Title IX – Shame

In the Saturday New York Times sports page there was an alarming article on James Madison University and their solution for compliance to Title IX. This whole issue of title IX compliance is not something I fully understand. How can it be equal when it is just men’s sports that are being cut? The sports that are being cut, men’s swimming, gymnastic, wrestling, track & field and cross country are not sports that cost very much. Women certainly have equal sports opportunities. I think the real issue that everyone is afraid to address is the 800 pound gorilla of football. No one wants to take this on. In most institutions football is a drag on the budget. Most DI football programs run in the red. Despite the commonly propagated myth they do not support the rest of the athletic programs, in fact most are incapable of supporting their own bloated budgets. Have you ever heard a football coach speak out against the cuts? Never! If football were taken out of the occasion then there would be no problem with Title IX compliance in most instances. Why does football need the number of scholarships they have. Cut football scholarship to 75. Limit the football coaching to seven fulltime and two grad assistants. For example James Madison has 11 football coaches and one additional strength and conditioning coach for football – why? That represents a significant expenditure in and of itself. College sports and for that matter high sports have lost their compass. I thought it was abut providing an opportunity for an education with sports participation being part of that opportunity.