More than sports bras

Almost everyone heard last week about the ban on sports bras for the Rowan University's women's cross country team. There was near universal outrage about the prohibition; discussions about the double standards female athletes face, the sexualization of female athletes, and the privileges of male football players.

All true and important things to discuss. It perhaps reminded some people of the moment at the 2018 US Open when French player Alize Cornet received a warning for taking the shirt she had put on backwards off and quickly switching it, thus "exposing" her sports bra. And, of course, we could just utter the name, Brandi Chastain, and well...you get it.

There is actually more to this story though: the Title IX implications.

First, the women were running in their own gear because they don't get practice uniforms. They also do not have a locker room. These might not be violations. One would have to go to Rowan (or perhaps nicely ask the director of athletics for the information?!) to see if there are equal numbers of men and women who are not receiving these amenities.

But the second issue is the big one. The women's team was relocated from their track--that surrounds a field where the football team practices--to a local high school track. They were removed from campus because they were distracting. And they have not been moved back!! Yes, they are now allowed to wear sports bras, but they have been kicked off campus by way of a rule that says two teams cannot use one facility at the same time. Again--we can go with speculation and say it would be ok--if other male athletes have been similarly displaced. However, the more pertinent fact is that the football team has another practice facility that they can use. (Also--do 100+ female athletes at Rowan have access to more than one practice facility??)

A friend of mine, in commenting on this story noted how the banning of sports bras because male football players were "distracted" is an example of men reasserting power that they never really lost. The quality of treatment the women's cross country receives is a perfect example of all the power that remains in the hands of men's sports.

Updates from Baylor, Amherst

An additional lawsuit was filed against Baylor at the end of last week. A former female student alleges she was raped by two football players in 2013 while other players recorded the assault and shared the video. The school took two years to investigate the assault. It suspended and eventually expelled one of the players. The other transferred. The lawsuit, like the others, cites a culture of sexual violence at Baylor; a culture Ken Starr claimed did not exist both while he was president of the university and even after his departure.

New information, though, has emerged from this filing. Previously, we have known about the 17 incidents since 2011 that involved 19 players. The lawsuit states that there have been 52 sexual assaults (within an unnamed 4-year period) by 30 football players. The increase is likely due to the fact that the woman who filed the lawsuit was a member of a campus group organized to show football recruits around during visits. Members were supposed to be available for sex; a tool used to sell Baylor to the prospective players. Art Briles's attorney said the former coach, who himself is involved in litigation with the school, denies such a culture existed under his leadership.

With little attention, Amherst College announced before the start of the current semester, that they had concluded their investigation of the offensive messages sent by members of the men's cross country team. Sanctions include suspensions ranging from several meets to the remainder of an athlete's Amherst career. All members must undergo an "educational process" and the team is on probation until 2018.

More coaches in PA?

Parents of student-athletes on the girls' cross-country and softball teams have gone to the Daniel Boone School Board (in Pennsylvania) asking why their teams do not have assistant coaches. The boys' baseball team has an assistant coach. Worried about the safety of the members, parents are asking for funds to pay for assistant coaches for these teams and wondering if the lack of assistants currently is a Title IX violation.
We cannot say based on the information in this brief article. Do other girls' teams have assistant coaches? How many of the boys' teams have assistant coaches?
These are the things the school board--and the parents--will want to investigate when the issue comes up next at a board meeting.
I found this situation interesting in light of the recent trend in complaints where schools are being cited for multiple violations at once. This is a very specific complaint. I surmise that parents felt the absence of assistant coaches is an issue that needs remedying and sought a legal and persuasive way to remedy it--and they found Title IX.