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: May 30, 2008
Coach Challenges Unfair Treatment (N.Y.) – via phone. A coach contacted the Foundation about concerns with her college’s compliance with Title IX. Specifically, she feels the school does not provide sufficient numbers of coaches for the women’s teams, her pay is less compared to other coaches, and she believes that the women’s basketball coach is having a sexual relationship with a student. After reporting problems to the administration, nothing changed. The Advocacy Department advised her that compensation discrimination for coaches can be addressed under the Equal Pay Act 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. We informed her that a complaint regarding employment compensation issues can be filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a government agency that oversees employment. The Advocacy Department sent her The Women’s Sports Foundation’s Education Guide: Special Issues For Coaches of Women’s Sports, a publication that details the rights and common issues that coaches face with administrators and parents and that athletes face with coaches; Sexual Harassment and Sexual Relationships Between Coaches, Other Athletic Personnel and Athletes: The Foundation Position; and Playing Fair. This situation is pending.
Mother Challenges Daughter’s Removal (Mass.) – via e-mail. A parent contacted the Foundation after her daughter was told she could not compete in her club sports team’s tournament because she is a girl. The mother said that her daughter’s school does not offer a team in this sport so she was playing in this recreational league. The Advocacy Department advised her to read the position paper on our site, Co-Ed Participation—Issues Related to and Boys Competing with and Against Each Other in Sports and Physical Activity Settings, a Foundation position paper on the permissibility of same sex and co-ed athletic competition; and The Amateur Sports Act. This situation is pending.
Parent Scores Victory in Daughter’s Abusive Coach (W.V.) – via phone. A parent contacted the Foundation regarding her daughter’s abusive basketball coach. The mother feels that the coach is verbally and emotionally abusive toward her daughter and other members of the basketball team. The mother said the coach has a long history of mentally and verbally abusing the girls. For example, she said the coach used profanity towards the players if they performed badly, made sexual references about sexual acts and forced the team to practice longer if they lost games. The mother contacted other parents with similar concerns and scheduled a meeting with the athletic director to discuss the problems and lack of opportunities for the girls at their high school. The mother said the school has admitted that the coach did engage in illegal practices, but she believes the coach has not been disciplined because of the relationship he has with the administration. The Advocacy Department explained that Title IX prohibits sexual harassment and provided the mother with an attorney referral and recommended she contact the Office of Civil Rights. We also sent her Verbal, Physical and Psychological Abuse of Athletes: The Foundation Position, a paper that explains what constitutes verbal and psychological harassment and how athletes and parents can stand up for the athletes’ rights. The Advocacy Department also explained to her that the best situation seems to be “play the political game.” The parent has already begun this process, but we sent her the article Step-by-Step: A Practical Guide to Assessing and Getting Gender Equity, a resource that gives activists a detailed, step-by-step plan for achieving gender equity and for more ideas on how to develop an action plan. Since then, the coach has quit, and the school is searching for a new person to fill the position.