Title IX Case Study

Words: 2836
Pages: 12

Amelia Hammersley Mrs. Eckart AP English Language March 12, 2024 The Case Against America’s Athletic Institutions Title IX was passed over 50 years ago, causing women's participation rates in sports to almost double. From the pay and funding gap to the lack of media coverage to the highly limited maternity benefits, we are far from equality in sports from high school to Olympic levels. This begs the question: are America’s athletic institutions systemically sexist? I came to OPRF as a freshman with big hopes after competing at the state track meet in 6th grade but later having the rest of my middle school seasons suspended because of COVID. I showed up to preseason with friends, a pair of new running shoes, and an outfit I superstitiously felt …show more content…
While spending on women’s collegiate sports has increased across all divisions, the gap is almost “3-to-1 ratios when examining expenditures for recruiting as well as compensation for head coaches and assistant coaches” (Associated Press). This funding gap between women's and men’s sports at the collegiate level has increased from 12.7 million in 2009 to 25.6 million in 2020. Another gender gap is present in the participation rate in collegiate sports concerning the population. Furthermore, the Associated Press’ study emphasized the lack of women in leadership. Surprisingly, only 40% of women's teams are led by women. This is a significant downfall from 1972, when 90% of the head coaches for women’s collegiate teams were female. The Associated Press hypothesizes that this difference may be because there were significantly fewer women's teams in the 1970s. When men took over these coaching positions, the change was not matched by an increase in coaching by women in men's collegiate sports. A lack of female leadership in spaces with young girls can be detrimental to growing girls' self-image as they have fewer female role models in athletic settings. As our country puts a great emphasis on athletic participation, young girls frequently encounter male coaches at young ages. Unfortunately, there …show more content…
Larry Nassar was the national medical coordinator for USA Gymnastics and a previous employee of Michigan State Gymnastics. He sexually abused over 300 athletes and is now serving 60 years in prison for child pornography and sexual abuse. In “Sport, Sexual Violence and the Law: A Feminist Critique and Call to Action” author Jason Haynes argues that Nassar was only able to continue misconduct for two decades because of “ineffective oversight by the USAG [United States of America Gymnastics] and USOC [United States Olympic Committee].” Various corporations such as the USAG and USOC are put in place to discipline and govern the overall body of gymnasts throughout the country, and most importantly, to make sure that gymnasts are safe. Yet, they allowed Nassar to continue as a coach for years, even after his first sexual assault case was brought forward. Furthermore, “the USAG and USOC failed to uphold their status and duties to protect amateur athletes from sexual, emotional, and physical abuse. [USAG, USOC] and the FBI had opportunities to stop Nassar but failed to do so” (Haynes). The failure to protect young women in these situations led to many changes in the current sports legislature, such as adopting the Ethics Commission and Code of Ethics. However, such changes don’t seem to be enough; the