Description

           The problem to be addressed by this study is the lack of funding in college women's sports. Women's college sports are underfunded, ignored, and sometimes even eliminated from the athletic departments. Also, women’s sport in most levels attracts less funding than male sports. The lack of funding affects advertising which creates a smaller fan base.  The smaller fan base is the result from the lack of popularity of these women's sports. As a result more women sports are left without the resources and funding to advance their college careers (Oates, 2019). The funding gap results in inadequate equipment and facilities.

            For example, at one institution the administration spent approximately $650,000 to upgrade their baseball complex, while the softball program was left without a suitable place to play their games. The softball program found a place to play and requested $30,000 to make improvements to look like a collegiate field and it was rejected. Male athletes get $179 million more in respect to scholarships than female athletes.

          Women college sports should receive the same support as their counterparts. Funding similar to men will give women the ability to compete in their sport. At the World Economic Forum, the participation improved for women sports. During the 2009-2010 academic years, women’s programs received 40 percent of athletic funds. While this improvement is huge, with that in mind, women received less than half of athletic budgets even though they made up more than 53 percent of college students (Duffy, 2017).  Therefore, it is crucial for the future of women’s sports to be funded equally. Without equitable playing field women’s sports receive the message that they will always be less important than men’s sports. Decisions like these will impact the younger generation of women athletes.

References

Oates, K. (2019). Body image, sexism among barriers to women's sports participation. Retrieved from globalsportmatters: https://globalsportmatters.com/culture/2019/02/11/body-image-sexism-among-barriers-to-womens-sports-participation/#:~:text=The%20lack%20of%20money%20comes,Foundation%20lists%2C%20there%20is%20hope.

Duffy. (, 2017). Retrieved from peak: https://duffylawct.com/title-ix/title-ix-athletics/can-a-college-or-high-school-cut-or-reduce-funding-for-its-womens-sports-teams-under-title-ix/

Peak. (, 2019). We need to recognize female athletes with equitable funding and coverage.    Retrieved from peak: https://the-peak.ca/2019/06/we-need-to-recognize-female-athletes-with-equitable-funding-and-coverage/