Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Bigger Picture: The New York Times Analyzes Title IX

In today's New York Times, Katie Thomas writes a very interesting piece on the application of Title IX and efforts to maintain (or create the appearance of) "gender equality" in college sports. Title IX is a hotly contested, and often polarizing, issues among college sports fans. Certainly, the New York Times is as well.

The article, while flawed in my opinion, offers an interesting insight into the way college sports actually runs. As far as I'm concerned, the piece glosses over some of the students who are most affected by Title IX: male athletes in play non-revenue sports, and fails to account for the economic realities while blaming football for the practices described. Still, it is very interesting and worth a read for anyone who cares about college sports. I should also note that, according to the Times, this is the first in a series of articles examining how colleges have approached compliance with Title IX since it was enacted in 1972. It's a discussion worth having, and we'll try to provide a forum here on VSL for that conversation. All we ask is the discourse be respectful and not wander too far into politics (as much as that is possible).

3 comments:

Andrew Smith said...

Beyond comments that share facts about what colleges do and don't do, I don't know how much one can say about this topic without getting into politics. Where you stand is almost entirely based on your moral/political views.

Bobby O'Shea said...

I'll clarify my request that we not wander too far into the political realm. Stay away from statements like: "Obama wasn't born in this country" or "Republicans are evil." A discussion about people's philosophies with respect to a university's mission, the role of the federal government in regulating activities on campus, etc...is certainly fair game.

Anonymous said...

Simply put, Title IX is the worst.