Equality In Sport

4 Pages 884 Words

Since the US congress passed title IX of the educational amendments in 1972 there has been ongoing controversy in regards to equality in sport. Sharon Stoll and Jennifer Beller’s (1993) article “Distributive Justice Relative to Gender Equality: A paradoxical assessment of the status quo argument in college athletics on the scarcity of goods” explores opinions and reactions to Title IX and women’s equality. Particularly the authors explore 3 main ideas: Isn’t it time that gender equality occur? Isn’t it time that inherently discriminatory practices are laid to rest? And isn’t it time that faulty thinking be challenged and new perspective are brought about? All of the issues outlined in this article and framed in the context of Title IX illustrate the controversy surrounding the effects of this act in NCAA sport.

The author advocates that the NCAA should fully comply with Title IX and that any discrepancy between participation of males and females in sport comes as a result of sociological conditioning that women have been subjected to. Some people may argue that men should receive more good s than women because they have more experience more talent and a greater level of participation. Thus they should receive an amount of goods proportionate to the number of athletes in their programs. The author argues that the flaw in this argument stems from the fact that women have been socialized not to participate in sport and have been given less opportunity to participate. Historically, societal ignorance has created a strong bias that men are more fit than women to participate in sport. I believe that women should be given an equal opportunity to participate in sport. They should be encouraged in the same way that men have always been encouraged to become competitive athletes. Based on past biases women do not feel as comfortable as men devoting their time to sport. In order for them to attain the level of accept...