More title IX garbage

But to demonize Title IX as if it is the sole cause of the problem is ignorant. Because title IX is what is continually shoved in our faces to make sure there is an equal amount of women and men in high school sports when in actuality anybody (male or female) that wants to go out for sports is able. Women, in general, have been treated more than fairly for at least 2 decades...let's just get over it and make NH get a real job.:bighug:

Yeah, the thing that's especially irksome is that total number of participants seems to be the benchmark. I thought the goal was equal opportunities, not necessarily equal numbers of participants.

I suspect there will still be Alpha Males to go around, though the increasing populace of Super Girls will no doubt effect evolution in some glacial way. Leslie, I wish what you are saying were true. Sadly, for anybody who now has a daughter, guys like me are fast disappearing. And, I fear, once we are gone, ye shall not see our love-desiccated likes again. Pity!

"Opportunities" is an interesting notion as Kirk points out. Is the bench-sitting football player getting an "opportunity" to participate if s/he is never put into the game? Is it the number of sports offered, or the number of scholarships offered, or the number of participants actively engaged that define "opportunities". Are the number of practices, or the number of actual competitions the count of "opportunities"? Or, as in swimming, is it the number of "splashes"? Since, as previously noted in this thread, the law is written in general terms, there appear to be too many "opportunities" for perspectives about what the intent of the law is.

Hello. I appreciate the dialog. I thought I would re-post a guest editorial on the topic that ran recently on SwimmingWorld.com. I hope you find it thought-provoking. It is time for a change. Specifically, Title IX needs to be changed. Unfortunately, the wrongs that Title IX set out to right, over 38 years ago, are now being inflicted on our sons. While this particular forum is focused on swimming, you could easily substitute many other sports that are suffering the same fate. The factual evidence is quite compelling. I believe the reason there is not a greater outcry, is that people are just not aware of the situation. But the time has come for some righteous indignation about what is happening to our sons. The standards are not equitable. Male high school swimmers need to perform at an elite level if they want to be considered for a college swimming scholarship. Girls, on the other hand, can still receive a scholarship to a NCAA, Division I program even if they don’t have a Junior National cut. The opportunity to participate is not equitable. According to the NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates Report, for the 2008/2009 academic year, there were 510 women’s Swimming and Diving teams and 393 men’s teams. There were a total of 11,626 women, compared with 8,868 men on NCAA Swimming and Diving teams. At the Division I level, there were 5,298 women (up 143 from 2007/2008) and 2,823 men (down 847 from 2007/2008). The opportunity for scholarships is not equitable. There are 249 NCAA swim teams offering scholarships to women, and 192 offering scholarships to men. The NCAA allows each D1 swimming program to offer 14 scholarships for women and 9.9 for men. Overall, there are 3,108.4 NCAA swimming scholarships for women and 1,810.8 scholarships for men. Similarly, the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) colleges with swimming programs offer 19 scholarships for women and 16 for men. (Sources: Athleticscholorships.net and Collegesportsscholarships.com) Swimming is growing for every age group from Novice to Masters, with the exception of the men’s collegiate level. It is clear that Title IX has hurt men’s swimming. By the way, hurting men’s collegiate swimming also hurts US Olympic swimming. Again, you could insert many other collegiate and Olympic sports that are being similarly impacted. When it was passed, 38 years ago, Title IX was overdue, and right for the time. There have been many great strides since then, and in areas there is still work to be done. However, times have changed, and it is time for Title IX to change. There are those who will cry “Never!” They will not entertain the slightest possibility that the law should be amended. I would point out that even the Constitution has been amended (27 times). To some extent, this is about power. And those in power do not share or relinquish it easily. Those who oppose change attempt to deflect and misdirect the conversation. They say that we should plea our politically incorrect case to the individual colleges and universities. However, almost 40 years ago, after failing to get individual colleges and universities to do the right thing on their own, Title IX was put in place to force the issue. It is cynical to suggest that we should restrict ourselves to the failed tactics of the past, but don’t dare consider touching this sacred piece of legislation. The attempt to divert blame from Title IX to the universities reminds me of the bumper sticker, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” Title IX supporters put a law in the hands of universities, but they assume no responsibility for how it is used. Universities can exacerbate the problem through lazy administration and budget management, or mismanagement. It is possible to comply with Title IX by conducting student interest surveys, and offering athletic opportunities in proportion to the level of interest of male and female students (the interest is greater amongst males). But, this requires more time and effort, and isn’t as easy as just enforcing quotas. Each year, our college age sons are losing access to universities and scholarships all across America. It’s probably too late to make a difference for them. But think of all the novice boys out there, learning their strokes, going to age group meets, usually being beat by their female teammates until at least 12 or so. Who will be their advocate? I’m just a dad. Not a coach or an attorney. But it wasn’t until I viewed this issue as a parent, that it went from something that seemed vaguely unfortunate to something that moved me. All those boys out there have fathers AND mothers who want the best for their sons. They are too important to us, as parents, to let this lay. This is not a gender issue, this is a fairness issue. For something to gain momentum, it must capture both the hearts and the minds. The facts are obvious. But being right isn’t enough. Hopefully, this also connects with you on an emotional level. Maybe you are motivated on behalf of a son, or a brother, or a teammate or boyfriend, or just on behalf of what’s right. My goal is to shed some light, promote a dialogue, and maybe move a few people to say “This doesn’t seem right. Why don’t we change it?” If you are fired up about this too, I would encourage you to check out the websites for The College Sports Council at SavingSports.org and their member organizations, including The College Swimming Coaches Association of America. Thank you, Kevin Weissman

With apologies to all the women's badminton players out there, I would probably only attend a badminton game (male or female) if it was in my own backyard and catered Dave's barbeque was provided. What sort of crap is this? You can't play badminton in your back yard...you can play "birdie" but that is like suggesting that doggy paddling your way down the pool and avoiding getting your hair wet is swimming. I don't understand this title 9 thing anyhow. College sports should be amateur and not money driven. Beyond that I don't know how "big and meaningful" women's sports are to the general population.

Yeah, Jim, we'll do that as soon as we figure out the biology to let the men share equally in the work of childbearing, OK? Childbearing? I can't bear mines some days when they're being bratty...is that what you mean?

Devil's advocate (and probably dumb) questions for everybody: why do colleges even give out scolarships for sports like swimming? How does it improve the academic or even athletic environment (see below for more on this)? Why do we think our kids have the right to go to college for free if they excel at a sport? So what if it impacts our ability to compete internationally? Why should colleges have to front the cost of that? Why should taxpayers, who partially fund colleges, have to pay for that? Why should people who actually have to pay to go to the schools pay for that? Don't get me wrong--I totally see the value of athletics as part of a complete collegiate experience. But you don't need to give away free scholarships to make that happen. Maybe if they stopped giving everyone free scholarships, more schools could afford to keep their swimming programs. Keep the opportunities--kill the scholarships? What's wrong with the D.III model?

... Keep the opportunities--kill the scholarships? What's wrong with the D.III model? Nothing. My daughter swam Div III and loved it. She did, however, have an academic scholarship. However, your idea is wonderfully altruistic, and in the money sports that draw huge gates ($$$) like football and basketball, the scholarship schools want the best players, not the best scholars.

Nothing. My daughter swam Div III and loved it. She did, however, have an academic scholarship. However, your idea is wonderfully altruistic, and in the money sports that draw huge gates ($$$) like football and basketball, the scholarship schools want the best players, not the best scholars. Yep. Pie in the sky. No way to dismantle the "money sport" machine. I'd still favor cutting scholarships down to those sports and then giving an equal number of scholarships for women and saving the rest of the scholarship cash just to keep more sports afloat.