Advocacy and Opposition to Title Ix

Advocacy and Opposition to Title IX

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal assistance.”

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to the Civil Rights Act of 1964

[Title IX Amendment of the Higher Education Act is now officially known as Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act as of 2002 upon the death of Patsy T. Mink, the author of the amendment. But for ease, throughout this paper I will refer to the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act as Title IX.]

Since the 1972 conception of Title IX of the Education Amendments, the number of women participating in intercollegiate athletics has increased five-fold, from fewer than 30,000, to more 150,000 in 2001. However, more than 400 men’s athletics teams have been dismantled since Title IX became law. Some would say this is due, in part, to Title IX enforcement standards like proportionality. Proportionality requires that an institution’s athletic population must be of an equal ratio to its general student body. Among some of the 400-plus teams dismantled by Title IX are several former Colorado State University teams including wrestling, baseball, gymnastics, men’s swimming and diving, and men’s tennis. Many student athletes no longer have the opportunity of participating in these activities, and the days of the student body rooting for an array of different teams are gone, possibly forever. Now the search is on to find a