Obama Needs to Weigh In on Title IX
Posted on 06 November 2008 by admin
Saving Sports is wondering how President-Elect Barack Obama’s administration will deal with Title IX. Good question. The Obama campaign received a record amount of money, and it’s fair to ask what Obama is going to be expected to give in return. After all, MoveOn.org raised $80 million for Obama and they are definitely demanding something in return.
StickItMedia is not about to be political this early…Obama is 75 days away from being sworn in. It’s better to get off on the right foot, as Saving Sports says. Obama is a big sports fan. He loves to play basketball and he recently voiced his advocacy for a playoff system for college football. Since he’s such a big sports fan, perhaps he should take a serious look at a premier Olympic sport like men’s gymnastics. Title IX’s effects on men’s gymnastics is huge. The number of men’s Division I programs continues to dwindle.
Obama’s hometown, Chicago, is angling for the 2016 Olympics. We should all assume that he will be the biggest hometown homer for delivering the games to Chi-town. We wish him much success. We should also wish that his administration will take a serious look at helping to prop up men’s gymnastics to maintain our nation’s world competitiveness.
Obama’s backyard is home to some of America’s best gymnasts. You would think that he would bend over backwards to help keep our gymnasts world competitive. He should be asked whether or not he would support Title IX waivers to help out men’s gymnastics. We need more collegiate opportunities for male gymnasts.
Men’s gymnastics is not a "minor sport." It is always granted prime-time Olympic television coverage every four years. Chicago is one of America’s hotbeds for gymnastics. Barack Obama should jump on the bandwagon, especially since he will be America’s number one advocate for hosting the 2016 Olympics.
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November 6th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
lets all pray that Obama will do more than Bush
November 11th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
On the anniversary of Title IX, Barack Obama declared, “I am the father of two young girls who are growing up playing sports and who are beneficiaries of the doors Title IX opened. I’m running for President to make sure that the American Dream is within reach for every young girl in this country. That, after all, is what Title IX is all about – fulfilling our founding promise of equal opportunity for all. And that is the America we can build together – an America where our daughters have the same opportunities as our sons.”
“When I’m President, I’ll fight to make sure our female students have equal opportunities from pre-kindergarten all the way through graduate school. I will strengthen Title IX enforcement at the Department of Education. I will support the High School Sports Information Collection Act, which directs schools to make information on equality in athletic programs publicly available, as it is at the collegiate level. And I will direct my Department of Education to help schools take proactive steps to fulfill their Title IX obligations in both the sports and academic arenas.” Obama insists, “Women’s sports still often get short shrift in high school and college.”
November 11th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Karen - Obama is definitely putting the wrong foot forward so far with the rhetoric that you posted. The High School Sports Information Collection Act sounds like a recipe for more Title IX mischief. Whatever hell the new administration wreaks at the high school level, thankfully, won’t have much effect on men’s gymnastics since America’s top male gymnasts all compete for clubs. Still, so far it doesn’t bode well for high school boys in some of the other sports. Let’s hope that Obama, being the big sports fan that he is, takes a good look at the diminishing ranks of our Division I men’s gymnastics programs. Title IX waivers ought to be considered to help keep our men’s Olympic program world competitive, and to provide more collegiate opportunities for male gymnasts. Discriminating against either gender is wrong, but Title IX deserves a good tweaking to make things fair and reasonable. A one-size-fits-all approach always ends up screwing somebody.
November 13th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
It may appear that nothing changed under President Bush regarding Title IX reform, but things did happen under his Administration to attempt to bring about equal athletic opportunity, although we still have a ways to go.
First, Bush’s Education Secretary Rod Paige formed the 15-member Commission on Opportunity in Athletics in 2002 to “examine ways to strengthen enforcement and expand opportunities to ensure fairness to all collegiate athletes.” The Commission was an attempt to restore fairness to Title IX, but the commissioners from the special-interest women’s groups smothered change by crushing all rational tests of equity.
Second, the Additional Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy was put into effect in 2005. This “Clarification” allows colleges to use student interest surveys to assess students’ athletic interests as a means to demonstrate Title IX compliance with Prong 3 (that is, it has met the interest and ability of the underrepresented group). Accompanying the Clarification, the Office of Civil Rights included a 24-page “User’s Guide to Student Interest Surveys Under Title IX” that includes a web-based prototype survey and a detailed 121-page technical manual on Title IX data collection. According to the OCR, there is no fairer way to measure interest than to ask directly. Finally, Prong 3 is recognized as a viable quantitative means to comply with the law other than the rigid affirmative action quota system (Prong 1).
The 2005 Clarification was a major gain for men and the pro-quota activists are fighting vehemently to kill it through legislative activities and their grassroots “Save Title IX Campaign”. Also, the President of the NCAA, Myles Brand, has denounced use of student interest surveys and advised NCAA schools to reject it because it “weakens Title IX”.
November 13th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
is football still count as a number for men under title IX? If not I say that mens gymnastics tries to hop on that train. Could we fight to get exempt from title IX because of its effects on our sport?
November 13th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
MGymnast: Good question. Football is what tweaks the equation for everybody. Football is the major money maker for a large handful of Division I schools, but is largely a loser at most schools overall. Olympic sports that get screwed because of Title IX should be exempt from Title IX rules. But back to football. Because of the overwhelming popularity of Division I football and basketball, we believe those sports should be left alone because they are institutions in American sports lore. Afterall, think about the passions that drive millions of Americans during the month of March…office pools, lost productivity and the like. March Madness is an American institution.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Karen - You’re right about the 2005 Clarification…it was a gain. Your mention of Myles Brand’s attitude about Title IX is spot on… his attitude typifies the current bureaucratic mindset of most Division I institutions. It is a major weakness and demonstrates the unwillingness to be open to new ideas. It’s nothing but wreckless political correctness. Saving Sport’s Oct. 31 post about Western Illinois’ spirit in dealing with Title IX serves as inspiration.
November 17th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Please don’t obsess over Title IX, gender equality is a third rail of politics. The real problem is excessive spending on football, with at least four times as many athletes on full scholarship than will ever work in their chosen profession.
A better political approach would be to promote honesty in the NCAA; to move football and basketball from sports to academics, with appropriate spending. Football is really an entertainment major where the athletes are required to have a second major. Requiring athletes to have a double major is crazy. The NFL, as the profession, should control NCAA football. How much would the NFL really spend on its minor league?
Please remember that women’s sports are being dropped as well as men’s sports.
November 19th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
JvS - We really wouldn’t have a problem with football and basketball being treated completely separate from all other sports. College football and basketball rule the roost, as well they should. Both sports bring home the bacon and by far command the largest audiences…both attendance and TV ratings.
You still have to look at the big picture. The number of athletes who make it to the NFL and NBA is miniscule. It’s better to crack down on academics and allow the majority of these athletes to get the most out of their scholarships. Bottom line, both sports are untouchable. Having a double major isn’t that tough. Prime Olympic sports for both sexes deserve special treatment, and that’s why we support Title IX waivers.
Back to the academics…there should be more of an academic crackdown for football and basketball. More and more high school basketball players are starting to opt for European opportunities. That’s fine…if those kids are opting for that, then they don’t belong in college to begin with. As for academics in football, that’s a different dynamic, but the notion of having an NFL minor league system is not feasible at all. It’s better to have these kids sink or swim at the college level.