrestle.com/titleix/thehill.asp) . One of the most provocative images from the World Cup is a shirtless Brandi Chastain, yelling out to the crowd in celebration of their stunning victory. This image represents a turning point in American sports history. It proved that women are a force to be reckoned with on the soccer fields, basketball floors, and tennis courts, as well as in the work force.
Title IX has done so much good for sports in America. The critics may
hoot and holler, but the louder cries of females of the past have enabled
women to step into the athletic foreground. Women are now respected, and
that is all they wanted from the beginning, equality and respect.
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Money Games:Inside the NCAA :Article stating how NCAA needs to do even more to improve gender equity Feminist.org: States how Title IX has influences women in a positive way |
NCAA Title IX Home Page: Site devoted to NCAA seminars on Title IX
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