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I wanted to share some additional information to help further clarify some of the questions that have been raised related to the Quinnipiac cheerleading team and the recent court decision. It is important to realize this case was not questioning the athleticism of cheerleading. There is no question that cheerleading is a sport in the general sense. This case was to decide if a university could use a competitive cheerleading team to meet Title IX requirements. The Court’s decision does not speak to high school or All-Star cheerleading teams.
While I’m not a Title IX expert, I wanted to share some basic information which I hope will be helpful to better understand the discussion of developing cheerleading as an intercollegiate sport.
So, what exactly is Title IX? It’s a federal law put in place to ensure equal opportunities for men and women in educational programs and activities at schools.
There are several requirements schools must meet to comply with Title IX. Here are just a few regulations I think are most relevant as it relates to cheerleading:
- Schools must provide a proportionally equal amount of male and female athletic opportunities.
- Schools must show they are continually committed to creating more athletic opportunities for women.
- Schools must provide proportionally equal athletic scholarship opportunities for male and female students.
- There are many other requirements schools must meet, including providing men and women equal access to equipment, game times, coaching and practice facilities, among others.
The Women’s Sports Foundation has published a lot of information explaining Title IX. I’ve found their resources to be very useful, and would encourage you to visit some of the following websites if you’re interested in learning more about Title IX requirements for schools:
- Understanding Title IX and Athletics 101
http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Articles/Issues/Title-IX/U/Understanding-Title-IX-and-Athletics-101.aspx
- What is Title IX?
http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Issues-And-Research/Title-IX/What-is-Title-IX.aspx
As we continue collaborating with our colleagues in the cheerleading community to develop a new format that would allow a form of competition cheerleading to be recognized as an intercollegiate sport, USA Cheer will be working closely with Title IX experts to ensure the new format meets the requirements of Title IX. And as always, we’ll continue our work to promote and grow other forms of cheerleading at every level, including high school and All-Star.
Best,
Bill Seely
Executive Director, USA Cheer
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