By Donna Lopiano
Football asking for special relief under Title IX is a lot like IBM asking for an antitrust exemption! Are football coaches suggesting that because football costs more or brings in more money, there should be an economic justification for discrimination? Will the public accept the explanation, "I'm sorry, I can't afford to give your daughter the same opportunity to play sports as your son because football needs more money?" And what if the public knew that it was a myth that football makes the money to fund other men's and women's programs? Close to 80% of all NCAA football programs lose money. Does the public know that Title IX already requires reasonable "protection" for football? If it costs $75,000 to open a football stadium on a Saturday afternoon, the women's program does not receive matching funds.
At most schools, football is already spending 30-50% of all sports operating dollars and does not need Congress to provide it with a license to continue to spend more than it brings in. If we are going to expand opportunities for women to participate in athletics without cutting men's non-revenue sports, there has to be a redistribution of financial resources. The number of players on a football team can be maintained and football expenses reduced without hurting the success or revenue production of football. As long as all schools follow the same rules and expenditure limits,current competitive positions would be retained. Just reduce scholarships in Division I-A from 85 to 50 that could be split among 85 players, with needy students allowed to receive non-athletic financial aid based on need. There would be no reduction in the size or quality of teams while saving enough funds to add two or three women's teams. At many institutions, this one action would permit Title IX compliance.
Apart from football, revenues need to be maximized in all sports programs. Pare down expensive management and clerical staffs. Delay renovation and construction projects. Create a lean and mean administrative staff. Eliminate 200-page glossy media guides, charter airplanes and hotels before home games, spring break trips to Florida, the longest trip each season or one contest from every team schedule. Treating our daughters as well as our sons requires the help rather than antagonism of football coaches. It's time to share.
It's time to play team.