Title IX’s 50th anniversary is here, the impact is double-sided

Grey Smith

October 23, 2022

Enacted in 1972, Title IX is responsible for giving female athletes the same opportunities male athletes have.

Prior to implication, there were few ways women could realistically pursue a sport. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) offered no athletic scholarships and held no championships for women’s teams. Additionally, there was an apparent lack of facilities, supplies, and funding, resulting in only 30,000 women participating in NCAA sports compared to the 170,000 men in 1972.

That same year, President Nixon signed Title IX. It ensured that scholarships were given out equally- in percentages- to both men’s and women’s programs and that schools gave both programs the same resources: locker rooms, medical treatment, training, coaching, practice times, travel and per diem allowances, equipment, practice facilities, tutoring, and recruitment. 

Although it ensures equal opportunities, it doesn’t guarantee equal pay between male and female athletes.

Title IX states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Mrs. Simmons, a former swim coach, and one of only two female coaches on the swim team talks about her first-hand experience with the effects of Title IX.

“Title IX definitely comes into play when trying to increase the number of female coaches,” Simmons says.

There are also negative effects to it, she mentions.

She says that she’s “seen men lose the ability to have as many colleges to go to because of Title IX,” adding that “they need to rework the system so if you offer a female sport, you offer a male sport and vice versa.”

While mentioning this side to Title IX, she still believes it has lots of value.

“It’s helped allow females to participate in football and other sports they normally wouldn’t have been able to,” Simmons says.

Another woman with experience; playing during Title IX’s enaction has   opinions.

Senior Varsity Lacrosse player Kyra Studer says