Thursday, 4/24/97 Women merit equality in sports Supreme Court
upholds both sexes must have same access to college athletics
At a time when California voters are driving a stake through the
heart of affirmative action, the U. S. Supreme Court is performing
an exorcism on college athletics. OK, maybe that’s a little
dramatic. But considering the recent legal case involving Brown
University and a group of female athletes who claimed that the
university had violated the Title IX amendment to the U.S.
Constitution, it appears that tectonic plates are shifting in the
realm of women’s sports. Established in 1972, Title IX states that
schools receiving federal funds may not discriminate against anyone
on the basis of sex. On Monday, the Supreme Court let a court
ruling stand that stated Brown had violated this law when it
dropped two women’s sports from its athletic program. What makes
the decision surprising is the fact that there are an equal number
of teams for each sex at the university. The problem, however, was
that there were still over 200 more male athletes at the school
than there were female athletes. In effect, it is being demanded
that the ratio of women to men in terms of the total number of
athletic participants for each sex be reflective of the proportions
in the larger student body. If schools aren’t there yet, they have
to be moving in that direction or face a total loss of federal
funds. Title IX has had a tremendous impact already, as there are
several thousand more female college athletes than there were in
1972. There is no doubt that once society opens its doors to
opportunity, positive change will occur. But isn’t an equal number
of teams enough to ensure equal opportunity? Many college officials
will argue that there are more male athletes at their respective
schools because more men want to participate. It is unfair, they
argue, to discriminate against these athletes simply because a
quota needs to be met. Don’t look now, but we are arguing over
affirmative action in college athletics. I don’t believe there is
equality of opportunity between men and women in terms of
participation in college athletics, regardless of whether or not
there are an equal number of teams. When there are so far fewer
athletes of one gender than the other, it is likely the social
structure is to blame. The reason there are fewer female athletes
out there is not because they can’t compete effectively with men on
the playing field. At the higher levels of competition, men and
women don’t even square off against one another. There are fewer
women involved in college athletics because women in general have
historically been discouraged from participating in sports.
Parallel to the basis of arguments on behalf of affirmative action
in terms of race, women today face a legacy of sexism in the world
of athletics. Whereas proponents of racial affirmative action would
argue that the history of racism in this country must be overcome
by a forceful hand, advocates of a gendered quota system in college
athletic programs would argue that bringing about equality in this
sense entails more than simply providing access to a team. Combined
with a long history of unequal access and a lack of encouragement
toward athletic participation, the social-psychological effects of
being told by one’s culture that it is "unfeminine" to play sports
has kept growth in the world of women’s sports from rising above a
certain level. The court ruling on the suit filed against Brown
University is an example of what it will take to give generations
of women the same opportunity to benefit from the wonderful
experience of playing sports that men have. At the professional
level, it is ultimately the consumer who will determine how may
women will compete. But college athletics should not be run
according to the laws of supply and demand. Men and women do not
compete against each other on the athletic field in college, but
they do compete in terms of resources. If one believes that part of
the purpose of higher education is to produce positive social
change, then it makes sense for the law to allow this to occur.
Zucker is a fourth-year sociology major, and a former Daily Bruin
sports editor.