Cedarville had a volleyball team before Title IX became law./ Photo by Logan Howard Title IX, al( colleges and universities under the National Collegiate Athletic Association are required to do the same. According to the NCAA. Title IX requires institutions to give men and women equal opportunities in the athletic programs. This does not mean that sport needs to offer a men's and women's team. They only need to offer an equal opportunity to play The NCAA also requires all institutions to treat male and female athletes equally, including providing scholarships proportional to the male to female ratio who attend the institution. Other benefits include gym equipment and supplies, equal schedule and practice times, travel allowances and stipends for each team. among other things. Even now, the NCAA faces discrepancies with male and female athletics. For example, the media covers NCAA's men's March Madness far more than they cover women's basketball ls it the NCAA's fault? According to Cross, March Madness generates most of the NCAA's funding for the year. Sponsors and advertisers focus on men's basketball, but they do not focus on women's basketball as much. Whether it's right or wrong, money speaks volumes in athletics. "At times, there might be an element of discrimination that has led to those things," Berkheiser said. "But often, there is a bigger picture, and a large part of that is money More people are willing to pay more money to go to a men's basketball game on average than to a women's basketball game. They are more likely to bet on the men's games than the women's games. So, those are bigger issues than just the NCAA and much bigger than just an institution." Every year, CedarviUe reassesses its athletic finances to give equal opportunity to both men and women. Last year, the school population of women to men was 54-46. This year, the gap decreased to 52-48 women to men. "That gap became narrower, more skewed to the male side,· Cross said "But we have traditionally given more financial aid to our women's sports than we have to our male sports by a good margin " Berkheiser believes that athletics begin with children and high school students. They feed colleges and universities with athletes, so education on gender discrimination needs begins with the younger demographics "Engage with parents," Berkheiser said. "Talk about their desires and what they are wanting. Engage with people who have a position of influence. who can help support their ideas and move them along." Everyone. whether man or woman. deserves an equal opportunity to become great sports players. Title IX gives that opportunity to allow women to achieve their dreams in athletics and academics. "Providing opportunities for our young women is important," Cross said. "Athletics provides a whole host of positive experiences that young ladies should be taking advantage of, and we should be providing." Chris l(arcnbauer is a senior Journalism rnajor and the [ditor-:n-C.'1:er ror Cedars. She enjoys reading and 1 Nriting, hanginq oul ,Mth friends ano listening to music. Fall 2022 Teresa Clark has been en athlete and coach at Cedarville. / provided by Teresa Clark CID6U 9
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