Lets see your best Title IX violations.

[marriard]

There is a school here that absolutely has a GREAT baseball field next to a crappy softball field.

That was not the Title IX violation they got dinged on. For the most part the field issue was OK (they did get dinged on maintenance inequality)

Instead the main violations were was things like:
- Baseball apparently complained that the softball lights were annoying them when they were practicing
- School decides softball can't practice or play at night anymore and refuses to maintain or fix the lighting on the softball field.

And that is one of the list of things they got heavily penalized for.

• They also had a 'buy multiple new uniforms every year for boys sports, replace one set of three every other year for girls sports'
• They built a multipurpose field which was allocated times to boys sports 90%, girls 10%; including soccer where the girls team were either forced to use a city field 20 minutes away or practice after 9pm at night (after boys V, JV and sometimes JV2 were done)
• Weight rooms and lockers were never available for any of the girls sports at any reasonable time
• All games and practices were scheduled around what was great for the boys teams first in all sports where both genders played.
• They were moving girls volleyball games for boys basketball practices

And a whole other laundry list of BS.

 

[quincy]

Faculties is an interesting question. DD team shared with baseball team when it was raining or whatever. Coaches seemed to be able to work it out.

 

[quincy]

There is a school here that absolutely has a GREAT baseball field next to a crappy softball field.

That was not the Title IX violation they got dinged on. For the most part the field issue was OK (they did get dinged on maintenance inequality)

Instead the main violations were was things like:
- Baseball apparently complained that the softball lights were annoying them when they were practicing
- School decides softball can't practice or play at night anymore and refuses to maintain or fix the lighting on the softball field.

And that is one of the list of things they got heavily penalized for.

• They also had a 'buy multiple new uniforms every year for boys sports, replace one set of three every other year for girls sports'
• They built a multipurpose field which was allocated times to boys sports 90%, girls 10%; including soccer where the girls team were either forced to use a city field 20 minutes away or practice after 9pm at night (after boys V, JV and something JV2 were done)
• Weight rooms and lockers were never available for any of the girls sports at any reasonable time
• All games and practices were scheduled around what was great for the boys teams first in all sports where both genders played.
• They were moving girls volleyball games for boys basketball practices

And a whole other laundry list of BS.

How can that not be a violation?

I would be sitting outside Ad's office every morning.

 

[JumboJack]

There is a school here that absolutely has a GREAT baseball field next to a crappy softball field.

That was not the Title IX violation they got dinged on. For the most part the field issue was OK (they did get dinged on maintenance inequality)

Instead the main violations were was things like:
- Baseball apparently complained that the softball lights were annoying them when they were practicing
- School decides softball can't practice or play at night anymore and refuses to maintain or fix the lighting on the softball field.

And that is one of the list of things they got heavily penalized for.

• They also had a 'buy multiple new uniforms every year for boys sports, replace one set of three every other year for girls sports'
• They built a multipurpose field which was allocated times to boys sports 90%, girls 10%; including soccer where the girls team were either forced to use a city field 20 minutes away or practice after 9pm at night (after boys V, JV and sometimes JV2 were done)
• Weight rooms and lockers were never available for any of the girls sports at any reasonable time
• All games and practices were scheduled around what was great for the boys teams first in all sports where both genders played.
• They were moving girls volleyball games for boys basketball practices

And a whole other laundry list of BS.

Now THAT is a Title IX violation!

 

[marriard]

Everyone involved in girls sports should know this stuff.

http://titleixspecialists.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Q-A-Baseball-Softball-Fields.pdf

justplaynow.org

This domain may be for sale!

justplaynow.org

I have seen a huge amount of success in TitleIX - schools magically find funds to fix things because they don't want to deal with a TitleIX investigation which covers the ENTIRE program (not just the sport in the complaint), the costs involved (i.e. lawyers) and that if they are willing to roll the dice, they are likely going to lose (and then it is court-ordered directives on what you have to do to fix the problem).

Settlement before lawyers and the TitleIX people get really involved sounds really good. I was supporting a grievance a friend had put in and the TitleIX person advised the school board "If you want to, I will come start the investigation but you REALLY don't want that. These are clear violations and it is your best interest to settle this before we officially get involved."

 

[Northball]

Several years ago a group of girls hockey parents got after the MN High School League because the boys hockey tournament was held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul while the girls tourney was not. Their argument was the girls aren't given the same experience of playing in an NHL arena. The threat of the lawsuit and potential PR nightmare caused the league to cave. Fanwise, Boys hockey fills the arena, girls hockey echoes throughout the arena. High School League depends on ticket sales for revenue; has to rent the X for both boys and girls, but not getting the payback from girls tourney. I'll leave the judgement to each one of you if this was an inequality that needed to be corrected.

 

[bmakj]

Several years ago a group of girls hockey parents got after the MN High School League because the boys hockey tournament was held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul while the girls tourney was not. Their argument was the girls aren't given the same experience of playing in an NHL arena. The threat of the lawsuit and potential PR nightmare caused the league to cave. Fanwise, Boys hockey fills the arena, girls hockey echoes throughout the arena. High School League depends on ticket sales for revenue; has to rent the X for both boys and girls, but not getting the payback from girls tourney. I'll leave the judgement to each one of you if this was an inequality that needed to be corrected.

what idiot negotiated that deal? done correctly, you have the Wild or Xcel or whomever begging to host the tournament at no cost to the high school association. Costs them virtually nothing to operate two more days (or make it a double header, general admission, so all those womens hockey fans have all the best seats , and PR is boundless.

 

[grmerrill]

Hate to say it, but just on these pictures alone, this probably wouldn't qualify as a TitleIX violation unless there are other circumstances (which there probably is). For example - and I assume there are - there are lockers and weight rooms in the baseball facility that the girls can't get access to or softball has to change their schedule to accommodate baseball in some way. There softball field looks decent, it is in the same location, that the girls have access to without having to consider the baseball schedule and so on. Baseball having a giant stadium and softball having a field and a couple of bleachers is not necessarily a TitleIX violation.

This is a very good description:

"There are three parts to Title IX as it applies to athletics programs: (1) effective accommodation of student interests and abilities (participation), (2) athletic financial assistance (scholarships), and (3) other program components (the “laundry list” of benefits to and treatment of athletes). The “laundry list” includes equipment and supplies, scheduling of games and practice times, travel and daily per diem allowances, access to tutoring, coaching, locker rooms, practice and competitive facilities, medical and training facilities and services, publicity, recruitment of student athletes and support services.

Title IX compliance is assessed via a total program comparison. In other words, the entire men’s and women’s programs are to be compared, not just one men’s team to the women’s team in the same sport. This broad comparative provision was intended to emphasize that Title IX does not require the creation of mirror image programs. Males and females can participate in different sports according to their respective interests and abilities. Thus, broad variations in the type and number of sports opportunities offered to each gender are permitted."

You are contradicting yourself.

"Hate to say it, but just on these pictures alone, this probably wouldn't qualify as a TitleIX violation unless there are other circumstances"

"(3) other program components (the “laundry list” of benefits to and treatment of athletes). The “laundry list” includes equipment and supplies, scheduling of games and practice times, travel and daily per diem allowances, access to tutoring, coaching, locker rooms, practice and competitive facilities, medical and training facilities and services, publicity, recruitment of student athletes and support services."

That baseball field is better than any of the D1 fields in the state, only behind the two minor league fields in size and possibly higher in quality.

You can't hide behind "they don't have to be equal" to give the baseball team a facility where just the lights alone are a larger investment that the entire softball complex. That has no lights by the way.

 

[bmakj]

You are contradicting yourself.

"Hate to say it, but just on these pictures alone, this probably wouldn't qualify as a TitleIX violation unless there are other circumstances"

"(3) other program components (the “laundry list” of benefits to and treatment of athletes). The “laundry list” includes equipment and supplies, scheduling of games and practice times, travel and daily per diem allowances, access to tutoring, coaching, locker rooms, practice and competitive facilities, medical and training facilities and services, publicity, recruitment of student athletes and support services."

That baseball field is better than any of the D1 fields in the state, only behind the two minor league fields in size and possibly higher in quality.

You can't hide behind "they don't have to be equal" to give the baseball team a facility where just the lights alone are a larger investment that the entire softball complex. That has no lights by the way.

I think the lights might be the only real issue, other than the biggest issue, pointed out by someone else as well, when these alums also tried to donate to do something similar for softball, they were told no thanks. any judge (probably the defense lawyers as well) are going to take the doofuses who made that call aside and say "Spary, what in tarnation where you thinking?" there really can be no other reason for this except an attitute that girls should not be playing sports, or at least should not be taken seriously as the boys. free money is free money.

 

[grmerrill]

Here are some highlights of how title IX is supposed to protect the ladies. The findings are specific to the case but show that although facilities don't have to be equal, they must still be treated equally.

Daniels v. School Bd. of Brevard County, Fla., 985 F. Supp. 1458 (M.D. Fla. 1997)

Electronic Scoreboard
It is undisputed that the boys' baseball field has an electronic scoreboard, and that the girls' field has no scoreboard at all. At the preliminary injunction hearing, Defendant's counsel argued that a scoreboard is inessential to varsity softball play. The Court disagrees. A scoreboard is of obvious benefit to players who must keep track of the score, the innings, and the numbers of outs, balls and strikes at any given moment. The prestige factor of a scoreboard is also obvious. As with all the differences the Court addresses in this Order, the fact that the boys have a scoreboard and the girls do not sends a clear message to players, fellow students, teachers and the community at large, that girls' varsity softball is not as worthy as boys' varsity baseball.

Batting Cage
It is also undisputed that the boys' baseball team has a batting cage and the girls' softball team does not. The use of a batting cage sharpens hitting skills. The girls' softball team is technically disadvantaged by the absence of such equipment. At the hearing, Plaintiffs' counsel represented that it would be difficult for the two teams to share one batting cage as a result of differences in the pitching machines each team uses. Accordingly, it appears that sharing the existing batting cage is not feasible.

Bleachers
Photographs submitted by Plaintiffs starkly illustrate that the bleachers on the girls' softball field are in worse condition, and seat significantly fewer spectators, than the bleachers on the boys' field. In fact, at the preliminary injunction hearing, Defendant's counsel admitted that the girls' bleachers are actually "hand-me-downs" that the boys' team passed on to the girls' team after the boys' team received new bleachers. Again, the message this sends the players, spectators and community about the relative worth of the two teams is loud and clear.

Bathroom Facilities
There are no restrooms located on the girls' softball field. Restrooms are located on the boys' baseball field. A fence separates the girls' field from the restrooms. There is a dispute concerning whether the coach of the girls' team has been provided with a key to a gate in the fence. Equal access to restroom facilities is such a clearly established right as to merit no further discussion.

Concession Stand/Press Box/Announcer's Booth
A combination concession stand/press box/announcer's booth is located on the boys' baseball field. There is no such structure on the girls' softball field. These facilities affect player and spectator enjoyment of a sport, as well as attendance.

Field Maintenance
The photographs submitted by Plaintiffs facially suggest that the girls' softball field is not as well-maintained as the boys' baseball field. However, at the preliminary injunction hearing, Defendant's counsel stated that the photographs were misleading because MIHS was in the process of reconditioning the girls' field at the time the photographs were taken. Defense counsel maintains that the reconditioning process continues. Accordingly, at this juncture, it is difficult for the Court to evaluate the comparative level of field maintenance.

Lighting
The boys' baseball field is lighted for nighttime play; the girls' softball field is not. Apparently, this single factor was the impetus for this lawsuit.

Nighttime play affects spectator attendance, parental involvement, and player and spectator enjoyment. Nighttime games have a "big league" quality not associated with daytime play. Additionally, lighting affords more flexibility regarding practice scheduling. The absence of lighting on the girls' softball field detrimentally affects the girls' team in all these respects.

There can be no doubt that Title IX has changed the face of women's sports as well as our society's interest in and attitude toward women athletes and women's sports. In addition, there is ample evidence that increased athletics participation opportunities for woman and young girls, available as a result of Title IX enforcement, have had salutary effects in other areas of societal concern.

One need look no further than the impressive performances of our country's women athletes in the 1996 Olympic Summer Games to see that Title IX has had a dramatic and positive impact on the capabilities of our women athletes, particularly in team sports. These Olympians represent the first full generation of women to grow up under the aegis of Title IX. The unprecedented success of these athletes is due, in no small measure, to Title IX's beneficent effects on women's sports, as the athletes themselves have acknowledged time and again. What stimulated this remarkable change in the quality of women's athletic competition was not a sudden, anomalous upsurge in women's interest in sports, but the enforcement of Title IX's mandate of gender equity in sports.