I had never heard of Title IX until this class. I knew that schools could not discriminate in sport on the basis of sex, however I never learned much about it. I learned an abundant by reading about this and through our discussions in class. Last class, we discussed how some colleges are blaming Title IX and using it as an excuse to cut some of the men's programs that do not accumulate much interest and revenue for their school. I found an article that discusses a lot of the same things that we went over in class:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/06/27/60minutes/main560723.shtml
The article demonstrates how men are now being discriminated against with Title IX being used as an excuse for cutting their teams. In the class discussion and the article, I actually learned that money management was the cause of getting rid of the men's programs. Schools often put too much money in a sport that is more popular (such as basketball and football) and get rid of other sports to save money. The schools claim they are cutting those programs to meet the requirements of Title IX, however they are just using that to cover up their mismanagement.
It was interesting to see and hear the views of some of the men in our class as well. Some were really amazed that the football teams spent so much money on hotel rooms for away and home games. Others were justifying those expenses. I thought that it was unnecessary for schools to pay up to $40,000 just to have their players stay in hotels the night before a home game. These extra expenses could go to saving the programs being cut or towards creating new teams for men and women. It is unfair to offer and supply one sport with so much and not give to the other sports.
Women have come so far with Title IX. It is not right for the schools to be using Title IX as an excuse for cutting other teams. These teams being cut are legally fighting to get what they deserve, which is good. However, some women believe that the men will again get what they want, and everyone will forget to include the women in this battle. Women have worked so hard to get where they are today, and it would be devastating to them if what they worked for in Title IX got taken away.
About 85% of colleges do not meet the requirements of Title IX today. Some claim that they cannot generate a high amount of interest among women in sport. They question if women are truly interested in sport as much as men are. This goes back to discrimination that women have long been fighting for. The article compares this to the idea of women not being interested in voting or not being interested in owning property. Why are women's interests questioned and men's not?
We have come a long way for equality in sport, however the fight is still going on.
Shari Russell
Kin 338i
Sec. 3023
