agent orange
... giving many schools no choice but to dismantle successful men's sports programs.” (Gavora 26) Gavora unfolds the whole shocking story of how Title IX sports quotas have caused chaos at schools and led to the deletion of some of the most Burgess 2 prominent men’s programs in the country. Providence College’s baseball team and Princeton’s men’s swimming and diving program, that both produced several Olympic Champions, were cut in order for the Universities to meet Title IX quotas. Gavora looks at individual Universities, such as Saint John’s University in New York, that has a high female to male enrollment to best illustrate how “Title IX has lead to ridiculous quota policies that have lead to qualified athletes being cut from teams in order to make room for the required number of women.” (Gavora 32) Due to a sixty two percent enrollment of women, St. John’s was forced to cut their football program in the spring of ’01. The eighty eight man roster yielded three all-conference first team players as well as nine players receiving either second team all-conference or honorable mention. Gavora uses overwhelming statistics to illustrate the cuts made to men’s programs as a result of Title Ix. Gavora states that; “Between 1981 and 1999, NCAA and NAIA colleges eliminated 40 percent of their wrestling teams, 84 men’s tennis teams, and 56 men’s gymnastics teams, according to Congress’ General Accounting Office.” (Gavora 36) While these numbers can be backed by other sources, the author of this source shows no proof that the cutting of these programs were a direct result of Title IX. She presumes that if Title IX proportionality quotas were not in place that these programs would still be operational. The numbers she presents do paint a realistic picture though. “In the past 20 years, there has been a net loss of 171 college wrestling programs, 84 men’s tennis programs and 55 men’s gymnastics programs, according to a General Accounting Office study of discontinued college teams.” (Dobie 1) While Gavora uses only the numbers to illustrate her point of how Title IX has lead to a lose of men’s programs Dobie’s article goes further as to say that, “Among larger college athletic programs, gender equity was Burgess 3 the factor most often cited as influencing the decision to cut a men’s team.” (Dobie 1) Another significant point made by Gavora was the citing of an individual case that took place at Duke University. Heather Sue Mercer won a two million dollar payday for, as Gavora puts it, “the crime of cutting her from their football team”. (Gavora 56) Gavora gives the exact statistics of Mercer’s career as a place kicker for spring training and shows the she had a low conversion rate of field goals. Mercer had a career long of 33 yards and was only three of seven on field goal attempts. Gavora explains in her book that due to Title IX Mercer was able to sue the University on grounds of sexual bias and win two million dollars. While Gavora was very in depth with the details of Mercers short lived career on the playing field she spoke nothing of the off filed events that took place that took precedent in her suit against the school. Former Duke Head Coach, Fred Goldsmith was quoted by many of the players on the spring team as saying, “the biggest mistake of my life was saying that a girl was on my football team.”(ESPN 1) This quote, as well as the fact that Goldsmith did not allow Heather to receive a Duke uniform while all male place kickers received one for spring training where reasons the courts sided with Heather Mercer and granted her the suit. Jessica Gavora presents the argument that Title IX has had a destructive effect on all college athletes, both female and male. Gavora’s book provides a great stepping stone to the argument against proportionality quotas in collegiate sports. She provides some great raw statistics that present the case that numerous men’s programs have been cut over the years. She does leave some speculation and disclosure to the connection between the mass programs cut and a direct correlation with Title IX, but she goes into great detail with certain Universities such as Princeton University and St. Johns University. She Burgess 4 examines how talented male athletes are being tossed aside to make room for inexperienced female athletes in order to meet quotas. This source has given me insight into just how thin the line is that is walked by Universities, Athletic Directors, student- athletes, and court systems alike when dealing with accordance to Title IX Luke Burgess Burgess 1 11/04/03 Prof. Gooding What Happened to Title 1 through 8 A little over thirty years ago, Title IX of the Civil Rights Act was put in place in order to provide women with an equal amount of athletic and educational opportunities as men receive. Women’s participation in high school sports as well as intercollegiate sports has increased drastically as a direct result of Title IX. “Today more than 100,000 women participate in intercollegiate sports, up from 25,000 in 1971.” (Katz 1) The controversy surrounding Title IX has nothing to do with the achievements made for women’s intercollegiate sports, but rather for the restraints and binds it puts on men’s programs. Jessica Gavora’s book, Tilting The Playing Field: Schools, Sports, Sex, and Title IX, takes a sobering look into just how much trouble Title Ix has caused. Gavora interviewed dozens of leading college athletes, educators and legal experts to collect compelling evidence that Title IX has had a destructive effect on all college athletes, female as well as male. Gavora’s in depth research and inquiries have yielded numerous statistics and individual cases that prove the destructiveness of Title Ix on men’s intercollegiate sports programs, but her support for how the amendment has had a vicious affect on female athletes lacks significant support. “Mandating equality of opportunity, all too often it has led to demands for equality of outcome - giving many schools no choice but to dismantle successful men's sports programs.” (Gavora 26) Gavora unfolds the whole shocking story of how Title IX sports quotas have caused chaos at schools and led to the deletion of some of the most Burgess 2 prominent men’s programs in the country. Providence College’s baseball team and Princeton’s men’s swimming and diving program, that both produced several Olympic Champions, were cut in order for the Universities to meet Title IX quotas. Gavora looks at individual Universities, such as Saint John’s University in New York, that has a high female to male enrollment to best illustrate how “Title IX has lead to ridiculous quota policies that have lead to qualified athletes being cut from teams in order to make room for the required number of women.” (Gavora 32) Due to a sixty two percent enrollment of women, St. John’s was forced to cut their football program in the spring of ’01. The eighty eight man roster yielded three all-conference first team players as well as nine players receiving either second team all-conference or honorable mention. Gavora uses overwhelming statistics to illustrate the cuts made to men’s programs as a result of Title Ix. Gavora states that; “Between 1981 and 1999, NCAA and NAIA colleges eliminated 40 percent of their wrestling teams, 84 men’s tennis teams, and 56 men’s gymnastics teams, according to Congress’ General Accounting Office.” (Gavora 36) While these numbers can be backed by other sources, the author of this source shows no proof that the cutting of these programs were a direct result of Title IX. She presumes that if Title IX proportionality quotas were not in place that these programs would still be operational. The numbers she presents do paint a realistic picture though. “In the past 20 years, there has been a net loss of 171 college wrestling programs, 84 men’s tennis programs and 55 men’s gymnastics programs, according to a General Accounting Office study of discontinued college teams.” (Dobie 1) While Gavora uses only the numbers to illustrate her point of how Title IX has lead to a lose of men’s programs Dobie’s article goes further as to say that, “Among larger college athletic programs, gender equity was Burgess 3 the factor most often cited as influencing the decision to cut a men’s team.” (Dobie 1) Another significant point made by Gavora was the citing of an individual case that took place at Duke University. Heather Sue Mercer won a two million dollar payday for, as Gavora puts it, “the crime of cutting her from their football team”. (Gavora 56) Gavora gives the exact statistics of Mercer’s career as a place kicker for spring training and shows the she had a low conversion rate of field goals. Mercer had a career long of 33 yards and was only three of seven on field goal attempts. Gavora explains in her book that due to Title IX Mercer was able to sue the University on grounds of sexual bias and win two million dollars. While Gavora was very in depth with the details of Mercers short lived career on the playing field she spoke nothing of the off filed events that took place that took precedent in her suit against the school. Former Duke Head Coach, Fred Goldsmith was quoted by many of the players on the spring team as saying, “the biggest mistake of my life was saying that a girl was on my football team.”(ESPN 1) This quote, as well as the fact that Goldsmith did not allow Heather to receive a Duke uniform while all male place kickers received one for spring training where reasons the courts sided with Heather Mercer and granted her the suit. Jessica Gavora presents the argument that Title IX has had a destructive effect on all college athletes, both female and male. Gavora’s book provides a great stepping stone to the argument against proportionality quotas in collegiate sports. She provides some great raw statistics that present the case that numerous men’s programs have been cut over the years. She does leave some speculation and disclosure to the connection between the mass programs cut and a direct correlation with Title IX, but she goes into great detail with certain Universities such as Princeton University and St. Johns University. She Burgess 4 examines how talented male athletes are being tossed aside to make room for inexperienced female athletes in order to meet quotas. This source has given me insight into just how thin the line is that is walked by Universities, Athletic Directors, student- athletes, and court systems alike when dealing with accordance to Title IX Luke Burgess Burgess 1 11/04/03 Prof. Gooding What Happened to Title 1 through 8 A little over thirty years ago, Title IX of the Civil Rights Act was put in place in order to provide women with an equal amount of athletic and educational opportunities as men receive. Women’s participation in high school sports as well as intercollegiate sports has increased drastically as a direct result of Title IX. “Today more than 100,000 women participate in intercollegiate sports, up from 25,000 in 1971.” (Katz 1) The controversy surrounding Title IX has nothing to do with the achievements made for women’s intercollegiate sports, but rather for the restraints and binds it puts on men’s programs. Jessica Gavora’s book, Tilting The Playing Field: Schools, Sports, Sex, and Title IX, takes a sobering look into just how much trouble Title Ix has caused. Gavora interviewed dozens of leading college athletes, educators and legal experts to collect compelling evidence that Title IX has had a destructive effect on all college athletes, female as well as male. Gavora’s in depth research and inquiries have yielded numerous statistics and individual cases that prove the destructiveness of Title Ix on men’s intercollegiate sports programs, but her support for how the amendment has had a vicious affect on female athletes lacks significant support. “Mandating equality of opportunity, all too often it has led to demands for equality of outcome - giving many schools no choice but to dismantle successful men's sports programs.” (Gavora 26) Gavora unfolds the whole shocking story of how Title IX sports quotas have caused chaos at schools and led to the deletion of some of the most Burgess 2 prominent men’s programs in the country. Providence College’s baseball team and Princeton’s men’s swimming and diving program, that both produced several Olympic Champions, were cut in order for the Universities to meet Title IX quotas. Gavora looks at individual Universities, such as Saint John’s University in New York, that has a high female to male enrollment to best illustrate how “Title IX has lead to ridiculous quota policies that have lead to qualified athletes being cut from teams in order to make room for the required number of women.” (Gavora 32) Due to a sixty two percent enrollment of women, St. John’s was forced to cut their football program in the spring of ’01. The eighty eight man roster yielded three all-conference first team players as well as nine players receiving either second team all-conference or honorable mention. Gavora uses overwhelming statistics to illustrate the cuts made to men’s programs as a result of Title Ix. Gavora states that; “Between 1981 and 1999, NCAA and NAIA colleges eliminated 40 percent of their wrestling teams, 84 men’s tennis teams, and 56 men’s gymnastics teams, according to Congress’ General Accounting Office.” (Gavora 36) While these numbers can be backed by other sources, the author of this source shows no proof that the cutting of these programs were a direct result of Title IX. She presumes that if Title IX proportionality quotas were not in place that these programs would still be operational. The numbers she presents do paint a realistic picture though. “In the past 20 years, there has been a net loss of 171 college wrestling programs, 84 men’s tennis programs and 55 men’s gymnastics programs, according to a General Accounting Office study of discontinued college teams.” (Dobie 1) While Gavora uses only the numbers to illustrate her point of how Title IX has lead to a lose of men’s programs Dobie’s article goes further as to say that, “Among larger college athletic programs, gender equity was Burgess 3 the factor most often cited as influencing the decision to cut a men’s team.” (Dobie 1) Another significant point made by Gavora was the citing of an individual case that took place at Duke University. Heather Sue Mercer won a two million dollar payday for, as Gavora puts it, “the crime of cutting her from their football team”. (Gavora 56) Gavora gives the exact statistics of Mercer’s career as a place kicker for spring training and shows the she had a low conversion rate of field goals. Mercer had a career long of 33 yards and was only three of seven on field goal attempts. Gavora explains in her book that due to Title IX Mercer was able to sue the University on grounds of sexual bias and win two million dollars. While Gavora was very in depth with the details of Mercers short lived career on the playing field she spoke nothing of the off filed events ...