Title IX & Billie Jean King
“The reason Billie Jean was so pissed was that despite the incontrovertible evidence of its benefits for women (and, we would assume for our country in general), Title IX remains under attack. Its ‘proportionality’ dictum says a school’s sports participation in terms of gender has to be an equal ratio to its overall student body, because while generally the female populations of schools are at least equal with men, if not greater, women still play sports in much smaller numbers than men. Critics say this helps women to the detriment of men, because by being forced to comply with such statutes, schools respond by cutting men’s teams.
I, er, cry foul with this line of thinking–if my experience at a NCAA Division I school is any indication, this is more of an athletic department budgeting issue than a Title IX tug-of-war. At most big schools, if just a fraction of the as yet untouchable football or basketball budgets was doled out more judiciously, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion.
Not to mention that schools can also be in compliance with Title IX by upgrading women’s sports from, for example, ‘club’ level to varsity, or also by demonstrating a willingness to improve opportunities for women.
The warped nature of the whole argument dawned on me as I sat reading a stack of articles about Title IX, all of which passionately encompassed a different viewpoint. They all had one thing in common: an origination in the boy/male perspective. The girls involved are merely the by-product, the offal, of this contentious debate. Collectively, we–even feminists and staunch Title IX advocates and agitators–are socialized to believe that males have the inherent right to get everything, and get it first. Call it male-fest destiny.”
Sports Forum Podcast
Episode #22 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Rethinking Sports Fandom with Author Craig Calcaterra – We discuss Calcaterra’s new book “Rethinking Fandom: How to Beat the Sports-Industrial Complex at Its Own Game” and explore new ways to be a fan in the year 2022.
Listen on Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor and others.
Follow on Facebook: @SportsForumPodcast
More Episodes on Apple Podcasts; Spotify; Google Podcasts; PocketCasts; & Anchor
Episode #21 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Chatting About a Broken Game With Baseball Writer Pedro Moura – Moura is a national baseball writer for Fox Sports. We discuss how and why the game of baseball is broken, what factors caused it, and offer a few thoughts on how to “fix” a great game.
Episode #20 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Coaching Youth and High School Sports Based On What’s Best for the Athlete’s Holistic Development – We chat with long-time youth, high school and college basketball coach Jim Huber.
Episode #19 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Capturing the Spirit of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League with Anika Orrock – We discuss the hoops AAGPFL women had to jump through to play the game they loved as well as the long-term impact and legacy they have in advancing sports opportunities for girls and women.
Episode #18 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Talking about the 50th Anniversary of Title IX and the Lia Thomas Controversy with Nancy Hogshead-Makar – Hogshead-Makar is a triple gold medalist in swimming, a civil rights attorney and CEO of Champion Women.
Episode #17 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Talking Sports With Legendary New York Times Sports Columnist Robert Lipsyte – We chat about Lipsyte’s amazing career and some of the athletes he covered.
Media
"How We Can Save Sports" author Ken Reed appears on Fox & Friends to explain how there's "too much adult in youth sports."
Ken Reed appears on Mornings with Gail from KFKA Radio in Colorado to discuss bad parenting in youth athletics.
“Should College Athletes Be Paid?” Ken Reed on The Morning Show from Wisconsin Public Radio
Ken Reed appears on KGNU Community Radio in Colorado (at 02:30) to discuss equality in sports and Title IX.
Ken Reed appears on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour (at 38:35) to discuss his book The Sports Reformers: Working to Make the World of Sports a Better Place, and to talk about some current sports issues.
- League of Fans Sports Policy Director Ken Reed quoted in Washington Post column titled "What happened to P.E.? It’s losing ground in our push for academic improvement," by Jay Mathews
League of Fans is a sports reform project founded by Ralph Nader to fight for the higher principles of justice, fair play, equal opportunity and civil rights in sports; and to encourage safety and civic responsibility in sports industry and culture.
Sports & Torts – Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans – at the American Museum of Tort Law
Books