Uncertain future for Title IX under Obama

Read an interesting article on NCAA today by Michelle Brutlag Hosick about Obama’s new administration and the impact it will have on the future of Title IX.

Conclusion of the article: nobody really knows for sure.

Interesting to me, though, how it was said that Obama doesn’t want to lose support from women’s groups and young females – thats probably the most credit that female athletes have gotten in the policy world in about 30 years.

It’s promising to hear that the Obama administration would not support any change that would loosen the Title IX. It’s equally interesting to hear that Orleans wants to “encourage collaboration between parties on different sides of Title IX interpretation.”

I don’t think it’s an interpretation issue. The law is crystal clear. I think it’s an implementation issue, and it’s a conversation that needs to happen between college athletic directors and lawmakers.

It’s about the financial value that is placed on certain men’s programs.

NCAA’s “On Her Game” is right on point

If you’re a female athlete and you only read one industry publication  this month, check out NCAA’s feature, On Her Game – an excellently written editorial about modern female involvement in collegiate athletics.

Author Michelle Brutlag Hosick does a great job of explaining how female student-athletes are distinguishable in 2008.

Brutlag says,

They are female student-athletes in 2008.

They are radically different from the female student-athletes who charted new ground when Title IX created previously unimagined opportunities in 1972.

They respect their forebears, but they stop short of reverence. They want women to have coaching opportunities, but they want the best coaching they can get for themselves, regardless of which gender provides it. They are comfortable in defining what constitutes a quality athletics experience – and then making it happen.

They are, in many ways, a break from the past.

Brutlag goes on to discuss outside competition, comparisons to male athletes, and team integration. There’s a great video to accompany this, as well, located here.

This piece is an excellent read for those who may be unfamiliar with new movements of modern female athletic culture. Great job, Michelle!