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: June 30, 2008
Mother Goes to "Bat" For Equality (IN) -via phone. A mother contacted the Foundation for advice regarding her daughter's participation in her high school baseball team. The school does not provide a baseball team for girls. Her daughter wants to try out for the team, but the state says that softball is the equivalent and she must play on the softball team. The Advocacy Department explained that softball and baseball are different sports, and as such Title IX requires that the school and state allow the daughter to try out for the baseball team. 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 Steps to Take to Get Gender Equity, a resource that gives activists a detailed, step-by-step plan for achieving gender equity, Co-ed Participation - Issues Related to Girls and Boys Competing With and Against Each Other in Sports and Physical Activity Settings: The Foundation Position. A Foundation position paper on the permissibility of same-sex and co-ed athletic competition Baseball and Softball: Should Girls and Women Have to Choose?, clarifies that softball and baseball are different sports and that Title IX requires schools to allow girls to try out for the baseball team. Additionally, we provided her with an attorney referral. This situation is pending.
Something "Off" About Off-site Practices (NY) - via phone: Mother contacted the Foundation about daughter's soccer and lacrosse team. The girls' teams, including her daughter's, has to practice at an off site facility far away from the school while the boys get to stay and practice at school. The school provides a bus to transport the girls to the practice facility, but the parents have to travel to pick their daughters up from the field at the end of practice. The school claims that the reason why the boys cannot practice off-site is because "the girls behave better on the bus." As a consequence, the girls cannot participate in any other events at school because there is no bus to take them back to school and other students cannot watch the games because there is no way for them to get to the facility. The mother is concerned that the school provides better coaching for the boys' teams and not the girls'. The Advocacy Department explained that Title IX requires that schools provide comparable facilities for both the boys and girls teams and comparable coaching. 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 Steps to Take to Get to Gender Equity, a resource that gives activists a detailed, step by step plan for achieving gender equity. Additionally, we sent a link to our online assessment tool to evaluate the school's compliance. The situation is pending.
Father AD concerned about “Addition” of Football (AZ) – via phone: Father contacted Foundation about daughter’s football team. A new school opened its doors and playing to some lucky children not too long ago. So far, the school has been able to have teams that cater to both the boys and the girls that attend the school, having an equal number of teams for both. Inevitably, the school will expand and continue to help students reach their goals on and off the field and a part of that includes making a tackle football team. The addition of this football team will create a problem with the proportionality prong of Title IX, a success that the school previously enjoyed. The father is concerned the new football team will take away funds, hinder quality of equipment of teams enjoy, and create an imbalance in the school’s Title IX compliance. The Advocacy Department explained that if the school prevented girls from participating in football, they would be violating the Equal Protection Clause. Additionally, Title IX states that the quality of equipment must be equal for both genders and in order to try to stay in compliance with the proportionality prong, the school may have to add one or two more girls’ teams. We sent him 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 Steps to Take to Get to Gender Equity, a resource that gives activists a detailed, step by step plan for achieving gender equity. We also sent a chart to help distinguish the quality of equipment and an explanation of participation. The situation is pending.
Parent “Muscles” Up for Team (OH) – via phone: A parent contacted the Foundation with concerns regarding her daughter’s community softball team. A new community recreation center opened up opportunities for children to continue playing sports and parents to enjoy some time away. The center features all new state of the art facilities and equipment, with new fields and concessions for everyone to enjoy. The boys’ baseball team plays all their games on beautiful brand new fields with people to watch and work at all their games. However, the girls’ softball team seems to barely find people to work their games and they have to bounce around from town to town to find a place to play their games. Additionally, the baseball schedule and standings receives prominent placement for all to see while a schedule and standings for the softball team can barely be found. The Advocacy Department explained that this case may or may not be Title IX depending on whether the recreation center receives federal funding; however, we did explain that regardless, this situation could violate the Equal Protection Clause or the local public accommodation statue both of which prohibit discrimination on the basis of 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 Steps to Take to Get to Gender Equity, a resource that gives activists a detailed, step by step plan for achieving gender equity. The situation is pending.