Posted 10:56 AM by Robert

The Evil That Title IX Does

Title IX, of course, is the federal the law "prohibiting sex discrimination" in federally funded institutions. An already huge and growing body of evidence indicates that by any reasonable definition of 'discrimination" Title IX is likely the nation's largest single source of sex discrimination in college sports - as this this New York Times article again confirms.

The article describes male "walk ons" - male athletes who are not recruited for athletic scholarships - being turned away in droves because of Title IX-induced restrictions on their sports, even as women's teams scour their campuses for female "walk-ons".

It is hard to know what is more appalling here, the actual harm inflicted on these young men, or the unspeakably hostile, self-serving, insensitive and (of course) deeply sexist comments of the interviewed female coaches, including this pearl in which the chairwoman of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's committee on women's athletics denigrates male walk-ons as people who never actually play but just want to be "part of the group" so they can talk about it years later:

"If you're not going to get your uniform dirty during games, you shouldn't be on the team," said McNeil, who is also the chairwoman of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's committee on women's athletics. "I believe there is still an opportunity for a walk-on to bloom on our teams, but there has to be a cutoff date for those who just want to hang around. We can't afford it. It's time to tell these students: `You've got other talents. Go write about sports at the school newspaper, join the debate team, or maybe you've got a nice voice and belong on the stage. Some guys just like to be part of the group. Then 10 years later they will talk about being on their college team, when the fact is they never played."

So, there has to be a cutoff date for those who just want to hang around. And it's just fine with Ms. McNeil if the "cut off date" for male athletes is the date the school decides not to recruit you before you even arrive on campus, but for female athletes the "cut of date" is the date of, say, graduation. For this comment alone, Ms. McNeil should be ejected from her position with the National Collegiate Athletic Association. But the problem is clearly much bigger than one such intensely myopic and bigoted thug. The problem goes all the way up to Congress and back to foolish voters.

UPDATE: The Man Without Qualities is always thrilled to be graced with a link from Overlawyered.com, one of my very favorite blogs. But it is not true that I am angry at Ms. McNeil, even as the call goes out from these quarters that she be ejected from her position with the National Collegiate Athletic Association as an intensely myopic and bigoted thug! I would no sooner get angry at Tony Soprano. But one expects people favoring a position for Tony as the chairman of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's committee on women's athletics would be in short supply. And let's face it, it wouldn't just be because Tony is a guy. It's because he's an intensely myopic and bigoted thug. After all, someone who makes his point with pearls like "I'm the motherfucking fucking one who calls the shots" is no more or less desirable as the chair of such a committee than someone who who trills that "there has to be a cutoff date for those who just want to hang around. We can't afford it. It's time to tell these students: `You've got other talents. Go write about sports at the school newspaper, join the debate team, or maybe you've got a nice voice and belong on the stage. Some guys just like to be part of the group. Then 10 years later they will talk about being on their college team, when the fact is they never played."

No, it's not that I'm angry with Ms. McNeil or people like her, it's just that there has to be a cutoff point for those who just want to hang around as chairpersons of committees like this saying embarrassing things that practically invite litigation, among other things. We can't afford it. It's time to tell these chairpersons: `You've got other talents. Go write about sports at the local newspaper, develop your skills (so strongly suggested by the tone of your remarks to the Times) for picking the exactly right New Jersey bridge abutment into which those who disagree with people like Tony can be entombed, or maybe you've got a nice voice and belong on the stage (who knows, maybe you're a soprano!). Some people just like to be part of the committee, but they really just end up imposing their own thoughtless, unexamined biases through their official position. Then 10 years later they will talk about being on the committee and forging "progress", when the fact is they never really understood how much they used their powers to hurt the innocent young people they were supposed to be helping.

You know. I'm just trying to help Ms. McNeil find the position that's right for her so she can be HAPPY.