The Role of Title IX in Collegiate Sports

Barring Discrimination in Separated Sports

While most collegiate sports remain divided into men’s and women’s teams, Title IX cracks down on deeper rooted instances of unequal opportunities allowed to female athletes. Institutions, although not required to offer the same exact sports for each sex, are still held to a standard of providing equal opportunities to participate and pursue athletics in college.

The NCAA recently addressed Title IX and how its affiliate schools, and subsequently the school’s athletic programs and individual athletes, are expected to conduct themselves and their institutions. As collegiate sports are an extracurricular, they must abide by Title IX. There are three main implications of the law that must be followed by teams:

1. There must be equal opportunities for women to participate in sports. The institution does not need to offer men’s and women’s teams for each sport, but they must provide enough equal opportunities to partake in sports.
2. Female and male students are equally entitled to scholarships that reflect their participation and contribution to the sport.
3. Female and male students must receive equal treatment in all matters regarding athletics, including equipment, games and practice times, travel allowances, tutoring services, coaching, sports facilities for practices and games, locker rooms, medical and training services, housing and dining services, publicity and media opportunities, general support services, and recruitment of student athletes.

Compliance with Title IX is assessed through a qualitative comparison of the whole sports program for each gender rather than comparing the respective men’s and women’s team of each sport. It does not consider the money spent on each gender, but rather requires equal treatment and benefits across the board.