Title IX

Introduction

Women have overcome many obstacles in history. Some of our accomplishments were made without the Title IX law. Although Title IX has made it a lot easier to accomplish what we women would like to see in the sports world, it also may have caused some resentment in the sports world as well. Males probably liked all the attention they were getting because they could play just about any sport and nobody would question their decisions. If a woman wanted to play high school or college basketball or baseball before Title IX became law, it would have been impossible. The woman would have been judged based on her decision and even if that did not stop her from prevailing, the name calling and threats definitely would. Title IX has leveled the playing field between men and women's sports but, by no means, is the field free of bumps. Women do not get nearly as much funding or support as the men teams but with women getting higher and higher on the social ladder, it will come. Title IX has helped in giving women the thought that they can do anything if they have the will and the drive to do so. If women did not want equal opportunities as men, nobody would have fought to make them somewhat equal in the eyes of sports and sports fans. Women still would have been sitting in the crowds or on the cheerleading team not thinking or wishing to play the sport they were watching or cheering for. In no way have women and men become completely equal, but with small steps like Title IX, equality looks like a strong possibility in the near future.

The positive outcomes of Title IX are indisputable regarding participation numbers. More women compete in sport every year as the participation numbers at both the interscholastic and intercollegiate levels continue to grow (Carpenter & Acosta, 15-17). Despite the tremendous increase in participation numbers, there has been a decline in the number of females in leadership positions within intercollegiate athletics. Specifically, the number of women holding the positions of coach and athletic administrator of women's programs has significantly decreased since 1972. In 2006 the overall percentage of female coaches at the intercollegiate level reached an all-time low. Considering the fact that more women are competing in athletics than ever before, one might expect that the available pool of women to become coaches and athletic administrators is at an all-time high. Yet there has been a decline in the number of female coaches and administrators, and the numbers are nowhere near what they were before Title IX.

Due to the advocacy of women and women's organizations and the continued push for equity, some progress has been made. The efforts continue in hopes that the percentage of women in leadership positions in sport will rebound and increase to where it was decades ago. Women have made some strides in attaining leadership positions as coaches, athletic directors, and other key positions within intercollegiate ...