Given the tremendous progression of gender equality in our nation since the passage of Title IX, one might think that the gender tensions are now very minimal. Recent headlines reveal how this notion is very false. Debates over the allocation of money in many institutions continue to persist and give the advocates of gender equality more incentives to continue their mission. It is quite shocking how there are still non-believers of Title IX and how there is still much work to be done. The most popular stance against Title IX today seems to be that the progression of women’s sports is somehow diminishing the progression of men’s sports at the collegiate level. Many Title IX critics point to football as the primary reason. A journalist of the Richmond Times, John Woody explains how football should be strictly eliminated from Title IX compliance because the lack of an equivalent women’s sport:
“Football Bowl Subdivision programs, including Virginia Tech and Virginia, provide 85 scholarships. Football Championship Subdivision programs, including Richmond, give scholarships to 65 players. There are no programs for women that require such numbers.”
-Woody
To read more about Woody’s stance on the matter, follow the link to his short article:
The previous two presidential administrations have spurred much debate over the impact of Title IX on college sports. When the Bush administration passed the amendment to Title IX that used surveys as the primary means of determining the varsity sports offered at a University, there was a lot of backlash from Title IX advocates. Check out these ABC news articles from 2005 that highlight some of the debates:
“The greatest weakness is that this approach indicates a lack of response is going to be interpreted as a lack of interest…Those of us on campus know full well that students don’t respond to e-mail surveys” --Judy Sweet, NCAA senior vice president for championships and education services.
In a recent scandal at the University of Delaware, an angry coalition of runners, legal experts, and former athletic directors have raised concerns about the validity of the University’s claim that Title IX is the reason for the sudden cuts of the men’s varsity track and cross country teams. Comprehensive research and investigation have led the coalition to believe that Title IX is not the central factor at play. This very recent development has reignited the typical Title IX issues at hand today: unfair allocation of money from sport to sport, misunderstanding and misusage of Title IX, and gender inequity. Check out the article to learn more about this current event:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/09/university-delaware-title-ix_n_859737.html
http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/sports/sports_blogs_local/ny-times:-usf-fudges-to-meet-title-ix-requirements"For goodness sakes, universities have been bending the rules since the day Title IX took shape. USF, according to the NY Times report, more than half of the 71 women listed on the cross-country roster never ran a race in 2009. Only 28 competed in at least one race. The NY Times report said it contacted a "few" athletes named on the roster, and they laughed, saying they didn't even know they were on the team."
To Secure These Rights did pave the way for Title IX and for the ending of discrimination based on gender. However, after the document and the recommendations of the committee were received by Truman and acted upon by the ensuing presidents one thing has become clear, when words on a page become part of the human world, things are not so neat. To Secure These Rights did also include a a quote that read:
"Devices to get around the law are more common than direct violations to the law"
-To Secure These Rights
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