TheMatside View by Gary Abbott: Title IX battle not ending; it’s just beginning

12/10/2002

Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling

To those who seek reform of Title IX and are thinking about celebrating, you really need to put that champagne back in the case and even back in the closest. True, it was a good week with the discussion during the Philadelphia meetings of the Title IX Commission as well as the 60 Minutes report. However, this battle is nowhere near conclusion, and the most intense combat has not yet even started.

The battle over Title IX is just about to get ratcheted up to a level we have not yet seen before. The forces against change are about to unleash its fury, and if we are not prepared, the voice of reason may be overwhelmed within the public forum. If we are not careful, things could get worse, rather than better, for wrestling and the other Olympic sports.

Certainly, it was encouraging to see that many of the members of the Commission on Opportunities in Athletics seem to favor change. It was reflected in the variety of proposals suggested for the final report of the Commission. The final meeting is set for early January, when the Commissioners vote on the proposals and final instructions are given to staff. The completed document is set to be completed by the end of January.

The Commission members have finally played their cards. This group of respected leaders will ask the Department of Education to adjust the enforcement system for Title IX. Something new will be suggested. The backlash from this reality has already begun, and it will get louder and stronger with every passing day.

The articles in the press are already coming out. We’ve seen them in Newsday, the San Francisco Enquirer, on the Associated Press wire, the Miami Herald, even in college student newspapers. Many of these writers are expressing the viewpoints of the Women’s Sports Foundation and other groups fighting against change. They are saying that the Bush Administration has already made up its mind to change the law, that the integrity of the process is flawed, that the wrestlers are fighting the wrong enemy, that Title IX is being weakened or even eliminated, and that the entire future of women’s athletics is at risk if they do not get their way. The fear mongers are spreading their poison, and the often all too-liberal media is gobbling it up.

The inaccuracies are being spread to a wider audience. ‘They,’ whoever they are, continue to claim that men have gained during recent years in college athletics, a lie that was refuted during the Commission hearings but is still being spread as if it was gospel. They say that we are stealing the balls and bats directly from little girls’ hands. They are calling those seeking reform everything from neanderthals to sexists to evil people. They are attacking me, and you, and those from other sports who are seeking relief. We are being demonized.

Perhaps the most dangerous article to date was published on Sunday, by Harvey Araton of the New York Times. Araton has suggested that Martha Burk of the National Council of Women’s Organizations get involved and take on the Title IX cause. In case you have been living in a cave, just so you understand, Burk is the women’s leader challenging the Augusta golf club, hosts of the Masters, to admit women members. It has been the largest story in the sports world this year. Araton suggests that the battle to change Title IX is even more important than Augusta, and actually suggested that those seeking reform are ‘Hootie Johnsons.’

This article will not go away. The New York Times recently did not print two columns from their sports staff because of their content. Since then, these stories have been printed, but in an edited form. Araton’s story was one of these columns. This story has already been spread throughout the journalist world. Nobody likes the idea of censorship. Everybody is going to go to the Times web page to read these stories. I know I did. Once I saw the AP story about how the Times refused to run the stories, I wanted to read them.

So, we can expect, perhaps, that Burk will throw the weight of her bully pulpit behind those seeking to protect the proportionality quota. That decision may have already been made. What would that do? First, because she took on Augusta, Burk can get attention from the press whenever she wants. Also, Burk represents over 100 women’s organizations, not only a whos-who of radical feminist groups, but also many others that simply deal with issues involving women. Each of these groups have staff, board of directors, members and, more importantly, budgets, a combination of vast resources that can be placed behind the battle to protect the quota.

When I was attending the San Diego Title IX Commission hearings, the strength of our opponents became quite clear to me. Without a doubt, the audience was mostly female, mostly in support of proportionality, often stridently critical and angry. They came from all over the nation, and from every level of California life. The tone of the entire process had changed. In the first three hearings, the debate was balanced, with people on both sides of the issue getting a chance to debate. In San Diego, we saw some heavy hitters, from actress Geena Davis to NCAA boss Cedric Dempsey, to politicians and so-called ‘experts.’ Dr. Donna Lopiano, the leader of the quota defendants, forcefully questioned the integrity of the panel process. In San Diego, on press row, I sat with J Robinson, head coach at the Univ. of Minnesota and a leader in the fight for change, and we marveled at these people in action.

I wondered at the time whether this was all planned. Did they decide right from the beginning to win the final hearing in San Diego as part of the overall strategy? Or were they panicking, because the proponents of change had done well in the first three hearings and probably won the Colorado Springs debate? Or is this the unique nature of California, a very liberal community? I am not sure that I will ever know, nor if it matters.

I was also speaking with a politically-savvy colleague who I respect, and we noted that there were so many people there from a well-entrenched Title IX cottage industry. It seemed like everybody that spoke at the open microphone was a ‘Title IX Consultant,’ or a ‘Gender Equity Specialist,’ or a ‘Chairperson of a Title IX Committee.’ These people and their jobs have become a part of every level of sports, education, politics and American life. They see a challenge to Title IX as a challenge to their career and their ability to feed their family. There is no doubt that they are motivated to defend the status quo with every ounce of their energy.

Kimberly Schuld, who previously worked at the Independent Women’s Forum and testified as a panelist at the San Diego meeting, gave me her new book entitled ‘Guide to Feminist Organizations.’ Schuld has long been a leader seeking sanity in the Title IX debate. Her book lists tons of groups that work full-time to pursue the feminist agenda. Many of these groups will become unleashed in the Title IX debate if Burk gets involved. You can expect it.

We have not yet seen the power of the Women’s Sports Foundation, either. This is a group that claims to represent all women and girl athletes and has a tremendous budget. The most important mission of this organization is defending and enforcing Title IX. In June, the Women’s Sports Foundation posted on its webpage about the hundreds of thousands of dollars that it had recently spent defending Title IX. Now, six months later, how much do you think they have spent? This organization charges over $1,000 a plate just to attend their annual banquet. A friend of mine from the Olympic family made a comment that seems very true. The battle concerning Title IX has done the Women’s Sports Foundation a major favor, by allowing them to beat the drum and expand their fundraising. They will have funding for a huge public relations campaign. You can bank on it.

We have not heard yet from all the media members who are expected to come out against change. Christine Brennan from USA Today, Sally Jenkins from the Washington Post and many other prominent journalists have yet to do their most recent take from the Commission hearings. The NCAA just announced that Commission member Donna de Varona will receive its most prestigious award, the Theodore Roosevelt Award or ‘Teddy.’ Certainly, Title IX will be part of her acceptance speech, which will be widely circulated. Next, the stories will leave the sports pages and enter the news and editorial pages, where many journalists are certain to line up with those seeking to stop change.

Let’s say that the Commission resists the tremendous pressure they will face in the upcoming weeks and follows through with a request for reform. Then, it will be up to the Department of Education to follow through by actually changing the rules. That is, if they have the courage to do this. This won’t be done quickly. The National Wrestling Coaches Association has sued the Department because it may not have followed the proper procedures in making changes in 1996 and before. The Bush Administration will not make that mistake. They will go through all of the correct steps to legally put into place any adjustments. This takes time, and allows those who are against change a chance to continue the public fight.

The women’s sports organizations are seeking to make Title IX a major national issue, a part of the next Presidential campaign. They will claim that changing Title IX will cause all of America’s women to vote against Bush and the Republicans in the next election. Even though this is not true, they may actually believe it, and they will certainly try to make it happen.

It will take courage for the Bush leadership to make substantial changes about Title IX. Remember that this is a political world, and Bush and all of his people are politicians. Doing the right thing is not easy in this climate, no doubt about it. But now is the time for change, and we can’t allow this opportunity to go away.

Does this reality scare you a bit? It should. What it means is that we can not stop the fight, we can not put down our fists, not for a minute. The coalition for change must continue to grow, and we must reach out for as many people as we can. We must continue to educate people and continue to tell the truth, no matter how bad things get in the public debate. We have to work hard with our local and state politicians. We have to create or recruit more organizations that will argue our case in every community.

Team Georgia, the USA Wrestling organization in Georgia, is setting an example. They have created a brochure on Title IX and are distributing it all across the state. They have written an editorial seeking Title IX reform and sent it to every media outlet in Georgia. They are fighting the battle in their own back yard, the way grassroots campaigns are won.

It may soon be time to bring some more powerful players into the game. Within sports, that means activating football, which has tremendous clout but has been quite silent in the debate to date. Within politics, that means finding non-sports organizations that oppose the feminist agenda, and others that seek common sense solutions, and getting them to step into the fray. If this thing goes big-time, a bunch of wrestlers and Olympic sports people won’t have the power to win the war. Standing alone, we could get squashed like a bug. That, however, is a topic for another column.

P.S. - Anybody who sees a newspaper story or media report about Title IX in the upcoming months are asked to post them in the Title IX Bulletin Board on TheMat.com. Put up the link to the story, or tell us how to find the report. I plan to personally respond to every single journalist that is spreading the view of our opponents and ask them to give me a call to discuss Title IX. (Already this week, I have emailed four of them and received no responses). I need your help in identifying these stories. Thanks in advance.