Title IX - changes to policy (Page 2)

They're just revising TItle IX a bit because Title IX reality and Title IX theory are not all that close in some aspects. The worst thing people can do, IMO< in this case is look at it through the slefish eye or interpret this to mean the "death of women's athletics". Let['s be realistic.

The sports that are most in danger are those that traiditional offer only "Men's Versions" ... such as wrestling and hockey.

Others have already done a good job explaining how Title IX is ineffectively implemented. No need to rehash any of that.

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What we tend to observe is that women's sports receive very little fan support, even from other women, which is strange when viewing how "important" women's sports are to women.

It would seem to me, that the more important strategy would be ... rather than complaining about changes to Title IX, would be to actual go support collegiate women's athletics by making donations to the programs or buying tickets to the events.

I think we over-estimate the importance to women's sports that Title IX provides. IMO, when women see that the men's version of the same sport gets multiple times more fans and attention than the women's version, the women participants get a very clear and defined message. The message of reality is different than the theoretical message of Title IX.

The relevant mesaage to send to females would be for fans to support the women's sports with as much attention & participation (i.e., buying tickets) as they do men's sports. I don't see that happening very often, despite all the claims regarding the importance/relevance of women's sports.

Honestly, I don't see where it the college's responsibility to provide scholarships/facilities for as many sports as they do. Some colleges almost seem to be olympic training facilities. Thats a lot of funds that detract from the primary responsibility of colleges. Seeing how few colleges actually make money from their sports programs (overall), it might be something worth considering. I say thast as a former two-sport college athlete, brother of a sister that played sports, and father of both a son and daughter.



Edited by TripleThreat 2006-10-07 11:27 PM

I don't know anything much about Title IX in colleges and universities, but I am old enough that I attended grade school and jr. high pre title ix and I can tell you that I cheer it's effects every day.

Before Title IX went thru, not many girls at all thought of participating in sports, except maybe cheerleading, which back then wasn't very athletic - just rah rah. Our PE classes were incredibly un-athletic compared to the guys. Mostly we put on ugly zip up suits and chatted and worried about ruining our makeup.

There was little league baseball and buddy basketball and pee wee football for the guys, and cheerleading for a few of the girls. The rest of us went and watched our brothers play and ate crap from the concession stand. There wasn't co-ed anything, and soccer was something the europeans did. Girls who fought through that for their sports were often set to the side a bit, not embraced.

I often wonder how my life would have been different if I had been encouraged to be athletic as a child. By the time I hit college, it was too late to start a sport and be on a team. Eventually in my 20s I took up cycling and then running, and in my 30s and 40s am FINALLY making an active lifestyle essential to my being...but what a long, unhealthy road to get here.

When I see my son on the soccer field, with the amazing little girls who don't even know how cool it is that they are playing right along side the boys, I am happy at the way they will grow up feeling like sports are a part of EVERYONE's life, not just the guys. I am sad that I didn't get that opportunity, and if the law has gone a bit overboard in the other direction, the leveling will come. But it won't come until we get that generation grown up and in charge, because the rest of us are still somewhat limited by the vision we were given as children, boys are into sports and girls are into boys, or something like that.

Hurray that now an athletic girl is to be celebrated, not looked upon as an anomoly at best, or weird at worst. And Title IX has done a lot to make it that way. I still remember the kicking and screaming of the boys PE teacher when we went co-ed and he had to teach a bunch of girls...it wasn't pretty, and I'd hate to see that time return. It's a slender thread we hang on...

There was little league baseball and buddy basketball and pee wee football for the guys

And yet, I'm wondering what was preventing a group of parents from starting "girls softball", "girls soccer", "girls basketball", leagues.

Truth is any of these leagues could have been started. Perhaps, Title IX coincided with a women's revolution, rather than being cause/effect.

I say that because I notice a HUGE difference between the behavior of teen girls now compared to well, even 15 years ago when I was a teen ... and it's not all positive. I don't think Title IX wants all the increased aggression/fighting, entitlement, and particpation in risky behavior attributed to it (It is absolutely stunning).

Honestly, it seems to me that participation is sports was something that was held back by other women rather than something that was slowed by men. Societal and peer pressure are powerful things, and well ... it was primarily women that thought other women should act like women. Seriously, read some articles from "women's magazines" in the 50s and 60s and see if men could ever get away with saying the same things.

Title IX simply formalized processes that were beginning to appear, because [1] more women wanted to play sports, [2] the taboo against women playing sports was lessening, and [3] the politics of equality were in vogue (furthering civil rights, handicapped education, etc)

with the amazing little girls who don't even know how cool it is that they are playing right along side the boys, I am happy at the way they will grow up feeling like sports are a part of EVERYONE's life, not just the guys.

I agree. I coach co-ed t-ball and it's awesome that parents (especially moms) allow their daughters to play baseball with the boys, and yet still think of them as girls ... that hasn't always been the situation. Girls and boys have always played sports together outside, on their own ... it was the adults that had the hang=ups with public perception.

I have to agree with Annabanna. I'm also old enough to remember sports pre title IX, but I also played. I played softball, basketball and volleyball. I also played roller hockey and football out in the street with the boys. Back then it wasn't cool for a girl to be involved in sports. Girls certainly weren't looked at as being healthy/athletic, but instead as tomboys - throwing like a girl was definitely an insult. Anyway, we're the moms now, and it's up to us to get the girls started YOUNG, so the interest is there when they get to college. My mom, like most back then, didn't have a clue - she really hoped sports were something "I'd grow out of". I really wonder what my life would have been like if I had the opportunities that the girls have today. Title IX does need some work, but we also have work to do. I have three boys - no girls - and I still coach girls softball and basketball because they ALWAYS need help. Like another poster said, the women need to support women's sports. The boys should not have to suffer because of Title IX, but there needs to be some kind of equity. I remember playing softball on concrete, until I was in my late teens, because the boys had the grass fields for baseball and in those days, girls were not allowed to play on the boys' teams. Title IX has done a lot of good for womens' sports it just needs to be fine tuned.

I couldn't agree more, except for that it's up to the dads too!

Thing is even if it is flawed and it is without title IX womens sports would not be what they are today.  Absolutely small mens programs like  wrestling have suffered.  If you think there havn't been womens programs cut to make way for mens programs even today you are mistaken.  If you eliminate football numbers the numbers of male and female athletes in college athletics are nearly even (NCAA Statistic)  There was an initiative to make it impossible to cut NCAA sports which were also olympic sports.  This would protect ANYTHING that is in the olympics.  This would solve a lot of problems but the bill failed.