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Saturday, March 15, 2003 Page: 7A
TITLE IX, THE LANDMARK LAW THAT HAS MADE POSSIBLE INCREDIBLE ADVANCEMENTS IN
WOMEN’S SPORTS, IS UNDER REVIEW BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. SOME PEOPLE
TRY TO ARGUE THAT TITLE IX DEPRIVES MEN OF OPPORTUNITIES TO PLAY SPORTS. WHERE
THEY MISS THE MARK, HOWEVER, IS THAT GIRLS AND WOMEN ROUTINELY WERE DENIED
ATHLETIC OPPORTUNITIES BEFORE TITLE IX PASSED 30 YEARS AGO. GIRLS GROWING UP
TODAY WOULDN’T EVEN RECOGNIZE THE WORLD BEFORE TITLE IX, WHEN ONE OUT OF EVERY
27 HIGH SCHOOLS GIRLS PLAYED VARSITY SPORTS. TODAY THAT FIGURE IS 1 IN 2.5.
NOW THERE ARE NEARLY FIVE TIMES MORE WOMEN PARTICIPATING IN COLLEGE SPORTS
THAN BEFORE TITLE IX. DO WE REALLY WANT TO REVERSE 30 YEARS OF PROGRESS, WHEN
WE STILL HAVEN’T GONE FAR ENOUGH TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD? WOMEN AND GIRLS
STILL AREN’T RECEIVING EQUAL TREATMENT AT MANY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES THEIR
ATHLETIC BUDGETS ARE LOWER AND THEIR FACILITIES ARE INFERIOR TO MEN’S. THE
COMMISSION WOULD BETTER SPEND ITS TIME EXAMINING THE BLOATED BUDGETS OF
FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL TEAMS THAN SUGGESTING WEAKENING A POLICY THAT HAS DONE
SO MUCH FOR GENDER EQUITY. OPPONENTS OF TITLE IX ARE OPERATING FROM THE
STEREOTYPE THAT WOMEN ARE NOT AS INTERESTED IN PLAYING SPORTS AS MEN A BELIEF
THAT IS BLATANTLY UNTRUE. WOULD MIA HAMM OR SERENA WILLIAMS BELIEVE THEM? THE
FACT THAT FEMALE PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS HAS SKYROCKETED SINCE TITLE IX PROVES
THAT INTEREST FOLLOWS OPPORTUNITY. WOMEN ARE JUST AS INTERESTED IN PLAYING
SPORTS AS MEN AND DESERVE AN EQUAL SHOT. I CHALLENGE THE COMMISSION EXAMINING
TITLE IX TO NOT DROP THE BALL AND PRESERVE TITLE IX. Megan Kretz
Hanover Township