|
|
| GENDER PARITY IN SPORTS The pros and cons of Title IX May 19, 1997 |
|---|
Questions answered
in this forum:
Is there a way to create opportunities for women without taking them away from men? How can a grandfather support girls' sports? Have any colleges or universities ever been denied federal funding because of Title IX? What impact does the ruling have on high school sports? Aren't men just more interested in sports than women? VIEWER COMMENTS
NewsHour Backgrounders
March 28, 1997:
A debate about March Madness-- the National Collegiate Athletic Association's championships tournaments for men and women.
February 7, 1997:
Women's professional basketball is starting to bring in the money and the fans.
July 30, 1996:
Athletes of both sexes train for the Olympics.
Browse the NewsHour's index of Sports stories.
Outside Links
Brown University
In April, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a ruling that strengthens a controversial interpretation of Title IX, the 1972 legislation that denies federal funding to universities that discriminate based on sex in scholastic sports. The newest interpretation makes it necessary for universities to have strict parity between men's
and women's sports, or more precisely, the number of men and women athletes must mirror the ratio of men to women in the student body.
In the court case, several female students sued Brown University when it cut two women's sports teams in 1991. At the time of the suit, Brown's overall enrollment was 51 percent female. Budget cuts left the school with 14 varsity sports for men and 14 for women, but only 38 percent of all varsity athletes were female. Brown's lawyers argued that the disparity reflected a difference of interest, not discrimination.
Title IX opponents, such as groups of U.S. college officials and men's sport associations, say that boys simply like sports more than girls. Strict parity, these groups say, is forcing the nation's colleges to cut men's teams or else increase the overall athletic budget--a near impossible feat in this era of cost cutting. Indeed, a recent study by the NCAA shows that between 1993 and 1996 hundreds of men's baseball, wrestling, hockey and other programs have been cut from the budgets of U.S. colleges and universities.
On the positive side, Title IX has changed fundamental patterns in American culture. Since 1972, women's participation in athletics has skyrocketed. In 1996, 44,000 women participated in Division I intercollegiate athletics, up 22 percent in four years. New female role models have inspired more female sports participation during childhood; 2.24 million girls participated in high school sports in 1994, up from 300,000 in 1971. As one Brown alumni wrote in response to this forum: "The lessons I learned on the field at (the varsity) level of competition have prepared me in numerous, invaluable ways for life outside the ivory tower."
This forum addresses topics such as: What should be the test of compliance with Title IX? If a university "fully" accommodates the "interests and abilities" of female athletes, is that enough? In this era of budget cuts, how can athletic directors balance the needs of both male and female athletes?
Our guests are Brown University officials who fought against the idea of strict parity in male and female sports and Donna de Varona, winner of two Olympic gold medals at the 1964 Tokyo Games. Currently, Ms. de Varona is a commentator on ABC's "Wide World of Sports." She has served five terms on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and was a consultant to the U.S. Senate, precipitating the passage of the 1978 Amateur Sports Act and Title IX. She is alsoa co-founder with Billie Jean King of the Women's Sports Foundation.
Representing the other side, is Mark Nickel, spokesman for Brown University. Brown University is currently trying to comply with the court ruling by making cut-backs and reformulating the athletic budget, but still disagrees with the premise of the court decision.
Questions answered
in this forum:
Is there a way to create opportunities for women without taking them away from men? How can a grandfather support girls' sports? Have any colleges or universities ever been denied federal funding because of Title IX? What impact does the ruling have on high school sports? Aren't men just more interested in sports than women? VIEWER COMMENTS
Support the kind of journalism done by the NewsHour...Become a member of your local PBS station. PBS Online Privacy Policy
Copyright ©1996- MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. All Rights Reserved.
