Women in Sports
doing it. With all of the frenzy comes the birth of something that has been tied to sports since the beginning. Heroes. The youth of America has dreamed of the day that they will be able to step up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth in the world series, or make the last shot buzzer beater in the finals, or make the touchdown catch to win the super bowl. Men have always had sports heroes of the same sex to look up to. Now women have the opportunity to score on a pass from Mia Hamm or run next to Jackie Joyner-Kersey.
Now let’s look at some myths that surround women in sports today...
MYTH: Football and basketball create revenue and are important because they can fund the entire athletic department, generate visibility, and lead to TV money. Therefore, they should have large budgets.
FACT: While it is true that many of the largest schools (Division I-A) have football and basketball teams that bring in profits, the vast majority of football and basketball teams actually run a deficit - sometimes a large one.
“Ninety-four percent of Division I-AA football teams ran an average deficit of $535,000” (Acosta, Carpenter) per team. Ninety-seven percent of “Division 1 football teams ran an average deficit of $247,000”(Acosta, Carpenter.) Out of all Division 1, 11, and III schools that offer football and reported their earnings, only 19% made a profit.
Of basketball teams at Division 1, 11, and III schools that reported their earnings, only 24% made a profit. “Seventy-four percent of Division I-AA basketball teams ran an average deficit of $199,000.63”(Acosta, Carpenter.)
MYTH: Successful football and basketball teams help spur alumni giving to the university. Therefore, football and basketball teams must be well-funded and competitive.
FACT: The schools that receive the most from alumni giving are not the ones with the big name football or basketball teams. “Harvard, Cornell, and Yale Universities top the list with the most money given by alumni” (Rubarb.) In fact, some of the colleges with the most alumni giving per student are women's colleges: Wellesley, Randolph Macon, Mt. Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, and Smith.
MYTH: Compliance with Title IX means the doom of men's athletics.
FACT: Non-compliance with Title IX continues to mean the doom of women's athletics. Title IX does not call for discrimination against men's sport; it calls for gender equity. The aim is not to diminish the impact or importance of men's sports, but instead to provide equity for women's sports.
MYTH: Women are naturally inferior to men in terms of strength and speed. Therefore, women just can't be as good at sports as men.
FACT: All men are not stronger or faster than all women. There is great overlap in the strength and speed of men and women.
Because women on average have greater flexibility, a greater percentage of body fat (useful for ultra-distance races), and smaller size, they tend to be as good as or better than men in some sports.
MYTH: Colleges can't help it if more than half the [next page]