Fourteenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

Fifty years since its passage, Title IX and intercollegiate athletics continue to be in conflict. Though plenty of research has been done regarding the two, there has been little research that practitioners can use in real-world contexts. This study explores two Big Ten institutions, the University of Minnesota and the University of Illinois, to better understand the why public universities are still struggling with Title IX compliance. The purpose of this study is to explore various institutional and athletic department characteristics and their potential impact on an institution’s compliance with Title IX’s proportionality component. Using a qualitative multi-case study, I focus on two Division I institutions to develop a better understanding of how institutional structures and market forces have impacted Title IX compliance. This study examines Equity in Athletics Data Analysis (EADA) and institutional data, institutional and external reports, documents, meeting minutes, and memos to compare these institutional and athletic department characteristics and contextualize their impact on institutional Title IX compliance. Espinoza’s (2007) equity-equality framework as well as a structuralism/subordination framework were used to examine various institutional characteristics and Title IX compliance at these two Power 5 institutions.