In addition to working to maintain a strong Title IX and a comprehensive public policy agenda that increases opportunities for girls and women to participate in sports and physical activity, the Women’s Sports Foundation responds to hundreds of calls and e-mails asking for help with specific gender equity, Title IX, the Amateur Sports Act, and coaching and employment situations at the local level. Read about some of the people we have helped.
By Kayan Brown
Published: July 31, 2008
Mother Steps up to the Plate (N.Y.) – via phone. A mother contacted the Foundation with concerns about her daughter’s high school varsity softball team. The mother feels that her daughter’s high school coach took his competitiveness too far and is openly belittling and humiliating his players every day. According to the mother, players constantly heard words like “fat” and “stupid” aimed in their direction, especially after the loss of a game. The mother said that the coach regularly singled out different players and said things like “sit on the bench and practice your new position, bench warmer.” Furthermore, the mother said that when the coach did not seem satisfied with his verbal barrage, he would deliberately throw softballs all over the field so the players had to pick them up and then repeated this tactic directly after they picked up all the balls. The mother showed concern for her daughter because her daughter constantly got singled out and was the victim of backlash after complaining to the school’s athletic director about the coach’s behavior. The Advocacy Department explained that this issue of verbal harassment by coaches has been increasing and brings about many concerns. We explained that the best way to handle this problem would be to continue going up the chain of command with her complaints, while building a support network with other parents. We sent her The Foundation Position: Addressing the Issue of Verbal and Psychological Abuse of Athletes, a paper that explains what constitutes verbal and psychological harassment and how athletes and parents can stand up for the athletes’ rights, as well as a short list of suggested actions. The situation is pending.
Mother Fights Abusive Coach (Wash.) – via e-mail. A mother contacted the Foundation about her daughter’s basketball team. According to the mother, her daughter’s basketball coach verbally abused the athletes with swearing, name calling, refusing to support senior players to help them receive scholarships, and questioning their loyalty and commitment to the team. The mother stated that the coach even said a player was “a cancer, and cancer is bad” and constantly told players they were incapable and inferior. The school has received complaints about the coach, and each year he was issued a “plan for improvement,” but nothing about his behavior has improved. According to the mother, the coach’s abuse became so horrible to one player that the principal informed her parents that they could file a criminal complaint against him with the police. The mother asserts that a senior player quit the team with one week left in the season and the four seniors on this year’s team have refused to play if he is still the coach. The mother met with school administrators to try to rectify the problem. The Advocacy Department assured her that the best way to take care of this issue is to bring it to light and speak up, going through the chain of command with complaints if one person does not respond. Then, she should look into gather support from former athletes, parents and even coaches. We sent her The Foundation Position: Addressing the Issue of Verbal and Psychological Abuse of Athlete, Sexual Harassment - Sexual Harassment and Sexual Relationships Between Coaches, Other Athletic Personnel and Athletes: The Foundation Position, a paper that explains what constitutes sexual harassment and how parents and athletes can help; and A Step by Step Guide to Gender Equity, a resource that gives activists a detailed, step-by-step plan for achieving gender equity. The situation is pending.
Female Tennis Player “Rallies” for Equality (N.C.) – via phone. A female tennis player contacted the Foundation about her community’s tennis ladder. A tennis ladder is an ordering structure for a group of tennis players, order or place on the ladder is determined through wins and losses. In 2002, a community center welcomed a highly skilled and talented female tennis player into its ladder. According to her, she was a level 5 competitor and began playing against the men on the 4.5 tennis ladder. She said she went to the tournament every time, was a finalist twice and won once. After her competitive play, she claims the men in the tennis ladder started refusing to play against her. She left the ladder and went back in 2003, but she maintains that they would not let her sign up. Instead, she was told that the community center implemented a co-ed ladder, which focused on gender instead of skill. However, she stated that again issues of men refusing to play her started. In response, she said the community center put in place the Avoidance Rule, which prohibited men from refusing to play against female tennis players. However, once she began winning again, she said that the men again started refusing to play against her, some even citing jealousy from their wives. Once she started enforcing the rule, she said that the community center then removed the avoidance rule because of complaints from male competitors. The problems resumed when the competitive season began in 2007. The Advocacy Department explained that Title IX may not apply to a community recreational program unless it receives federal funding, but public accommodation laws and the Equal Protection Clause may apply, both of which prohibit discrimination based on sex. We sent her Playing Fair, a resource that explains Title IX rules and regulations to help athletes, coaches, parents and others better analyze their school's athletic programs, and Step-by-Step: A Practical Guide to Achieving Gender and Disability Equity in Community Recreational Programs. The tennis player does have a lawyer and has written numerous complaints and letters to the head of the community recreation department, the city and city officials. The situation is pending.
Student Stands Up for Equality (Idaho) – via mail. A student contacted the Foundation about her university’s glaring disregard for equity and Title IX. The student claimed that the women’s equipment does not compare in quality to the men’s equipment and does not get replaced as often. Plus, she stated that the number of women’s coaching positions and coaching salaries was not properly aligned with that of men’s sports. The student asserted that the facilities for women were much lower in quality than the state-of-the-art facilities the men received. While the men’s basketball team got to play in a huge arena, the women’s basketball team was relegated to a smaller gymnasium. According to her, the school chose to ignore its responsibility of equity when it came to travel allowances, awards and banners and promotional items. Unfortunately, men received top priority when it came to transportation as well, and the women had to find a way to secure their own transportation, expressed the student. The Advocacy Department explained that under Title IX, a school is obligated to make sure the overall treatment of its male and female programs are comparable, including aspects such as traveling, the provision of facilities and the provision of coaching. We sent her Playing Fair and Steps to Take to Get Gender Equity. The situation is pending.
Coach Brings “Light” to Issue (Fla.) – via e-mail. A coach contacted the Foundation about whether or not his lacrosse team’s facility is up to par. A coach took the helm of a new girls’ high school lacrosse team in its first year, playing games in the month of February and March. However, the team faced a big problem with having to forfeit games because it was losing daylight during most of its season, which occurred before daylight savings time. Though the boys faced the same problem, the boys are permitted to continue playing after dark to avoid forfeiting games. The team even goes as far as rushing to complete games, having the visiting team do an abbreviated warm up, having a five-minute halftime, and neither teams taking time outs. The coach believes the easiest solution would be to put lights on the field to allow all sports to enjoy lighting on the field during night games. However, the said that the zoning board refuses to okay putting lights on the field because of pressure from outspoken neighbors who oppose the lights. As a result, this forces both girls’ lacrosse team and the girls’ soccer team to forfeit many of their games. The boys’ lacrosse team players are also allowed to wear helmets and other protected gear, unlike the girls, who only wear goggles and mouth guards. The Advocacy Department explained that Title IX requires schools to provide quality and comparable facilities, which would include amenities such as lights, as well as benefits for both boys and girls programs. We sent him Playing Fair and the online assessment tool for facilities. The situation is pending.
Concerned Citizen Combats Inequity (Ala.) – via phone. A concerned citizen contacted the Foundation about the local school’s softball team. This citizen showed concern of the lack of facilities for local middle and high school softball team because while the school has a baseball field, no softball field currently exists. According to the citizen, all the surrounding schools in the area all have softball fields. The woman claims that the school has the land to build a softball field, but the county continually refuses to do so, forcing the softball team to travel to a field far away and change in the dug out because the field has no restroom facilities. Parents in the community resorted to fundraising to help build a field at the school, but the county still said no. The Advocacy Department explained that a school must ensure that benefits provided to both men’s and women’s teams must be equal, including facilities. We also let her know that it is not the obligation of her or any other parent to find funding because the school is obligated to ensure overall benefits and treatments are comparable. We sent her Playing Fair and the online assessment tool to delve deeper into facilities. The situation is pending.