$76,339.
In the most recently available report from the U.S. Department of Education, that is how much more money was spent on men’s sports than women’s sports at Neumann in 2022-2023.
Doesn’t sound very fair, does it?
Not at all.
Does that even comply with Title IX?
Actually, it does.
“Dollars and cents is not the best way to measure Title IX compliance. To quote the NCAA, Title IX “examines the total program afforded to male student-athletes and the total program afforded to female student-athletes and whether each program meets the standards of equal treatment,” says professor and Faculty Athletic Representative Joe Glass.
Variations within the men’s and women’s program are allowed, as long as the variations are justified,” Glass continues.
Understanding that a dollar amount doesn’t determine Title IX compliance still leaves unanswered the question, “why are men’s sports being funded so much more?”
John Krimmel, the athletic director at Neumann, gave potential reasons as to why this discrepancy exists.
First, the team’ schedule could play a role.
The conference games are decided by the conference itself. The games played against non-conference opponents, however, are organized by the coach.
If the coach can’t find local opponents, teams will have to travel farther and farther away to find games and fill out their schedules. This makes travel costs vary team by team.
Traveling is not cheap.
Roster size can also be a big factor.
An extra few more people on a team is a few more people’s travel expenses that need to be covered and a few more people who need to be dressed and equipped.
Equipment can be another factor, too, and it is important to acknowledge the differences in required equipment between men’s and women’s sports.
Krimmel pointed out lacrosse, in particular, which is a great example to help explain the difference.
In men’s lacrosse, players wear gloves and helmets, whereas the women do not. Lacrosse helmets can cost up to a couple hundred dollars and the gloves at the cheapest are about $40.
By the time an athletic department gives 30 guys a helmet and gloves, while giving women neither, the gap in price is bound to rack up.
The final reason Krimmel gave revolved around team success.
The further that a team advances into the playoffs means the university will have to fund even more games and all the expenses that come with it.
After understanding what factors into a team’s expenses, the specific 2022-23 budget report below seems rational.
In this chart, which compares expenses for similar men’s and women’s sports, look at the numbers in green. Green represents a greater amount of expenses and roster size.
Expenses for five men’s sports are higher than expenditures for comparable women’s sports. The greater cost in all five corresponds with the roster size.
Six different women’s sports have higher expenditures than men’s sports. Disregard field hockey, as it’s only offered for women athletes and there is no comparison to be made.
In all but one of those five women’s sports, the women’s roster size is larger than the men’s.
Roster size convincingly appears to be a sufficient answer to this issue.
Next, look at the playoff success column. Often, the team that advanced further in the playoffs had a higher expense. And where that isn’t the case, the roster size is notably different.
It seems safe to conclude that Neumann is not unfairly treating its student-athletes.
Maybe the numbers on paper don’t look balanced, but understanding the context behind those numbers is crucial.
The idea of equality is fundamental to Neumann University’s core mission.
“Because of our Catholic-Franciscan RISES values, I think Neumann has always been ahead of Title IX. We see every person as brother, sister, deserving of equal love and service,” said Joe Glass.
