Diversity In Athletics

[Guest 97and03]

From Athletic Management

Most athletics administrators say their everything's fine with their diversity initiatives and are just looking for a little outside expertise. In recent years, the issue of diversity in athletic department hiring has made headlines. Rick Villarreal, UNT athletic director, says that diversity is one of the most important issues in athletics today. UNT won a 2007 Diversity in Athletics Award from the Laboratory for Diversity in Sport at Texas A&M University. Cinnamon Sheffield, associate athletic director for student services and senior women's administrator, also is quoted.

[KRAM1]

NICE!

[GrandGreen]

From Athletic Management

Most athletics administrators say their everything's fine with their diversity initiatives and are just looking for a little outside expertise. In recent years, the issue of diversity in athletic department hiring has made headlines. Rick Villarreal, UNT athletic director, says that diversity is one of the most important issues in athletics today. UNT won a 2007 Diversity in Athletics Award from the Laboratory for Diversity in Sport at Texas A&M University. Cinnamon Sheffield, associate athletic director for student services and senior women's administrator, also is quoted.

Has any school actually been punished for inequality in providing resources to men and women athletics? I think title IX has provided great opportunities for women but I also think it is a great burden on athletic programs. NT is apparently a leader in gender equality but what exactly does that provide to NT? Are great women athletes scrambling to get into NT because NT is a leader in diversity? Are females which are the significant majority at NT rushing to support women's teams. I suppose it is better to be a leader in equality then not, but IMO title IX is just another set of NCAA rules that continue to further divide the haves from the have-nots.

[GoMeanGreen1999]

What happened to "97and03?"

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

I agree with everything that Grand Green said and would add another view as well.

I don't care for the buzzword "diversity". We are all diverse. None of us had the same parents, church, upbringing, community values, etc. It seems to me that a new word covering racial and sexual discrimination should have been coined. Diversity is not one of the most important facets of athletic life. However, denial of a job or scholarship to anyone because to race (and in some cases sex) is extremely important. A person should be hired on the basis of their accomplishments, not on the color of their skin. The same is true for athletes. Give us the best that we can get and we'll not worry about race. Don't throw in a less qualified white for balance while eliminating a more talented black athlete. The same should be true for coaches and it should work vice versa.

Title IX will not create equity in athletics nor do I think that it should. There are more female college students than male ubt there are more male athletes, period. It was true in early life (more young boys play sports) and it is true in later life (more male professional athletes than female). Why should the middle phase be proportionate to the student body? Are the male/female athlete ratio supposed to shrink during college and expand again after graduation? No, I think that Title IX is to avoid flagrant misuse of athletic funds by one sex over the other.

We are one of the most Title IX compliant universities in the nation. I don't know how many more wins that has brought us but I guess that we deserve an award for effort.

Edited July 6, 2008 by GrayEagleOne