Parity Bowl IX: Barrier Breakers v. Common Sense Makers–The Serpentine Struggle for Gender Diversity in Collegiate Athletics Article
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Recommended Citation
Darryl Wilson, Parity Bowl IX: Barrier Breakers v. Common Sense Makers–The Serpentine Struggle for Gender Diversity in Collegiate Athletics, 27 Cumb. L. Rev. 397 (1997)Clicking on the button will copy the full recommended citation.
This article reviews the most recent legal maneuvers impacting gender parity in collegiate athletics. Section I examines the origins of female participation in sports that allegedly support the current sexually discriminatory system. This article also analyzes the notion that the motivating factor in the development of Title IX was the need for overall systematic change, noting specifically that the origins of the Act had nothing to do with sports activities. Although the Act was an outgrowth of amendments to certain human rights legislation, the sports focus of Title IX is arguably an inappropriate analogy to the civil rights struggle in this country. Section II discusses the vast breadth of the most recent judicial and legislative responses to the disputes over the scope of Title IX. Section III argues that the current interpretations, when taken to their logical extremes, spell certain doom for big-time college athletics as Americans know it. By removing the facade of amateurism and professionalizing big-time college sports, Title IX can be affirmatively administered in a manner that is more equitable than its present application.