Just last year, "the NCAA began a year-long conversation on the personal impact of Title IX. These testimonies are designed to highlight the truths and misconceptions about the controversial law, which celebrated its 35 anniversary on June 23, 2007. Judy Sweet, an advocate for women in athletics and a former vice president of the NCAA, is the first to share how Title IX has impacted her life and career."
Here is the 4 minutes clip from YouTube if you would like to watch. I found it interesting to get a personal opinion from someone whose life and career was really impacted by Title IX.
3 comments:
I have only watched the first video with Judy Sweet so far, I plan on viewing the other videos on Title IX. To me this legislation is very important, and while I do acknowledge that it means more than athletic opportunities for women, that is how it has impacted my life. I am aware of the changes that were and have been brought about by Title IX because of my mother. When my mother was in high school, the three sports that I played in high school were not available for her (actually basketball was sanctioned her senior year). She therefore made sure as I grew up that I was able to take advantage of the same athletic opportunities that were available to my brother, who is just a grade older. I know that when she grew up, her brothers played little league baseball and midget football, while she got to cook and sew for the fair. She made sure that my opportunities were going to be limited.
While many blame Title IX for limiting or eliminating men's sports to promote women's sports I believe that it has been proven not to be true, but it is an "urban myth" if you will, perpetuated by those who wish to limit women and blame them for the demise of some sports.
Title IX has opened the door to women for many opportunities; I hope that it never becomes "extinct" or reversed by those who believe that it is unnecessary.
For one of my other classes this semester, I read an article on Title IX. It was about a woman from Minden, Nebraska. Her daughter was supposed to play a basketball game at the high school, but when she got there they had moved the game to the "crappy" gym because the boys team had rescheduled a basketball game and "they ALWAYS played in the nice gym" so it would be unfair for them to move their game instead of the girls. Also, the nice gym was bigger and since more fans came to the boys' games they needed the nice gym.
Anyway, this mother was outraged and took the matter to the principal of the high school who basically shrugged off the matter. Long story short, a law suit was filed by the mother and the most of the community was outraged that the mother had taken things this far. She won the case in the end and the school started a softball program to even out male and female sports. However, the things she went through amazed me. The community had turned against her. Her daughter also faced lots of rude comments and harsh treatment by the student body.
This was in the 90's, but is it still so uncommon today? I remember growing up (in a small town) where the boys always played in the newer, bigger, nicer gym, and the girls played in the older, smaller, crappier gym. Why? Couldn't they work out a system to rotate or something?
Are there still problems like this going on today, or have things changed because of Title IX? I'm not sure, but I know that it hasn't had much effect in the town I grew up in.
Thoughts?
To play devil's advocate, sometimes i don't really agree with it. I played on the UNL Ice Hockey Team for two years, and we have supporters that have to drive to fremont nebraska to watch us play. I truly believe if Title IX didn't exist we would be a legitimate Division I NCAA hockey team, but since there would be an imbalance in the sports sytem, we've been declined every year. Which brings me to my main point. If women's sports don't produce the same amount of money or fans, then why keep them going, let the girls teams that don't make that much money for the school have club teams instead. In class it was also brought up about the men's diving and swimming team that got cut because of Title IX. I agree in an equal playing field, but if your sport can't put up the numbers then you let another sport have a shot.
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