By Jake April
The fight to protect women’s rights for equality was a hot-button topic long before June 23, 1972, when Title IX was implemented as a federal civil rights law. The law is described in a 37-word phrase:
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Regarding women in sports, the first act of sexual bias on the collegiate level occurred in 1894. This is according to an article written by Genevieve Carlton, Ph.D. on bestcolleges.com How Title IX Impacts Women’s Equality in College Athletics. (2021)
The Vassar women’s tennis team was set to host Bryn Mawr for the first “extramural” sporting event. The tournament never happened because the staff did not allow the female students to take part in events with other institutions. The inequality, which began nearly 80 years prior, got the ball rolling for the establishment of Title IX.
Not every individual wanted sports to be included in the compliance of Title IX. In 1974, John Towers offered the "Tower Amendment" to disregard sports as part of the compliance effort, as referred to in Women’s Sports Foundation titled: History of Title IX. (2019)
Referring back to the bestcolleges.com, How Title IX Impacts Women’s Equality in College Athletics ( 2021) Genevieve Carlton states: “Over 200,000 female athletes compete at the college level in basketball, soccer, volleyball, track and field, gymnastics, and tennis.”
Since its implementation, the law has affected colleges around the country. Cindy Lewis, the Current Executive Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Women Administrator at Hofstra University, has tremendously impacted the university's improvements to assist women in having an even playing field.
Cindy Lewis, Photo Source Hofstra University.
The 2022 Hofstra Hall of Fame inductee— was a student who played field hockey at Hofstra after Title IX was passed. Lewis recognizes the growth over the last 43 years as a player, coach, and member of the playing department at Hofstra University.
“When I participated (in sports) and before Title IX, we just wanted to be a part of our university, represent our university, and the sport we loved—nobody… was looking at it in terms of scholarship attendance because there wasn't any money in it. Being on a team gives you a chance to be part of something big."
Compliance did not, and does not, come without sacrifice.
“I was looking forward to the season... I walked in early to go to practice... to say hi to my coach, and he was packing up all his belongings into a box... It looked like he was fired. He was going to tell the team that day that we were canceling the season. He lost his job…due to Title IX,” said former Men’s Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) Brendon Peel - who lost his scholarship after the team got suspended.
The high school compliance rate has risen:
Graph made with Canva by Jake April.
“I think they[students] feel more confident and it builds a (confidence) booster in them as a human being,” Coach Reynolds Hawkins of Amityville Memorial High School states.
Coach Reynold Hawkins, Photo credit @Long Island Media
Lisa Antonucci, (“The USA Today analysis found that for every dollar that schools spent on travel, equipment, and recruiting for men’s teams, they spent just 71 cents on women. Over two seasons (2018-19 and 2019-20), that added up to $125 million more spent on men than women.” (Nbc.com, Powerful Title IX report reveals reporting loopholes and roster manipulation in women’s college sports) (2022)
Despite these statistics, one of New York’s well-known institutions, Hofstra University, follows the rules and regulations of Title IX stringently.
? “We have to be within 1% of that (attendance ratio. We do fund our programs, I believe, equitably. We're currently in a good situation,” said Lewis. This can be partially credited to Ms. Lewis, who plays an integral role in making sure the Hofstra University Pride dots all their i’s and crosses all their t’s.
“As a part of our mission, Hofstra University strives to cultivate students' social and ethical responsibility and emotional and physical well-being on our campus,” according to Hofstra University Statement on Title IX
The number of female athletes playing competitive sports has increased from 31,852 in 1972 to 150,916 in 2001. This is almost a fivefold increase, according to Shape America.
Remember the definition of Title IX?
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program activity receiving Federal financial assistance”
Jimena Garbino
Hofstra University Tennis Player
This means Hofstra graduate student Jimena Garbino qualifies. The Argentine tennis player acknowledges collegiate athletic differences between her native country and America. Perhaps the most glaring difference is the opportunity to benefit from receiving a collegiate education while playing at the college level. “There were always more tournaments for men… the men were better paid in the tournaments. Here, it's more equal opportunity… we have the same number of tournaments as the men, and we get to travel as much as them.”
It is not just about the opportunity to play on a more even surface; one can grow interpersonal skills. Garbino expresses her appreciation for her teammates, win or loss. “
Being collegiate athletes has assisted the women of ABC Seven in being team players in their jobs, as seen in this video, featuring Robin Roberts and Becky Worley of Good Morning America, A look at the history and impact of Title IX on women's sports. (Robin Roberts’ Facebook Page)
The link from bls.com shows the correlation between education level and monetary value (2018).
In addition to providing equitable privileges to male and female athletes, giving female students a greater opportunity to benefit from the social advantages of taking part in a sports program, Title IX ensured that women had the same economic opportunities as their male counterparts in securing high-paying jobs.
As the chart shows, the higher the degree the more money you will receive in your profession; therefore, the sports scholarships that athletes receive, allow them to obtain higher-paying jobs because of the educational benefits.
Take Mary Madigan, a Hofstra Pride tennis player and mathematics major for example. Following in the footsteps of Worley and Roberts of Good Morning America she is using her athletic scholarship to pursue a career as a math teacher.
Mary Madigan, Hofstra University Tennis
“I feel like the funding in the sports gives me a good program to better my athletic ability, which gives me the skills to balance athletics and academics,” she said.
