Ok, we need to take a step back and examine a few details. Since the publication of the article in the Salt Lake Tribune about our efforts to get Men's Track re-instated at Utah, there has been a lot of speculation about the reason why Utah hasn't considered it. The reasons why have varied from "Chris Hill doesn't like track" to "Kyle Whittingham won't let it happen" and by far the most comical "BYU has paid Chris Hill not to."
Of all the conclusions that people have come to, there is one that I feel needs to be fully addressed. Many people seem to think that because of Title IX (Title 9 for those of you who can't read Roman numerals), the University of Utah isn't allowed to re-instate Men's Track. Most comments about Title IX usually say something to the effect of "They have to have an equal number of scholarships for male and female athletes" or "If they re-instated men's track, then Title IX would make them cut another men's sport."
I think it's time to put these misconceptions to rest once and for all. To do that, we need to gain a little bit more of an understanding about what Title IX actually is.
What is Title IX?
Title IX is the federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in schools that receive federal funding - including in their athletics programs. It was first passed in 1972 and is enforced not only by the U.S. Government but also by the National Women's Law Center (NWLC). The overall purpose of Title IX is to ensure that women and girls are treated fairly in athletic programs and that female athletes have equal access to athletic opportunities.
Misconception #1: "Title IX would force Utah to cut another men's sport if it re-instated men's track."
Title IX in no way forces universities to cut men's programs to make way for more women's programs. It's easy to see it that way, especially when you consider that many schools have done that very thing. Many schools have chosen to cut some men's sports, like wrestling or volleyball, rather than attempt to control the bloated budgets of other sports, but it doesn't need to be that way.
A 2001 study performed by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GOA) found that 72% of the schools that added sports teams between 1992 and 2000 did so without discontinuing any other teams.
Take a look at this example. San Diego State University decided to tackle its $2 million budget deficit by cutting it's men's volleyball team instead of slightly cutting into the $5 million football budget. Just four months after cutting the men's volleyball team, the university outfitted the football team with new uniforms and state-of-the-art titanium face masks.
Misconception #2: "If Utah re-instated men's track, they would have to increase spending on other women's sports to account for the added expenses brought on by men's track."
Title IX does not require schools to spend the same amount of money on male and female athletes. What it requires is that male and female athletes be treated equally. You might be thinking to yourself, what's the difference?
Title IX recognizes that a football uniform costs more than a track uniform, so it doesn't require that a school necessarily spend the same amount of money on uniforms for the track and football teams. However, under Title IX, the school cannot provide men with top-notch uniforms and women with low-quality uniforms, or give male athletes home, away, and practice uniforms and female athletes only one set of uniforms.
Misconception #3: "Title IX requires that universities provide the same amount of scholarships and athletes for men's and women's sports, so re-instating men's track would make things uneven."
This one is better addressed right from the horses mouth:
Title IX does not require any type of quotas; it simply requires that schools allocate participation opportunities in a nondiscriminatory way. Because Title IX allows sports teams to be separated by sex, schools decide how many participation opportunities will be given to male and female students. Schools need to demonstrate any one of the following in order to be considered Title IX compliant:
Prong 1: The percentages of male and female athletes are proportionate to the percentages of male and female students enrolled; or
Prong 2: It has a history and continuing practice of expanding athletic opportunities for the underrepresented sex; or
Prong 3: It's athletics program fully and effectively accommodates the interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex.Technically, Utah was totally compliant with Title IX regulations before they cut the men's program back in 2005, so the addition of men's track and field shouldn't matter. The bottom line is that Title IX, although it is something to consider for any athletics program, is not the ultimate reason why Utah has not re-instated Men's Track. Chris Hill never said anything about it in his original statement back in 2005. Once again, the ultimate reason is known only to Chris Hill. The only way we will ever know why exactly it hasn't happened yet is if it comes directly from him.
So Dr. Hill, with no ill will, making no attempts to put you in an uncomfortable situation, and with all due respect as the man who has brought the University of Utah onto the national stage, could you tell us why men's track has not been re-instated at the U?
The Title IX issue was exactly the crux of my lost post to one of your earlier articles. I am glad to see you have thought about and addressed this. I think a discussion with Sharrief Shah who ran for the Utes in the early 90's (and Charlie Brown) may give us insight as to whether Coach Whittingham is against track for his players (fatigue, possible injury, miss spring practices, etc.) or if that is just another unfounded belief. When I was on the team, we did not per se field a sprint team. If I remember, (other than Sharrieff and Charlie) we had no 100 meter runners. We had 400, 800, Hurdles and distance relays but I don't believe we had anyone running the 200. Most of my time on the team we had no sprint team at all. We weren't particularly competitive in the team portion of the meets, but had individuals that were medaling in the events we participated in.
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