A study released by the NCAA shows that from '92 to
'97, women's athletic programs at NCAA member schools
"generally gained" in participation, scholarship dollars,
coaches' salaries and recruiting expenditures, but "failed
to gain much ground" in operating expenditures. The study
gathered data in '96 and compared it to data gathered in
'91. While operating expenditures grew 89% for women's
programs, they grew 139% for men's programs in the same time
period. At the Division 1-A level, women's athletics
"gained slightly" in the percentage of operating
expenditures, 21% versus 20%, but gained only $400,230 as
compared to an increase of close to $1.4M for the average
men's program (NCAA). NCAA Exec Dir Cedric Dempsey: "I
think after seeing the results all of us were disappointed.
... At this rate, it will take about 10 to 12 years before
we reach equity." NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics Chair
Patricia Viverito: "It is disheartening to see that 25 years
since Title IX, how slow the progress in this area is" (N.Y.
TIMES, 4/29). The study of its 110 member schools cost the
NCAA around $100,000 (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 4/29).
