Title IX stipulates that no person in the United States should, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance (Barra 20). "Early in the history of Title IX, the United States Supreme Court held that Title IX coverage applied only to specific programs receiving federal financial assistance ... The Title IX regulations contain specific provisions relevant to athletics" (Francis). The suspicion behind this is that the Supreme Court implied that Title IX is relevant to athletics. The document that changed sports in America did not mention the word sports (Barra 20). The purpose of Title IX was to abolish sexual discrimination, create equality between both sexes, and create opportunities for women in athletics and education. Title IX has created inequality between both sexes in athletics and education. It has produced freedoms for women such as: providing women with scholarships and opportunities to join collegiate athletics, which increased the growth rate of women's participation in college sports. The unintended consequence behind Title IX was as women's scholarships became more prevalent and as more women athletes were given the opportunity to compete, in order to balance budgets, many athletic departments cut men's sports which provided less opportunities for them, and men's swimming was one of the hardest hit.

The purpose of Title IX was to equalize opportunities between the sexes for participation in collegiate athletics (McBride, Worcester, and Tennyson 323). Equality is an issue that needs to be addressed in collegiate athletics at colleges/universities. The perverse effect of Title IX is harming the amount of opportunities for men (McBride, Worcester, and Tennyson 323). Sabo explains in his research through raw data and statistics how equality is an issue in collegiate athletics: women's programs increased across all NCAA divisions combined, by 1,658; men's programs increased by 74 (McBride, Worcester, and Tennyson 323-24). Sabo's data shows that women's programs are growing at a faster rate of approximately 87 per year, while men's grow at a rate of less than four per year (McBride, Worcester, and Tennyson 324). Opportunities have risen tremendously for women. Female sports programs grew more than 22 times faster than men's (McBride, Worcester, and Tennyson 324). This is great news for women because the amount of opportunities that are open make it easily assessable for them join collegiate athletics. 

Access to athletics and scholarships have become easily accessible to women due to Title IX. According to NOW, National Organization for Women, before Title IX, one in twenty-seven girls played varsity sports (Chadband). Athletic scholarships for women were virtually nonexistent because so few women were involved with sports (Chadband). Patriarchal societies were they main problem that prevented women to succeed and grow to their full potential. The establishment of Title IX prevented sexual discrimination, and created opportunities for women. These freedoms produced an environment for women to go to college and participate in collegiate athletics or obtain an education to become successful in the future. "By 2001, one in every 2.5 girls played, meaning a total of 2.8 million girls played varsity sports" (Chadband). With the increase in participation of women's collegiate athletics, an increase in athletic scholarships were a necessity. "According to NOW, in 2003, there was more than $1 million in scholarships for women at Division I schools" (Chadband). The increase in scholarships that colleges/universities have has given women a more likely chance to obtain a scholarship. This large likely hood of women being able to obtain a scholarship to attend a college/university has made it possible for them to make a difference in a program and become very successful indviduals. 

Title IX has created freedom, and created many opportunities for women in collegiate athletics. Dara Torres is one of many women that were blessed for Title IX establishment. Torres is one of the best Olympic swimmers of all time because of the establishment of Title IX. The benefits of Title IX made it possible for all women to become the best athlete/student they can be. Women participating in a sport beyond high school became inevitable (Hogshead-Maker). In previous years, not many opportunities to participate in collegiate athletics were given to women because of the amount of the scholarships handed out. Title IX made this possible for Torres because vast numbers of college swimming teams swept the country, and they offered her scholarships to attend college (Hogshead-Maker). She says that without Title IX, she would not have been able to win three gold medals and one silver medal at the 1984 Olympics at the age of 22 (Hogshead-Maker). Title IX is largely recognized for expanding athletic opportunities for women (Rose). Title IX has provided many openings for women to chase their dreams; therefore, this motivation that Title IX has created for women has increased women's participation in collegiate athletics.

The growth of women's sports are exponentially growing due to Title IX. Women's swimming is one of any female sports that has been thriving and growing in participation (Kasic). The number of women that competed at the Division I level from 1981 to 2004 saw an increase of 61.25%, from approximately 3,000 to 5,000 women (Kasic). This increase in participation is a positive development for the sport of women's swimming and for the college/university. Since more women are participating in collegiate athletics, this means that universities need more money to accommodate for the money they lost during recruiting. 

Opportunities for men to participate in collegiate athletics has been declining steadily for the past forty years. This environment that Title IX has created for men's sports is dangerous, especially for swimmers, because nonrevenue sports are the most vulnerable when colleges/universities need to balance their budgets. Bill Kelley is one of many unfortunate men that experienced this situation when a university does not have enough money to hold a standing program. Kelley's life revolved around swimming and now he had the chance to compete in the Big Ten athletic conference as a member of the University of Illinois men's swimming team (Beveridge 809). Kelley's dream was short lived when unexpectedly the university cut the men's swimming program (Beveridge 809). "'We were recruited and told that we could swim for four years. The university now has made that impossible'" (Beveridge 809). Colleges/Universities need to spend their money wisely to prevent varsity teams getting cut. Title IX has made budgets for collegiate athletics in order for colleges/universities to spend money efficiently. When Title IX promoted budgets for athletic programs, this limited roster spots, this hindered the amount of athletes able to join a varsity sport, and this cut programs. Balancing budgets is a great deed that colleges/universities need to sustain, but it is harming collegiate athletics. As scholarships and opportunities increase, balancing budgets is necessary, so they have to compensate by removing a team to regain possession of money they lost during recruiting.

Title IX has eliminated low profile men's teams like swimming in an effort to comply with Title IX (Thomas). The University of Delaware is one of many universities that have experienced this situation. The swimming team and other nonrevenue sports that were cut were replaced by a women's golf team (Thomas). Nonrevenue sports are cut prior to revenue sports because they do not supply money for the college/university. Even though nonrevenue sports provide entertainment, they are completely dependent on the college/university to supply them with money to continue to grow and develop. They spend money from the college/university, meaning they are basically useless for them.  This is why colleges/universities cut low profile men's sports because it would be unlawful to remove low profile women's sports due to Title IX. In order to establish a right for equality, "the male athletes that were cut from their programs at the University of Delaware 'filed a complaint with the federal Office for Civil Rights, which oversees Title IX, alleging that Delaware is discriminating against its male athletes'" (Thomas). Male athletes need to stand up for their college/university and provide unity in the athletic department. The athletic department needs to build a plan that will help limit the amount of cuts that colleges/universities feel necessary to obtain money they lost. It should be unlawful to all colleges/universities to cut men's programs to obtain money they most desperately need to build another program or spend it on football.

Men's sports are being deducted quite frequently to accommodate for the money loss that colleges/universities obtained after recruiting or buying new equipment for other athletic programs. "We should explore more seriously the value of opening up opportunities to male athletes in traditionally female sports, especially if it can be done without exacerbating a pronounced gender imbalance in overall opportunities" (Brake 63). Equality in the athletic department has become an issue that needs to be addressed. Title IX has created inequality at colleges/universities because it prevents equal opportunities between men and women. Brake provides an alternative solution to this solution: "we can perhaps accommodate legitimate and important concerns about preserving athletic opportunities ... for girls by measures short of simply banning boys" (63). Brake's alternative solution to gender imbalance in overall opportunities is unacceptable. This disagrees with Title IX because Title IX is supposed to create equality between both sexes. It seems as if colleges/universities are banning men's sports to prevent sexual discrimination against women. Title IX seems to be a catalyst for the growth in women's sports and the decrease in men's sports. 

Men's swimming has become one of the most vulnerable sport for colleges/universities to cut. Only 3,568 men competed at the Division I level in 2004, down from 1984 with a high of 4,372 (Kasic). This is a decrease of 18.39% and dropping slowly (Kasic). It is not just men who do not have the opportunity to compete and suffer from sadness when their program gets cut, but women swimmers lose their teammates, their training partners, and their biggest supporters. The reason why so many men's swimming teams have been cut are primarily because of Title IX (Kasic). The troubles of Title IX lie on how bureaucrats and the court system interpreted the law (Kasic). They concluded on achieving "proportionality" (Kasic). If 57% of the student body at a university is female, 57% of the athletes must also be female (Kasic). In the 20th and 21st centuries, there has been an exponential increase in women's enrollment in college athletics and this comes with some consequences. Schools often struggle to meet proportionality's demands (Kasic). In order to meet proportionality's demands, "schools can add women's programs or cut men's programs" (Kasic). "Men's swimming has been one of the hardest hit ... " (Kasic). There have been many upset male athletes that did not get the opportunity to swim for a college/university they dreamed of representing. Title IX has created a form of sexism and inequality that needs to be taken care of to limit the amount of emotional heartbreak it has made for male athletes, female athletes, family members and friends. 

Title IX has typically been invoked to protect the rights of women, cases alleging against men are not unheard of (Thomas). This makes Title IX seem to have a form of sexism, which was not the sole purpose of this document. The Supreme Court implied meanings in Title IX that never existed. This manipulation to Title IX has made many problems in the athletic department. With their supreme authority, the damage it has caused has affected the lives of many male athletes because it increased women's opportunities to an exponential level that is unreachable to men. "96 Title IX complaints related to athletics received in the 2010 fiscal year, 11 involved allegations of discrimination against men, according to the office" (Thomas). Colleges/Universities can comply with Title IX in one of three ways: by showing that the number of female athletes is proportionate to the overall female enrollment; by demonstrating a continuing history of expanding sports for women; by proving that the athletic interests and abilities of the female students body are met (Thomas). Rather than spending money to expand women's sports, many universities have instead cut men's teams in order to comply with proportionality (Thomas). Colleges/Universities have not been spending money efficiently if that is there solution to overspending. Colleges/Universities need to balance their budgets effectively to prevent them from cutting men's sports to accommodate from money loss. The practice is frowned upon by the Office of Civil Rights, but it is not prohibited. It should be prohibited to limit the emotional struggle men go through and to create an environment suitable for both sexes.

Title IX was meant only for abolishing sexual discrimination against women, providing opportunities for them, and creating equality between both sexes. Unfortunately, the law has created inequality between both sexes in athletics. The unintended consequence behind Title IX was as women's scholarships became more prevalent and as more women athletes were given the opportunity to compete, in order to balance budgets, many athletic departments cut men's sports. Title IX has brought vast controversy across educational and athletic institutions in the United States (Barra 20). A better approach to the problems that Title IX has caused would be to move away from proportionality and allow schools to be more flexible in how they meet the interests and abilities of their student body. "A simple starting point would be to institute interest surveys and ask the student body if they are interested in playing athletics" (Beveridge 809). Schools could then take that data and craft a customized athletic program that fits their school's needs. Courts should interpret Title IX in a manner that focuses on whether opportunities available to female athletes in a given college or university reflect the proportion of female students willing and able to participate in intercollegiate athletics (Beveridge 809). This interpretive approach will accommodate the interests of both men and women, while simultaneously satisfying the requirements of the Equal Protection Clause (Beveridge 809). Title IX has produced a thriving environment for women. It has provided many opportunities and many scholarship offers for them to succeed in athletics and education. Title IX has made it possible for women to do the impossible. Women in the 1960s could not do what women now are able to do with Title IX being established. Unfortunately, with all the success women have been having for the past forty years, there is a conflict. Men are struggling and they were affected by the establishment of Title IX. Many male athletes have been rejected or given no scholarship money to enter college athletics. Colleges/Universities have not used their money efficiently, so balancing budgets or cutting men's programs have become the only alternatives to obtain money that they lost in recruiting. This issue that Title IX has made has become a problem among both sexes. As male athletes leave, female athletes lose their teammates, their friends, and their peers. All in all, cutting men's athletics hurts female athletes and their wanting to stay at the college/university.

