March 28, 2001

Question from Marc Hagemeier:Ms. Joyce, Title IX, when it was enacted boasted awareness and forced equality on the playing fields of colleges all over this country. Women's athletics such as the WNBA, the soon to come women's soccer league and the popularity, growth and awareness of major women's team sports have made women's athletics as popular as ever. What do you feel still needs to happen to further bring women's sports up to the same level of popularity, equality and awareness. I am sure when you were an athlete you didn't have some of the opportunities which are now available to female athletes in and out of college today.

A:While Title IX has existed for over 25 years, there still needs to be a lot done before we reach equality in women's sports. While the number of women's collegiate sports have increased as well as the number of women student-athletes, there are still a number of schools not in compliance. The area of greatest need for improvement is the area of equal pay for equal work. While women's teams have both improved in performance and quality, the coaches should be compensated comparable to their male counterparts. The women athlete of today can truly enjoy the many benefits from Title IX, but I don't regret my playing experience. In my day, there were few material rewards or benefits, we played for the love of the sport.