Title IX and its Impact on Collegiate Athletics

Among the more influential pieces of federal legislation to spring forth from the heady days of America's civil rights movements is Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments. This critical provision, officially found under Section 20 of the United States Code, states unequivocally that "No person in the United States shall, 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" (Title 20 U.S.C. Sections 1681-1688) and in essence paves the way for the inclusion of women into collegiate athletic programs. Originally enacted as an amendment to Title IX the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which delegitimized systemic discrimination on the basis of race, religion and national origin, the 1972 version sought to address the issue of rampant gender inequality afflicting academia and...
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