As colleges struggle to support non-revenue sports, U.S. Olympic future is threatened

<p>I agree. Our schools have the football teams seriously overfunded and living like they actually are the Dallas Cowboys. Then they claim they don’t have the resources for AP classes, a gifted program, or special education programs that they need. It makes me sick.</p>

<p>With the exception of a rabid football program, we have equal representation in sports at our high school. In my school, the better teams for many years have been the girls’ teams. In particular our girls basketball team has more fans, better attendance and a much better record. The cheerleaders and band also perform at the girls games. It is a far cry from my high school years when our awesome girls teams got no respect.</p>

<p>Part of the question of participation rates at youth versus collegiate levels is a chicken/egg issue. As opportunities increase and roll models are more visible youth participation increases which feeds the sports at higher levels. We are actually just getting to be a full generation in to that process as many women’s D1 sports were added in the very late 80s and early 90s when our kids were just babes in arms or glints in the eye.</p>

<p>A portion of what drives athletes is the idea that they could “go on” to some higher level in their sport. Many young men (and their dads) have misplaced dreams of playing professionally and at higher collegiate levels. That keeps kids in the game, and even for those who know that they likely won’t go on the casual fantasy can kind of keep them going. It adds purpose. </p>

<p>Young women have those same feelings and motivations. They have not until fairly recently had as many realistic outlets for those aspirations.</p>

<p>Track is inexpensive, unisex and is an Olympic track sport as well as useful in lifetime activities. It’s a shame that it is not encouraged and subsidized, IMO.</p>

<p>Perhaps the women will rise to the same level in interest and competitive level in sports, but right now the schools are having to really beat the bushes to get and keep some female sports going whereas the guys are lined up for them. And the level of spectator interest is not anywhere close most of the time.</p>

<p>Is cheerleading no longer considered a sport - though largely female in my memory, it also includes males.</p>

<p>This is why I think football is such a popular sport, and funded as such. It includes cheerleaders and musicians, as well as the football players. There are opportunities for more than just the football players - it is really a multi-discipline activity.</p>

<p>[Sounders</a> Women 2012 Roster - Seattle Sounders Women](<a href=“http://www.sounderswomen.com/team/1/index_E.html]Sounders”>http://www.sounderswomen.com/team/1/index_E.html)</p>

<p>I’m not saying that this proves anything or is anything more than a heartwarming (to me) example. Our city has a new professional women’s soccer team. The roster lists hometown, college, last team played for and national team experience. What it shows me is the power of continuity and role models. There are a number of local players who have represented the USA on the national and international stage. There are women who attend(ed) local universities and there are those with no special local ties. My D knows one young woman on this team. When I look at the roster, knowing some from the local papers and the World Cup coverage I see a great sort of flow of history where the participation of some of the younger players can be tied to the achievments of the older players. I’m sure there are other women’s AND men’s sports that are like this - I am not trying to claim exclusivity in that regard. However, for a sport that has only been available at the U of W for 20 years it seems to me like great strides.</p>

<p>1986, cheerleading is not a sport for Title IX purposes. The Supreme Court decided it didn’t meet the requirements. To qualify as a sport, it has to have a defined season, coaches, a governing body and the ultimate goal must be competition. Until the cheerleading teams stop spending their time supporting others while they participate, it won’t be a sport. Maybe someday you will see competitive cheer qualify, but I wxpect those on scholarship will not be the ones cheering at a football game and it will have costs similar to a dance team.</p>

<p>HS girls athletic competition increased 840% after the passage of Title IX. College athletics participation has increased from 15% to 43%. (These are 10-year-old statitistics, they could be higher now).</p>

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<p>[A</a> History of Women in Sport Prior to Title IX | The Sport Journal](<a href=“http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/history-women-sport-prior-title-ix]A”>http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/history-women-sport-prior-title-ix)</p>

<p>“I doubt it’s a stretch to say that more males play sports than females at all age groups. Yet for some reason in college it should be the same amount?”</p>

<p>You’re conflating “playing sports” with “being a varsity scholarship athlete.” Title IX says nothing about who can play sports. The bone of contention is who gets scholarships. There are plenty of opportunities to wrestle if you pay your own way (the way that orchestra members usually have to).</p>

<p>Just throwing in my two cents: get sports out of academics…</p>

<p>A very naive statement…maybe why it’s only worth two cents.</p>

<p>So how do D3 LACs manage to do it? M</p>

<p>They do it in a few different ways…</p>

<p>1) inferior level of athletics</p>

<p>2) giving need based aid which effectively is like an athletic scholarship to those with great need. The Div I schools are handing out athletic scholarships to many low income athletes…Div III schools are handing out need-based aid to many low income athletes. </p>

<p>3) enrolling more affluent athletes who otherwise might not get admitted to these schools, but are admitted because their parents will pay. One of my nephews is doing that. He’s at an elite Div III school as an athlete…admitted with lower stats…affluent parents happily paying full freight so he can go there. .</p>

<p>An intereting distinction has come up of splitting out program cost from scholarship cost. If a school cuts swimming across the board they are saving program and/or capital costs in the case of the need for new facilities. Can a D1 school (not Ivy) support a sport in terms of operation costs as a varsity sport without allocating scholarships? Are numbers of scholarships mandated at minimum levels or just maximum?</p>

<p>I’m thinking Big 10, SEC, PAC12 type schools here for the moment</p>

<p>Hanna, are you saying Title IX only comes into play with scholarships? I thought it applied to equal facilities, opportunities, assistance, etc. Equal opportunity is gauged by looking at a number of factors.</p>

<p>If what you say is true then Title IX would never apply to D3 schools…I believe it does apply.</p>

<p>“Hanna, are you saying Title IX only comes into play with scholarships?”</p>

<p>No, I’m saying that that’s the sphere where all the conflict arises. I don’t read about fury when university policies affect the club badminton team. It’s when a sport ceases to be a scholarship sport that people get angry.</p>

<p>Can a D1 school (not Ivy) support a sport in terms of operation costs as a varsity sport without allocating scholarships? Are numbers of scholarships mandated at minimum levels or just maximum?</p>

<p>Unless an Ivy, I don’t think the other Div I schools can’t just field a sport at the NCAA level and not award the scholarships.</p>

<p>Obviously, the school isn’t penalized if one season they are short awarding a scholarship …that can happen when an athlete drops out/goes elsewhere before season starts. But, I don’t think a Div I non-ivy school can field teams without awarding the required scholarships. I think if they could, a school like Vandy wouldn’t have dropped it’s track team to abide by Title IX… It would have just let kids participate without schollies. Instead, it had to go the “club team” route.</p>

<p>I am thinking more about D2 and D3 schools. D2 has the option of awarding scholarships, D3 cannot. I understand that wrestling has been hurt by Title IX at these non scholarship levels as well as D1.</p>

<p>I know kids who have walked on football and soccer teams at Division 1 and 3 schools, so they most likely didn’t have scholarships.</p>

<p>I’ve also been told that Div 1 schools can’t field a club sport if they have a varsity division of the sport. They wouldn’t be able to meet the attendance requirements to be a Division 1 school.</p>

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<p>Actually the only sport I know of that requires scholarships is FBS football (your big schools) who are mandated to give out 85 FULL-RIDE scholarships to 85 football players. </p>

<p>There is actually an entire football conference in Division One (FCS) that does not give out athletic scholarships. That’s the Pioneer League. They choose to spend money on travel rather than scholarships. That conference spans from Jacksonville, FL all the way out to San Diego, CA!</p>

<p>That said, Vandy likely eliminated the men’s track program not because of the scholarships, but because of the “opportunities.” It must have had more men’s “opportunities” than women and so it had to cut back…</p>

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<p>This is where I think that Title IX has been misused. I am 100% for equality for female athletes - in all sports. If she is a great football player, then she deserves to be on the team. But, by cutting certain male sports to “even out” the opportunities and/or scholarships is (in my opinion) reverse discrimination.</p>

<p>I’ve skipped a few pages of this thread, so forgive me if I’m reading this incorrectly:</p>

<p>parent 1986 wrote: “I’ve also been told that Div I schools can’t field a club sport if they have a varsity division of that sport. They wouldn’t be able to make the attendance requirements to be a Division I school.”</p>

<p>Both of my sons are at DI schools where there are numerous club teams in addition to the Varsity (DI) level teams. S1, for example, plays on the club lacrosse team at a DI school whose varsity team went to the national finals this year. Club team members occasionally try out for, and make the varsity team. The club team plays other club teams from DI Lacrosse schools in fall and spring tournaments.</p>

<p>Same holds true for club and varsity teams at S2’s DI university.</p>

<p>I don’t think that is uncommon at all.</p>