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Title
IX does more than just set quotas
Law offers more opportunities to female athletes
COMMENTARY
Joi Harris
Fifteen
years ago, an 8-year-old girl was getting her first
taste of organized sports. The fourth-grader was the
only female in an all-male basketball league of boys
ages 10 to 12. She was such a stand-out that she became
known as “Lady Jordan” around the league.
I was that little girl. Had it not been for Title IX,
a piece of legislation established 16 years earlier
to ensure sexual equality in both academics and athletics,
I may not have been afforded that chance. Sadly, that
same opportunity may be taken away from the young girls
of the 21st century if opponents of Title IX have their
way.
President Bush’s “Opportunity in Athletics
Commission,” designed to analyze Title IX, is stacked
with opponents of educational equality who intend to
severely weaken Title IX — if not dismantle it
— despite its optimistic name.
So let’s think back at the great successes that
have been experienced by women of all ages, races, creeds
and colors over the last several decades. From 1971
to 2001, the number of women participating in sports
rose from 294,000 to nearly 3 million. During that same
time period, the number of women participating in college
sports increased 500 percent. The 1996 Olympics in Atlanta
showed what women athletes could hold their own on the
international playing ground. Where’s the downside
to that?
The greatest burden of blame should be placed on the
National Wrestling Coaches Association, which has filed
a lawsuit to change they way Title IX applies to college
athletics. The association claims that many male collegiate
wrestling, swimming and gymnastics teams were unfairly
eliminated to ensure the proper implementation of Title
IX.
What opponents of the legislation often fail to recognize
is that Title IX was created to ensure equitable treatment
of both sexes. It specifically states that “No
person in the (United States) shall, on the basis of
sex be excluded from participation in, or denied the
benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under
any educational program or activity receiving federal
aid.”
The key phrase here is federal aid. Thus, we finally
get to the root of the problem: money. The harsh reality
of life is that money makes the world go ‘round,
especially in sports. The attitude quite often is “what
have you done for me lately.”
Because government aid only stretches so far, the remainder
of athletic funds come from private donations which
are not regulated by Title IX. Sports that fail to make
money and produce revenue for their institutions suffer.
Though it may not be fair, it’s only logical.
Unfortunately, there is not any clear composite of a
money-making sport because there are always exceptions.
Although most football programs are great money makers,
many colleges and universities have cut those programs
because of their excessive budgets despite federal aid.
Some people argue that many women’s basketball
programs lose more money than they make, there is always
an outlier.
Take for instance, the programs of Tennessee, UConn,
Texas and Stanford. Pat Summit and Jody Conradt, who
coach Tennessee and Texas respectively, have each recently
notched their 800th career wins as Division I coaches
becoming the fourth and fifth coaches, men or women,
to do so in the history of the sport.
Just as these coaches have used Title IX to their advantage,
so should the Wrestling Coaches Association but eliminating
this 31-year-old amendment will not solve their problems.
I am not a little girl anymore. Because much of my life
has revolved around sports, I am positive that I would
not be the person I am were it not for Title IX. I must
now pick up the torch left by those before me and ensure
that the light is not extinguished for those who come
after me.
Joi
Harris is a senior broadcast journalism major from El
Paso. She can be reached at (j.s.harris@tcu.edu).
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Panel
needs to revise Title IX laws
More men’s programs are needed
COMMENTARY
By Danny
Gillham
Men are competitive, and no avenue demonstrates this more
than sports. We cheer and blast our favorite teams, and
spend ridiculous amounts of money on tickets, pay-per-view
and team paraphernalia.
And more of us play sports than women. It therefore seems
logical for Title IX to be modified.
The Bush administration appointed a counsel to look into
changing the 30-year-old, Nixon-era laws. These laws require
high schools and colleges to give athletic opportunities
to female athletes that are comparable to males.
Under the law, schools have to have athletic representation
that reflects its male-female ratio, although there are
two other measures to meet requirements.
The law has not gone without its successes. Women’s
participation has increased from 294,000 to nearly 3 million.
Women’s programs such as Tennessee basketball, North
Carolina soccer and volleyball in the Pacific-10 Conference
enjoy prominence and crowds either matching or surpassing
their male counterparts.
Clearly this is an advancement from the days of field
hockey and half-court basketball.
However, for every successful women’s program, there
is one with little support, little success and little
interest. Women’s programs not named Texas or UCLA
suffer because of their size, and attention cannot always
be given to them.
Men’s programs with more interest have suffered the
consequences in order to make room for women’s teams.
NCAA records show that between 1981 and 1999, 171 schools
dropped men’s wrestling, 84 discontinued men’s
tennis and 56 axed men’s gymnastics.
The issue isn’t what’s fair, contrary to what
supporters say. By now it is understood by most that interest
in women’s sports has increased, and women should
have the opportunity to compete. It would be downright
sexist not to.
That said, Title IX is too severe and needs tweaking.
Many schools today fail to comply with the rules because
interest isn’t as strong in women’s sports as
in men’s.
And some evidence is right here at TCU.
Campus recreation directs intramural programs and sporting
leagues that allow students not in NCAA athletics to play
sports.
This semester, a school-record 92 teams signed up to play
intramural basketball. Only 14 of those teams are female.
Fourteen more are co-education, while the other 64 are
men’s teams. The men even have two leagues —
a normal league and another for players 6 feet and under.
This comes at a school where the enrollment is nearly
60 percent female.
Attendance records also show the men’s basketball
team draws twice as many fans at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum
as the women’s.
What’s interesting is that even though both teams
have losing records, the women have had back-to-back NCAA
Tournament appearances, while the men haven’t seen
the postseason in years.
Title IX did good things for women’s sports. It gave
them an identity and a chance to showcase their talent.
Over the test of the time though, the facts still show
men draw more interest.
To punish them is wrong, and hopefully this will be rectified
by the appointed panel.
Danny
Gillham is a sophomore broadcast journalism major from
Weatherford. He can be reached at (d.r.gillham@tcu.edu).
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