Equality In Sports

People all over America and the world are consumed with watching athletes perform in their various sports. Both male and female athletes compete at such incredible levels that require physical talent and drive. Professional athletes are known to get paid salaries that reflect their talent and abilities. Regardless of gender, professional athletes are drafted to receive professional pay. However, equal pay for male and female athletes with the same credentials does not occur today. There is a belief that male athletes are worth more than female athletes and are better at promoting themselves. Also, women salaries are lower because of their gender and are not

"Gender Oppression Involving Men's and Women's Sports." : Analysis of a Scholarly Source: Equal Pay? Not on the Basketball Court" by David Woods. N.p., 28 Oct. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2015. .

The idea of equity in society particularly in athletics has been a major topic in athletics for many years. However, in spite of the long and storied history of the fight for equity in athletics we still see a lot of misunderstanding especially involving one particular law. This law is Title IX which has a number of awful misconceptions associated with it even from female athletes themselves. One misconception that is very popular especially among the critics of Title IX is the idea that “Title IX exists to force to schools to drop men’s sport’s”(Kane, pg. 3). This is something that was reinforced by an report authored by Dr. Mary Jo Kane who is a Professor at the University of Minnesota regarding the 40th anniversary of Title IX. Dr. Kane indicated that she opens her sport sociology class discussions on Title IX by asking her class what they know about this subject. Dr. Kane indicated in her report that Title IX “remains a mystery to the vast majority of her students, both male and female” (Kane, pg. 3). Dr. Kane goes on to point out the misconception mentioned above is commonly said by her students including her female D1 scholarship athletes who are the ones that have benefitted most from this law. Overall Title IX is a great law even if it is a law that takes a lot of bad press although this is largely due to the actions or in some cases lack thereof from the leaders who reside in college athletics.

Imagine being a female athlete before 1972, you practice playing basketball everyday just like the boys do, but they have multiple scholarship opportunities to go to college where as females do not. They tell you to be a cheerleader or work in the kitchen and stay at home, but in your heart you are a competitor and have a passion for sports. This is a feeling that many females felt before Title IX; was explicated to give female’s gender equality in sports. Title IX has positively affected women’s sports over the years, but can negatively impact men’s teams, especially within the collegiate field. Title IX has changed budgeting and participation numbers between males and females, while opening up several opportunities for women. I am going to inform you how Title IX affects females and males in collegiate and high school sports, the history about Title IX, facts and statistics, how it has positively changed the way women participate in sports, and what it has to do with race and minorities.

Over two decades have passed since the enactment of Title IX, a federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded education, including athletics. As a result of Title IX, women and girls have benefited from more athletic participation opportunities and more equitable facilities. Because of Title IX, more women have received athletic scholarships and thus opportunities for higher education that some may not have been able to afford otherwise. In addition, because of Title IX the salaries of coaches for women's teams have increased. Despite the obstacles women face in athletics, many women have led and are leading the way to gender equity.

Even when Title IX was first introduced, it was not embraced with open arms and immediately implemented into society. Scholarships and funding toward women’s sports were a huge controversy, as many men’s athletic teams, mostly football, found themselves having to give up funding toward their program to compensate for the new women’s teams being formed. In fact, schools, men’s collegiate sport teams, and the NCAA challenged Title IX countless times for it’s discrimination against men and it’s push for equal federal funding for both men and women. Many male coaches, athletic directors, and particularly members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) feared that women athletes would siphon off too much of their funds. So The NCAA had actively and publically opposed Title IX, trying first to exclude athletics from it altogether in 1975, and then working to exempt revenue producing sports like football.

Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 states,”No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance” (Vest and Masterson par. 1). Title IX has increased women’s participation in athletics tremendously. Before Title IX only 100,000 female athletes participated in high school sports; following the act, Title IX was issued more than 500,000 women participated (“Achieving Success Under” par. 2). Title IX has made progress by increasing the amount of participants and money spent with the women teams as much as the men teams. Even though the numbers are not

Since 1972 there have been many cultural changes, but more incredible are the social changes that have allowed women to thrive since the bill’s passage. Title IX was originally proposed for the purpose of helping women break into male dominated aspects of life including sports, the workforce, and college. Title IX has had the largest impact on sports, from media coverage to finances (Lopiano, 2000). Examining a breakdown of how much

Title IX came to be in 1972. It was put in place by Congress and became an educational amendment. This law has specific sections, and one section states that girls and women who are in federally- funded education programs also including athletics are not to be discriminated against. It is no secret that females have more of a hardship than men in a lot of areas with sports being one of those top areas. This amendment ensures that girls and women will get the same opportunity and fairness in athletics just like men do. In result, females have even had better facilities as well as the equal opportunities. Things have gotten better for females, but this amendment was not welcomed in the beginning when it was first implemented. People complained that boy’s/men’s sports would suffer a loss because of this, specifically the NCAA and high school administrators. “Title IX passed with little controversy in 1972. Soon after Title IX passed, however, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and high school administrators complained that boys' sports would suffer if girls' sports had to be funded equally. Regulations about how to implement the law were not released until two years later, and these regulations did not go into effect until July 1975. Even then, the Office of

Title IX was never thought of as having anything to do with sports, but over time that changed as more female athletes emerged. Billie Jean King understood how women and sports were fundamental in the way society viewed equality, “she grasped something that second wave-feminism often missed-that sports are politics and thus an integral part of the struggle for women’s liberation.” (133) For women to be seen as equal to men, then women had to not only do what the men were doing but do it better. Women who played sports had never been taken seriously until the 70’s, and athletes like Billie Jean King sought to change the way American’s categorized females as weak, non-competitive, sweet housewives and

The sports world has been a new area where women are recognized. In previous times women’s sports were almost non-existent. In schools many girl teams did not receive adequate funds for uniforms and equipment. Boys sports were much more popular, such as football or basketball. If a girl wanted to play a guy sport she would be labeled as a

The NBA and WNBA give the equal opportunity of playing professional basketball to both men and women, but the ages at which they are allowed to start their career differ. These age eligibility rules are believed by some to give an unequal opportunity to female basketball players. In the article, “Hoop Dreams Deferred: The WNBA, The NBA, And The Long-Standing Gender Inequality At The Game’s Highest Level”, N. Jeremi Duru discusses the age eligibility rules for the NBA and WNBA. Topics included are how they are different, how the difference is unfair to females, and how the NBA can be held responsible for the inequality to women. As a professor of law, Duru has a professional approach to the topic with a lengthy article that has claims backed by laws and has a legal case feel.

Inequality and discrimination in sports is one of the most controversial topics of the modern political era, and as the most valuable sports brand in the world, Nike felt compelled to publicly address the issue. The message of equality is not only targeted at American sports fans, but encourages children who see their skin color as a barrier to success to achieve equality on the playing field:

In addition to providing athletes with more playing opportunities, Title IX is also known for helping girls gain more confidence, gain psychological benefits and do well in school. It helps boost some of the essential characteristics a leader should have. In fact, “in a 2001 survey of high-level female business executives, a majority of those women credited their past participation with helping to develop their business skills, 86% said sport participation helped improve their self-discipline, 82% their teamwork, 69% their leadership skills, and 59% their competitiveness” (Claussen 4). (Commentary goes Here.) Additionally, it has been proven that student athletes tend to have better psychological well-being. Specifically, there has been a noticed

Throughout the beginnings of the United States of America, there have been conflicts that have originated in discrimination and separation amongst the citizens. The issues have ranged from problems with racism and separation of blacks to unequal opportunities and rights for women. The majority of the issues have been solved or lessened to some extent. Women began to fight for equal opportunities long ago eventually earning the right to vote with the 19th amendment along with several other rights and opportunities. The 19th amendment said that no one would be denied the right to vote of the basis of sex or race. However, one separation remained up until the passing of Title IX, the inequality in sports between men and women. Title IX started the process of equalizing sports as it stated “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance” (Title IX, Education Amendments of 1972). This proposition led to the eventually addition of several women’s sports teams at the high school and collegiate levels. These additions led to equal opportunities for women everywhere in the sports world, thus qualifying Title IX as a positive piece of legislation. Due to the need for equality between men and women in sports, Title IX should be enforced both in high school and college athletics in order to