Team 2: Story 1: Title IX and the effects of NIL

History

Title IX became a law in 1972 to stop discrimination that was based on gender in schools that receive federal money from the government. Title IX is a civil rights law that was part of the Educational Amendments. While it was originally written and designed to ensure fairness in education, it also crossed over and made a huge difference in sports, especially for women's sports. The law states: “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.” This applies to all private and public schools, colleges, and universities that receive federal funds. Before the Title IX law, women had very few opportunities to play sports in college. In 1972, only around thirty thousand women competed in college athletic programs, when compared to almost one hundred and seventy thousand men in college athletics.  

The women’s teams were underfunded, they had very poor facilities, and women were rarely offered scholarships. Women made up only two percent of college athletes at this time the law was passed. The Title IX law required schools to give women and men the same or equal opportunities in sports. The law said that schools did not have to spend the same amount of money on both women and men, but they had to provide the same fair chances for participation in sports, for scholarships, and for the resources associated with the sport. At the beginning, a lot of the schools resisted the law because they were concerned about what cuts would come to the men’s programs. However, over time, the rules and the lawsuits helped enforce the Title IX law and highly encouraged schools to comply.  

This law helped to change a cultural mindset by promoting gender equality. It opened doors for women by creating opportunities in leadership roles. Since the Title IX law passed, there have been tremendous improvements for women in sports. In 2023, over two hundred and seventy-five thousand women were currently competing in college athletics, this is a four hundred percent increase since Title IX was passed in 1972. Women’s athletic teams now receive better funding, improved facilities, and much more media attention than before. Programs such as the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team and Stanford’s women’s soccer team have become incredibly successful and popular. High school girls’ participation in sports has currently grown significantly from only 1 in 27 before the Title IX law to about 1 in 2.5 today with girls participating in athletics.  

Even though the Title IX law has helped women’s sports grow, there are still challenges that need to be addressed. The men’s college teams, especially the teams at the big Division I schools, usually get more money than women’s teams at the same school. This challenge means that the men’s programs often have better facilities, more or better equipment, which creates more resources. This can obviously make it harder for the women’s teams to compete at the same level. It is also found that women are underrepresented in the leadership roles within sports, these leadership roles are positions such as coaching and being athletic directors. Only about twenty five percent of these jobs are held by women. This means that fewer female voices are heard in the decision-making process for the sports programs at schools.  

This lack of representation in leadership can affect how women’s teams are supported and prioritized. Another challenge is the gap in scholarships between male and female athletes. Female athletes miss out on over one billion in scholarships each year when compared to the male athletes. Scholarships are important because they help students pay for college while allowing them to focus on their sport. When women do not receive as many scholarships, it limits the opportunities to play sports and get an education at the same time. The funding of scholarships and the leadership gaps show us that while Title IX has made a lot of progress, there is still work to be done to make things truly equal for everyone in sports. Schools and organizations need to continue to push for fairness so that all athletes, male and female, have the same chances to succeed. New challenges have recently emerged with the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals that allow college athletes to earn money from brands.  

Critics are concerned that these NIL deals favor the male athletes in extremely popular sports like football and basketball. Others will argue that Title IX has caused challenges for men’s sports. For example, schools will sometimes cut men’s non-revenue sports programs, like wrestling or gymnastics, instead of spreading resources more evenly across all the teams. Football programs often get a large share of athletic budgets, which can leave less funding for other sports. However, football also brings in considerable funds for the schools, so the funding is usually warranted. However, this becomes a challenge for the smaller sports that are less profitable.  Despite these challenges, Title IX continues to break down barriers and create more opportunities for everyone. It has changed how people view gender roles in sports and has shown that both men and women can succeed at athletics at any level. To keep its promise of fairness alive, it’s important to keep working and moving forward toward equality in all areas of athletics. 

In the end, the Title IX law is a powerful tool that has helped play sports and education fairer for both males and females. It continues to remind us that everyone deserves equal opportunities, whether they are playing sports or studying in school. By continuing to support and improve Title IX, we can make sure that all students have the chance to succeed and reach their full potential. This means keeping an eye on new challenges like NIL deals and working together to solve them. As we move forward, it’s exciting to think about all the amazing things that athletes and students can achieve when they have equal chances to succeed. 

The group angle on the story that we came up with was that as a group we decided to make it about the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL).  The deals that men and women college athletes get and how Title IX changed the world of sports for men and women athletes. Title IX, passed in 1972, made a big difference in sports by giving equal opportunities to male and female athletes. Before Title IX, there were not many female coaches for sports like basketball, soccer, or other teams. Women had fewer chances to play sports or take on leadership roles. After Title IX was passed, things started to change. It required schools to provide equal opportunities for men and women in sports, which led to more teams being created and more coaching positions being available. 

However, even though Title IX created more coaching jobs, most of these positions were filled by men instead of women. These left women underrepresented in leadership roles, like head coaches or athletic directors. Over time, the percentage of women coaching female teams has gone down since Title IX was first passed. This is because of challenges and biases against women and the sports network is mostly controlled by men. Women coaches often face barriers such as being excluded from important conversations or not having mentors to help them grow in their careers. These challenges make it harder for women to get hired or move up in leadership positions in sports. 

In 2021, another big change happened in college sports with the introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals. These deals allow college athletes to make money from their personal brands, they can make money by signing sponsorships, promoting products on social media, or appearing in ads. NIL deals have been a major financial opportunity for student-athletes because they can now earn money while still playing college sports. However, NIL deals have also shown some unfairness between male and female athletes. Studies show that men receive about 66% of NIL deals, while women only get 34%. This means men are earning much more money from these opportunities than women are. Even though women are becoming more successful in sports like gymnastics and basketball, they still don’t get as many NIL deals as male athletes do. This highlights how unfairness still exists when it comes to paying athletes based on their gender. NIL deals have also raised concerns about how they might affect college sports overall. Some people worry that focusing too much on money and sponsorships might take attention away from athletic development and teamwork. Instead of focusing on improving their skills or competing at their best, some athletes might focus more on making money through NIL deals. 

Overall, both Title IX and NIL deals have brought positive changes to college sports for men and women. While they have created new opportunities for athletes, there are still challenges and inequalities that need to be addressed so everyone can have a fair chance to succeed in sports and leadership roles. 

NIL Personal Take

The colossal seismic shift for the female athletes when the Title IX act was established in 1972. Women by law have been guaranteed fair access to resources like men. Over the last 50 years, there has been a supernova of involvement related to women’s athletics. While this has ignited many opportunities, there has been a new problem that has risen. With the implementation of Name, Image, and Likeness(NIL), there are more problems that have been raised that correlate to females receiving the same financial outlets. 

It’s no secret that college athletics produces mass amounts of revenue for schools across the country. For most of the existence of the collegiate sports, players have made the money for their respected programs, but did not see any compensation for their work. Nearly four years ago in July of 2021, states passed laws to allow student athletes to earn money passed on their NIL and it has vastly changed how the sports economy works. Since the law passed, athletes have taken advantage of endorsements, commercials, and advertisements on their social media. Many schools have created a funding program for donors to give money for players. While this has been great for some athletes, this has raised many question marks at who is receiving most of the money.  

While NIL has brought about great good for student athletes, it has created a new set of problems with male athletes profiting significantly more than women from their hundreds of thousands even million-dollar contracts. Based on recent reports, it proves that football and men’s basketball receive the most about of money through NIL. In recent years we have seen women’s basketball explode in popularity due to the likes of Catlin Clark, Angel Reece, and Paige Beechers. Although ratings and recognition has seen spikes, it has not been enough to reach the same financial deals of men’s basketball and football. Women’s sports simply don’t receive the same amount of exposure and interest that men’s athletics attain. 

From the beginning, the Department of Education originally stated they thought aid athletes should receive the same. That idea of equal distribution has since diminished and is far from Title IX values. Now that schools do not go in the direction of Title IX schools have the liberty to pick and choose where they want NIL money to be dealt. This only begin to become a bigger space between men’s and women’s. 

Some potential ways to these problems are to start with marketing and increase the media that the women’s athletics receive. Along with that other schools have created their own in-house program to introduce female student athletes to local business to go about starting a sponsorship. If the right amount of attention is given to this group of athletes, then a domino effect will take place for these players.  

Even more steps are being taken to even the playing field. Discussions are being held to negotiate a fair agreement on how revenue is shared amongst players. With NIL becoming such a debate, the idea of players being considered employees of the universities has been tossed around. This would force schools to adhere to strict guidelines so that both sides receive equitable compensation. 

We have been able to discuss with sports information directors at Mississippi State who are actively working to highlight female athletes press releases and through strong social media presence. As this develops more traction is beginning to come through the doors, women’s athletics even though challenges are still prevalent in the broad market. 

Safe to say that Title IX has revolutionized the system of college athletics. The entire landscape is completely different from 5 to 10 years ago. An entirely different “game” is being played before the game is actually played. NIL has shown light on new issues that need to be addressed that even Title IX is not ready to address. While there is not a better time for women to develop revenue through their own personal brand, the revenue sharing is off balance and weighs in favor of the male, largely due to them creating mass amounts of money through their games. 

No one particular school has crafted the perfect “serum” to treat this case, but many universities are trying to find their footing as they walk through the ever-changing dynamics. Some work harder than others to bring prominence to the overlooked and some leave the responsibility up to the other schools. It is going to have to be an all-hands-on deck mentality in order to bring about true equal opportunities for all athletes.   

 

NIL Personal Effects

Title IX has been done so much for female athletes. It has given them the power to compete at the higher levels of women’s athletics. Training and playing has given these athletes a platform to be seen on these platforms. Even though female athletes are making strides in the NIL department. The real-life impact of these policies has been comprehended by the testimonies of these players and the statistical analyses of participation rates and earnings. 

One clear cut example of how much Title IX has impacted these female athletes is how gaining a scholarship to a school has opened doors for their professional career. We have seen athletes like Serena Williams and Sue Bird, who are some of the greatest in their respected sports give credit to college athletics shaping their careers. It is safe to say none of this would have happened had Title IX not been implemented. Before it was put into effect, even the best female athletes didn’t sniff compensation. This put a financial burden just to attend schools. In the new era of the NCAA, women are receiving opportunities to have full ride scholarships. 

Title IX ensures that schools must provide equivalent resources and scholarships to both male and female athletes. Since the resurgence of NIL, Title IX has not applied to this scenario. While Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Buekers have dominated women’s basketball over the past few years, their major sponsorship deals do not balance out the irregularities. Male athletes profit significantly more off NIL plain and simple. Arch Manning has profited nearly 7 million dollars from playing football at the University of Texas. To put this into perspective he is made more money than the head women’s basketball coach at Texas, Vic Shafer, who has a contract for just over 2 million a year. 
More than half of the of NIL money transfers over to the men and football is at the helm of it. Although thanks to the female athletes that have put women’s athletics on the map like Caitlin Clark and Paige Buekers, female athletes are still not compensated despite the growing popularity and media presence.  

NIL is now a completely different part of the game that has caused much stress for these schools and athletes. All players feel the need to change the way they present themselves in order to conform to the mold these sponsors want them to be.  
Coaching now has a different level to it as well if women now entering positions of leadership. We see that is the case at Mississippi State with Samantha Ricketts(softball) and Julie Darty Denis(volleyball) these positions are now possible due to the effects of Title IX. While this has been added, women coaches are still in the minority. 

Some programs are committed to ensuring equal distribution within NIL. South Carolina and Stanford are just two of the programs that have put plans in place to connect these women athletes to have business opportunities. It has made an impact to success as both have well respected women’s athletic programs. 

Ultimately, Title IX has provided a foundation for gender equity in college sports, but it is up to current and future generations to ensure that its principles are upheld in the NIL era. The personal stories of athletes navigating these challenges serve as reminders that while progress has been made, the fight for true equality in college athletics is far from over. 
At the end of the day, Title IX has do great good for the women in college sports today, but with NIL hanging in the balance it is up to the next generation to makes sure the ideals of Title IX are upheld. The personal stories of how athletes have overcome these obstacles are positive signs but only the beginning in the long road ahead for equal opportunities in college athletics.  

 

Email the team at jc4773@msstate.edu with any questions

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