Thursday, August 25, 2011

Title IX Advocates Show Little Sign of Common Sense Compromise

I am not for the repeal of Title IX by any means. However I really think one has to have one's head in the sand not too see the unjust effect it is having on young men.

However from Ralph Nader's Title IX group we see this horrible logic at Title IX Should Be Celebrated, Not Attacked

...Football has historically caused a lot of consternation among both Title IX proponents and opponents because of the large number of players on football rosters. There simply isn’t a comparable female sport with similar size rosters. Football can be a giant monkey wrench in the whole Title IX compliance effort. But the bottom line is schools can offer whatever sports they want. If one is football, then the number of opportunities for males in other sports is going to be less because of the huge numbers football requires. With Title IX, it’s the total number of athletic opportunities that’s the key, not the total number of sports programs...

I find it amazing that the some of the strongest advocates of Title IX cannot concede any especially on this point.

In this football culture the Football program is often the program that helps rally folks to other College sports teams. However here is the big thing. It is at many schools what is responsibility for FUNDING many of the other "non revenue" producing and Olympic sports.

In fact if we go the route of schools paying the "cost of attendance" for every College Athlete it will be because of the revenue that College football produces for many schools and the discussion surrounding it. Are Title IX advocates going to be fine with just the football players being paid? In your dreams.

The revenue often produced from football helps all sports male and female and that should be considered.

However besides revenue one must ask about the basic fairness that non revenue Olympic sports opportunities are getting more and more curtailed because of the football numbers. How is that fair or just or good policy?

Not every young boy has the ability to go out for the football team so for years he might develop another skill. The fact that this might be more difficult to pursue in college affects the High school sport. In fact in affects bigger things such as the OLYMPICS themselves. Just look at male Gymnastics has gone to hell in a hand basket.

Equality does not have mean the exact parity in the number of females and males playing at x time. This is one area of needed reform that would benefit all.

No comments: