Thank you, Susan Smith, for initiating an alert about the PBS programs.
The obvious bias in their description of the Title IX program was
irritating, but the icing was when I discovered ultra-conservative Larry
Elder was the host, I had to send my comments. I also suggested to the
Feminist Majority http://www.feminist.org/news/news.html that they
post an action alert. Listed below is the email I sent to PBS
http://www.pbs.org
Sharon Hushka <sharynh@earthlink.net>
4/20/99
PBS
Your slogan, "I F P B S D O E S N ' T D O I T , W H O W I L L ?"
suggests a boldness and authenticity, but your program scheduled to
air on April 23, 1999 is clearly biased against women athletes and
education equity advocates. Instead of involving women who are experts
in the field of Title IX, women who have struggled to be allowed the
opportunity to play, you selected ultra conservative commentator Larry
Elder.
Title IX is essential to ensure equitable athletic opportunities; it's a
myth that women's participation compromises men's opportunities; and
much work is still need to create level playing fields.
Before Title IX, women were discriminated against and excluded from
participating in sports. Those who struggled through played on the
oldest fields, had limited budgets (if any), and had few opportunities
to choose from. In 1971, 1 in 27 girls participated in high school
sports. In 1994, 1 in 3 participated. Meanwhile, boys continued from
1971 to 1994 to participate at a rate of 1 in 2. (Women's Sports
Foundation).
It's a myth that women's participation compromises men's opportunities.
In fact, since the enactment of Title IX, for every new dollar spent on
women, two new dollars were spent on men. (NCAA, D.L. Fulks report
"Revenues & Expenses of Intercollegiate Athletic Programs, 1993). It
would be more useful to look into the bloated rosters and budgets of
football teams that disproportionally consume school athletic budgets.
Is it really necessary to have 105 football players with 85 on full-ride
scholarships? Because of the alleged sacredness of football, some
schools cut minor men's sports. Those athletes and supporters tend to
blame women and gender equity, but they also do not want to see men's
athletic opportunities unreasonably restricted.
There's a myth that most men's football and men's basketball teams
generate money for their colleges. Football teams for Division I-A
schools have increased their percentage of deficit. In 1981, the rate of
deficit was 24%, but in 1989, 45% of Division I-A football school teams
ran an average deficit of $638,000. Football, overall is not a school
money maker. In fact, Harvard, Cornell, Yale, Wellesley, Mt. Holyoke,
Smith, and Bryn Mawr do not have either men's football or men's
basketball teams, yet are listed as having the most alumni giving per
student statistics. (Feminist Majority's "Empowering Women in Sports").
Title IX has only begun to be felt, inequity is still the rule instead
of the exception. For example, according to NCAA Gender Equity Study,
1992, 80% of the athletic operating budget goes to men's sports, leaving
only 20% for women's sports. Another problem is the administrative and
coaching ceiling where 75% of all high school teams are coached by men,
only 2% of men's teams are coached by women, (Feminist Majority, Women
in Sports) and in 24.4 percent of the women's programs, no woman is part
of their administration (Acosta & Carpenter, 1994's Women in
Intercollegiate Sport, 1977 -1994).
If PBS wants to be a voice of accurate and fair documentaries, consult
the experts, the players, and the people who can tell of their struggles
and challenges they know is real.
Sincerely,
Sharon Hushka
sharynh@earthlink.net
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