Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Gender rules out of date?

Study suggests Title IX reform needed

Associated Press

Women athletes have far more opportunities than men to earn scholarships and to participate in many college sports, according to a study by an organization which advocates Title IX reform.

The College Sports Council largely limited its analysis to 19 sports in which both men and women compete, such as basketball, volleyball and tennis. The study released Wednesday determined male high-school athletes in those gender-symmetric sports face longer odds and fewer total opportunities to land college scholarships.

“We are trying to shine the light on a problem that exists where football frequently clouds the issue,” CSC chairman Eric Pearson said. “We’re not trying to tear down the women’s numbers. We just want it to be even and fair. We want more athletes to play, both men and women, and the NCAA’s rules make that difficult.”

Critics contend the study conveniently eliminates football from its analysis and focuses too narrowly on raw numbers of athletes without considering a wealth of additional factors, including total money spent on scholarships.

Donna Lopiano, the former CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation, believes the CSC’s selective analysis is “disingenuous.” She said its decision to set aside the nearly 20,000 football scholarships flaws the entire discussion because of the extensive financial resources used in football.