Leveled Playing Field?

June 24 -- Thirty years after the federal government forced colleges to give women athletes equal opportunities to those offered to men, a new cry of unfair treatment is rising. This time, it's the men who say they're being treated unfairly.

"We are in the gym everyday, six days a week up to four hours a day every day, blood sweat and tears," said Jeffrey Krok, a freshman gymnast at the University of Massachusetts.

Krok's gymnastics team — along with six other University of Massachusetts sports teams — are being eliminated because of budget cuts. Male athletes try not to point fingers in blame, but some attribute the loss of the teams on Title IX — the law designed to provide equal opportunities for athletes who are women.

Since becoming law in 1972, Title IX has led to the creation of more than 350 college teams for women's sports. During that same period, however, more than 400 men's teams have been eliminated.

The explosion of women's sports helped pave the way for professional leagues and a new generation of female superstars. "I look at my life and just how much sports has enhanced it and the opportunities I have been given because of Title IX," said women's soccer star Mia Hamm.

Maintaining a Balance

Under current government regulations, the best way schools can comply with Title IX and avoid costly lawsuits is to make sure the percentage of male and female athletes is roughly equal to the percentage of male and female students on campus.

"We kept Title IX in mind all along because we had to make sure our numbers were absolutely correct," said Bill Strickland, interim athletic director for U-Mass. "We had a Title IX consultant come in and make sure that we were OK."

But maintaining that balance is difficult, because no matter how many women's programs are added, young men still go out for sports in larger numbers. So, schools often find that the easiest way to achieve gender balance is to cut men's programs — usually low-profile sports such as wrestling, track or gymnastics. Twenty years ago, for example, 130 men's gymnastics programs existed on college campuses. Today, there are fewer than 35.