The merging world of women’s and men’s college athletics

 Title IX allows for women to compete with equal opportunity in sports at any level, especially collegiate. Graphic by SUKHMAN SAHOTA, art director

Throughout history, athletics have been often seen as two-sided: there are “boy sports” and there are “girl sports.” However, with the passing of transformative legislation, this notion becomes less prominent. 

This year highlights the 50-year celebration of Title IX, the amendment that protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance, which includes banning discrimination in school sports. 

Title IX has given millions of young girls the chance to get involved with athletics. The number of girls playing high school sports jumped from 294,015 in 1971-72 to 3,172,637 in 2009-10, an increase of 1079%. During the same time period, the number of male high school athletes grew from 3,666,917 to 4,455,740, a 22% increase.

Many female athletes at Chapman University celebrate the amendment and the ability to play their sports on an accepting team within the school. 

Ari Raphael, a sophomore psychology major on the track and field team, details how Title IX allows her to feel safe to practice along with her teammates of both sexes. 

“Being a member of a co-ed sport, Title IX gives me the ability to give my full potential without fear or judgement,” Raphael said. “I know my peers and I are able to safely be ourselves, without worry. We can be our true authentic selves and be happy — something everyone deserves to feel.”

Raphael reflects upon moments in her childhood athletics that reminds her of the beneficial strength Title IX holds for her. As someone who had competed in competitive gymnastics as a child, there was evidence of a gender stigma emerging at such a young age.

With Title IX being present in her life and at Chapman, she realizes the support she has now as a collegiate track and field athlete.

“Girls were openly treated poorly and there were a lot of eating and body issues that sprouted from that,” Raphael said. “The boys seemed to have more pressure from their coaches to ‘be a man’ or not to cry when they couldn’t do a skill.”

On the contrary, Kate Robinson, a former Chapman swim athlete, told The Panther how the Title IX amendment is changing negatively. She claims it once held security and support for her within her sport, but now the connotation of the amendment has changed for the future of women athletes. 

“Essentially, the president is aiming to make ‘gender identity’ synonymous with ‘sex,’ and in doing so, he is ignoring the fact that men and women have biological differences,” said Robinson, a junior strategic and corporate communication major. “This means that it is very possible we could soon live in a society where it is common for biological men to compete against biological females.”

Robinson had the dream to compete in swim competitions at the collegiate level for years, and she made that dream a reality at Chapman University. When she competed, Title IX meant something different to her than with the altercations made by the Joe Biden Administration. 

Emily Cho, a member of the Chapman women’s golf team and a sophomore broadcast and documentary major, disagrees.

Cho said Title IX is an amendment that eliminates the idea of male-dominated sports and provides an equal chance for everyone. 

“Title IX helped develop women’s role in sports and many other activities,” Cho said. “The (Ladies Professional Golf Association) has become really big. It may not be as big as the (Professional Golfers' Association of America), but it’s constantly growing, giving more hope to young girls out there who want to compete in any sport.”

Further, transgender students are protected by Title IX, which ensures they have the right to equal access to educational opportunities, access to single-sex spaces and activities consistent with their gender identity.

Cho continues and emphasizes on the amount of support Title IX provides for women.

“Now there’s no sport that is only a men’s sport… It makes me feel so empowered as a female student athlete because I don’t have to compete with men for my spot here,” Cho said. “I know Title IX will always be there to protect my rights and me.”