It’s spring, well, sort of. For many, spring means getting out and enjoying some nice days of playing intramural sports golf, or doing anything outside.

While it is officially spring, there seems to be some things missing. Maybe it is the green grass being covered by the snow or it could be that the useless snow fences are still up reminding us of winter. No, that isn’t it. Oh wait, I know what it is! I almost forgot, just like the athletic department did. Baseball is missing!

In a recent article published in the Daily, Bruce Van De Velde was asked whether the baseball program was cut because of Title IX. He was quoted as saying, “I wouldn’t say that Title IX was the reason. It was a financial decision that we had to make at that time.”

Money. It is what it all comes down to. But I find this statement by Van De Velde a little hard to believe. Maybe directly, Title IX didn’t have anything to do with cutting the program, but indirectly, it most definitely did.

Let me elaborate. One of the requirements of Title IX roughly says that universities and high schools must give out athletic scholarships to men and women proportional to the ratio of men and women in the student body. So we have some women’s sports running around here for the solely because of Title IX. While I agree and support women’s sports, there comes a time when someone has to say that not everything is going to be equal.

Just think if Title IX was imposed on life outside of school. WNBA players would have to be paid the same amount as Michael Jordan. Seem extreme? It should! And for those of you out there saying, “Well, why don’t WNBA players get paid at the same rate as Jordan?” I have one thing to say: Overall, men’s sports are more exciting.

There is no use in trying to get around this fact. Just look at the differences in attendance at any sporting event. The PGA to the LPGA, the NBA to the WNBA, MLB to, well, nothing! That’s odd, why isn’t there a professional softball league? Because not enough people care to support them!

So why in college do we have these sports that no one cares about? Because of Title IX.

We also have some men’s sports that most people simply do not care about, along with the women’s. When was the last time anyone camped out in front of the ticket office for tickets to a cross-country meet, tennis match or golf meet?

Why do you think that is? Probably because the majority of the student body doesn’t care. At least baseball attracted fans! We charter these teams around the country but we can’t afford a baseball team? The university can have an entire golf course, but can’t pay to upkeep an acre ball field? The women’s field looks like it is doing just fine from the view of the pitchers mound at Cap Timm Field. And thanks to the baseball club, Cap Timm still looks respectable and hasn’t been turned into dorms like Clyde Williams football field that many new students probably don’t even know about.

The university has the money, it just isn’t telling the public so everyone doesn’t bash Title IX. You can’t tell me when you sell 50,000 football tickets, all the money is used and none is left for baseball. And if that is the case, charge an extra $1 each game. That is at least an extra $600,000 if there are six home games. So why not charge this extra $1? Because no one could afford ’10-10-220′ and the baseball team would put the university in breach of Title IX!

Title IX looks good on paper, but it isn’t working. I do believe that women should be given the same right to attend college, but it could be done through academic scholarships or some other manner. It should not be done at the expense of America’s pastime. So next time Mr. Van De Velde, give the real reason for there not being a baseball team. Don’t beat around the bush and give us some lame excuse so you can protect the integrity of Title IX.

Brian Gunsolley

Junior

Meteorology