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Is the fine print as wonderful as the headlines? No. American girls’ interest in sports was increasing dramatically before Title IX ever became an issue. But Title IX has caused a seismic shift in college sports because, beginning in 1993, As women’s teams are artificially expanded, men’s programs are slashed in order to reach the safe harbor of proportionality. At countless universities, men’s wrestling, tennis, lacrosse and other sports have been eliminated or drastically cut back to meet rigid quotas. The Stalinist government mindset goes so far as to prevent schools from letting teams fund themselves through voluntary contributions. Feminist activists look at their successes on athletic fields as only a beachhead in a larger war. The logic of Title IX extends far beyond sports. Already, utilizing the theory of sexual harassment, Title IX has muscled into grade schools, where a six-year-old was suspended for bestowing a requested kiss on a classmate’s cheek. The PSAT and SAT are being radically changed to reach more "gender–equal" results. Title IX forms the foundation for speech codes and sexual harassment policies that loom over universities. Jessica Gavora has written a brilliant and penetrating expose of the mindset and operating techniques of the equality commissars. (Encounter Books, 2002, 164 pps., $24.95) |
under the whip of the Office of Civil Rights and Clinton appointee Norma Cantu, colleges have been forced to ensure that women athletes bear the same proportion to total athletes as women students bear to total students. As a result, college coaches are now on a frantic search to recruit women to play sports. That can be a tough assignment because men seem to be more interested in sports than women.
