Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 states that: “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…
In collegiate sports, Title IX essentially provides that men and women must have equivalent athletic opportunities. Given the budget constraints of collegiate athletic departments, deference is usually given to revenue generating sports, such as football and basketball, and other sports have to be cut to weighing the two major factors: 1) Cost of the sport, and 2) Compliance with Title IX. Quinnipiac University attempted to cut its women’s volleyball program, arguing that its cheerleading program was a qualifying varsity sport under Title IX. A US District Court Judge in Connecticut found that the school failed to provide equivalent athletic opportunities to male and female athletes, and further noted that:
“Competitive cheer may, sometime in the future, qualify as a sport under Title IX; today, however, the activity is still too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated as offering genuine varsity athletic participation opportunities for students…”