In response to Brian Gunsolley’s letter “Title IX to blame for loss of baseball” (April 9), I feel that certain topics need to be explained. First and foremost, Title IX was a law passed in 1972 to prevent sex discrimination based on gender in all activities in which schools receive federal funding, which has been extensively applied to female athletics in order to expand the opportunities for female athletes. Therefore, yes, Title IX does require that athletic departments provide approximately equal amounts of funding and scholarships to women’s and men’s sports teams, but this requirement is due to the fact that funding is a type of discrimination.

The comment made about men’s sports being more exciting and interesting and that is why they have more attendance is ludicrous. Have you ever been to a WNBA game or seen women’s professional soccer? You fail to recall that when baseball first went professional its players were poorly paid and lacked attendance at games. It takes time to build interest.

Another statement that you failed to research was that there is indeed a women’s professional softball league. It is called National Pro Fastpitch (www.profastpitch.com).

The men’s baseball team wasn’t cut from the athletic department due to Title IX — it was cut due to the athletic department’s inability to manage money. An analogy to this situation would be parents who have two boys. These boys are given every athletic opportunity available, but then one day the parents have a baby girl. When she grows up and decides she too wants to play sports, what do you do? There are three choices. First you could tell her that you won’t support her financially and that if she wants to play sports she will have to pay for it herself. Second, you could choose one of your sons and tell them that you will no longer support him in order to support your daughter. Lastly, you could pool all of the money that will be spent on athletes and reallocate the funds so everyone receives equal opportunities.

The problem isn’t Title IX, it is the athletic department’s inability to deny men’s football and basketball. Yes, men’s football does bring a lot of money into the athletic department; however, the lesser-known fact is that at the majority of Division I schools in the nation, the football teams spend more money than what they bring in. Therefore, don’t blame a law which has enabled so many girls and women opportunities that their mothers only dreamed off.

Ashley Souder

Freshman

Genetics and math