Court cases involving Title IX in intercollegiate athletics

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to research Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, providing an overview of the law by reviewing the changes it has gone through in the last twenty-one years, and by reporting the court cases which had been filed in regards to intercollegiate athletics and Title IX. After researching Title IX and the various court cases which were filed after the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988, NCAA member institutions must work towards achieving equity in their athletic programs in the thirteen program component areas that are investigated by the Office for Civil Rights, or risk the penalty of being exempt from receiving federal financial assistance.

With the passing of the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988, recent pressure, through the use of lawsuits by women coaches and athletes. have left many universities with no other choice but to reach compliance with Title IX. Institutions have a responsibility to the female student-athlete in the areas of academics as well as athletics. Equality, not inequality in the academic arena and the athletic field, are what the NCAA member institutions must try to achieve. Advocates of women’s sports have argued that failure to comply with Title IX will bring on an inevitable lawsuit and the courts will eventually decide the outcome.