The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Sports

Fall 2014 - 5E

THE STATEMENT
Beyond obligation: Gender equality in sports

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By ZACH SHAW thought. The act was put into
Daily Sports Writer place to ensure that the quality of
education in America was equal
3. 17, 2014 - LSA senior for both males and females.
on Niznik hasn't brushed Doors opened for female faculty
ir in three days. Her face and administrators; standard-
ed in an LSAT book, and ized tests were monitored and
studying anonymously in altered to fairly assess to both
usiness School's Winter genders equally; arts, music and
n. No one asks to pose for theater programs were designed
es with her; no one asks to balance male and female par-
autograph, no one gawks, ticipation and involvement.
or even gives a second But as the years wore on,
while walking by. it became clear that athletics
oday's age, the sighting of a would be the biggest but most
rofile male athlete can be controversial change under the
red to seeing a movie star law. In the late 1970s, female
son. Even if he isn't recog- athletes began to file lawsuits,
immediately, the Univer- claiming athletic departments
Michigan athletic apparel weren't taking the law serious-
e infamous blue backpack ly. The 1980s saw progress, but
ough to garner at least a according to Michigan softball
shed looks. coach Carol Hutchins - who
for Niznik, she only causes was hired as an assistant in 1983
n game days, when - as a before taking over as head coach
member of the Michigan two years later - the movement
eading team - she is asked was far from desired equality.
e for pictures with kids, "We were just a cut above
its and husbands. intramural sports," Hutchins
game days we're always said. "Title IX passed in'72, but it
for photos, holding babies wasn't being well-received when
alking to people," Niznik I arrived. Athletic departments
"Cheerleaders are well- recognized they had a federal
for the uniform that court case on their hands if they
wearing, but people don't didn't comply, so schools had
a thing about us. Only until women's sports, but they weren't
ly on the website I was being supported real well."
hannon the cheerleader. Despite
don't even realize we exist offering a
e of the uniform and pom women's gym
it's an identity-less entity." class and even We w
h is life for many female introducing a a
es. Even in the modern era, women's bas- a cut
athletes sometimes lack ketball team intra
cognition and - in many that played
respect - that male ath- against East- S O
eceive. ern Michi-
oss the nation, every Divi- gan in 1898,
school has roughly the the Univer-
scholarships for men and sity didn't offer
n, facilities are equitable varsity sports until it lawfully
wide, and women are had to, and didn't comply with
ample opportunity to com- Title IX's mandate on scholar-
or their teams, just like ships until 1989.
Equal focus on male and
the problem of gen- female sports at the University
uality in sports remains wasn't given until the ruling of
ed. More than four the 1992 Supreme Court case,
es after Title IX, the push Franklin v. Gwinnett County
sder equality in sports has Public Schools, which ruled
d what may be the diffi- punitive damages should be
nal stretch. awarded to those who suffered
when Title IX is intentionally
dhistory avoided. It was then, Hutchins
said, that women's sports finally
en Title IX of the Educa- had the attention of the Univer-
mendment Act was passed sity Athletic Department.
'2, the future of college "Out of those 40 years (of Title
was merely an after- IX), the first 20 we weren't play-

ing for championships, we were
playing because we had to have
a team out there," Hutchins said.
"We never started a practice
before 8:00 in the middle of the
winter because we had to let all
the men's sports go before us.
They were fully funded; we were
on shoe strings. Around the mid-
90s we were taken more serious-
ly, and now we're seeingwomen's
sports looked at based on their
success on the field just like the
men are."
Today, the effects of Title IX
can be seen all over the sports
world, and Ann Arbor is no
exception. Nearly a million view-
ers watched Hutchins' softball
team fall to Washington in last
year's Women's College World
Series. Michigan currently
boasts 14 varsity women's sports,

Sophomore Emma Burke works out in February, encouraged by graduate assistant coach Nellie Ruedig.

Ie
a
n
r

one more than men's varsity Armstrong, who has played,
sports teams, and the University coached and researched at a
complies with Title IX on every Division I level in addition to
documentable level. working with the NCAA and
Women's participation in Olympics to promote social jus-
sports is at an all-time high, but tice and gender equality, feels
according to Sport Management that the administrative loophole
Prof. Ketra Armstrong, an asso- has prevented athletics from
ciate dean of kinesiology, compli- reaching true gender equality 42
ance with the law is only the first years after Title IX passed.
step toward equality. "We aren't seeing the same
"Title IX has caused female parallel improvements across the
athletes to have greater partici- board in women's athletics, even
pation and more empowerment today," Armstrong said. "The
in sports," number of females in manage-
Armstrong rial roles today is disheartening,
said. "But there because that's where the effec-
ere just were unin- tive change stems from."
hbove tended (bad)
I. consequences. Women on the field
nural The whole idea
was to pro- On the field itself, female ath-
"ts" vide equality, letes still face an uphill battle
but what came gaining the same respect as
with Title IX males. According to Armstrong,
was a decline the atmosphere of apathy or hos-
in female pitality stems from centuries of
coaches and administrators." societal norms.
Armstrong noted that before "Sport has always been per-
Title IX, women held the major- ceived as a male domain," Arm-
ity of administrative positions strong said. "Sport was the way
in women's sports. Yet after in which men practiced mascu-
Title IX, the number of wom- linity, it was a rite of passage.
en's coaches for women's teams Due to this, women have always
dwindled to 43 percent. been perceived as invaders, and
Though Armstrong's numbers that's made it hard for them to
are based off national research, really earn the same level of
the University follows trend in respect."
terms of the declining numbers one such woman is Kinesiol-
of female administrators. Three ogy senior Kristin Nagle, who
decades ago, the year before qas done gymnastics since age
Hutchins took over as head two, eventually earning a spot
coach, nine of the 10 women's on Michigan's team. A self-pro-
varsity sports were coached by fessed tomboy, Nagle struggled
women. Today, seven of 14 wom- fitting in for as long as she can
en's varsity coaches are male. remember.
"I always tried to adapt and
form to what women should be,"
Nagle said. "Hair, makeup, ear-
rings, looking back it's kind of
sad, it wasn't me. I was just try-
ing to fit society's mold and fit
in with my sport, it wasn't who
Iam."
Meanwhile, as a member

of the Michigan cheerleading ties has begun to do just that.
team, Niznik was taking part in But the law can only control
August practices last summer, so much. The way women's ath-
in which the team was prepar- letics are perceived is far from
ing for both the football season equal to men's. From January
and to defend their 2013 National 2000 to June 2011, Sports Illus-
Championship. As the first half trated featured women on just 35
of the 12-hour practice wound of their covers - roughly 4.9 per-
down and a lunch break was set cent of 716 published issues.
to begin, the team was given an "(Women's sports) are still
assignment several days before evolving," Hutchins said. "My
its first class. father's generation couldn't even
"This bank gave Michigan a fathom gender equality, but it's
donation, and they were having generational. People are view-
a party," Niznik said. "So we all ing women's athletics a heck of a
had to stop practice and go to a lot better than they were 10, 20
bank on Main Street and clap years ago. It's evolving, just like
for them as they walked out of a society is still evolving, but we
meeting." always have to be vigilant for
The role of cheerleaders is equality. By the next generation,
different than any other sport - we'll be pretty close."
male or female Added Arm-
- on campus. strong: "This
The team must .. generation gets
simultane- This generation it.WhenIteach
ously train to my classes, my
defend their gets it. ... M y students are
National students are phenomenal.
Championship Hope is on the
and represent phenomenal." horizon. This
the face of the generation
University. embraces the
"Everyone social justice
knows the concept and
uniforms and what cheerlead- has the belief that gender equal-
er are," Niznik said. "So when ity is something society needs,
the University needs a stand-in that life should be fair and rules
or wants to make their presence are there to promote fair play."
known they just send us, because Laws are put into place to lay
we have pretty faces and shiny the foundation for change. They
ponpoms and reallystickout." can't dictate the reac ii, per-
ception or acceptance of those
Fair play: The future movement affected by the law. Title IX has
pushed women's sports from an
Throughout history, sports afterthought to an obligation to
have paved the road for change an opportunity. Now, the burden
in society. From uniting social is on those involved in the sports
and economic classes to breaking world to ensure women's athlet-
down racial barriers, equality on ics garner equal recognition and
the field has often been achieved respect as men's sports.
first, with society following suit.
IfTitleIXwerealivingwoman, For the full version
she'd be middle-aged. At 42, the Check the Michiganaily.com
law enforcing gender equality
between federally funded activi- Stateme page


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