The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- July 5, 1999

GAO study shows drop in men's participation, but reason is unclear

A study by the General Accounting Office shows that male athletics participation has declined at NCAA institutions over the last decade, but NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey says that care should be taken in what inferences are drawn from the results.

The study tracks participation rates for 725 NCAA member institutions that remained in the same division in the period between 1985-86 and 1996-97. It shows that participation by women increased by 16 percent during that period while participation by men declined by 12 percent.

However, the knowledge that men's participation is down is not new, having been reported in the 1997 NCAA Gender-Equity Study. That study showed that between 1992 and 1997, the average number of male participants had dropped in

all three membership divisions over the period from 1992 to 1997. Those average declines were: Division I, 250 to 226; Division II, 167 to 149; and Division III, 216 to 190.

Dempsey says that such information should not be used as an indictment of the effects of Title IX. Indeed, the GAO study, conducted at the request of Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, draws no conclusions about what might be behind the changes in participation rates.

The study shows that participation rates have varied greatly from sport to sport. The greatest increases were for women's soccer (up 154 percent) and women's golf (up 80 percent) while the largest declines were for men's gymnastics (down 56 percent) and men's wrestling (down 33 percent).

Dempsey noted that the data do not point to Title IX as the only -- or even primary -- reason for the decline in men's opportunities. While he acknowledged that the GAO study is a valid snapshot of the gender makeup of college athletics, Dempsey noted that programs were added or eliminated for men and women before Title IX became federal law and that the numbers will continue to fluctuate in the future.

Dempsey said that those analyzing the GAO data should look at all factors that might contribute to an institution's decision to change the sports it sponsors. He cited economic pressures as one factor, noting that in Division II, participation for both men and women declined over the term of the study.

Similarly, the study showed that participation did not necessarily increase for all women's sports. Women's gymnastics participation plummeted by 31 percent, while a 24 percent drop was noted in field hockey. Other women's sports experiencing a decline in participation were basketball (5 percent), tennis (12 percent) and volleyball (1 percent).

For whatever reason, however, most of the participation drops were in men's sports.

"Unfortunately," Dempsey said, "there have been schools that have helped justify their decisions to cut men's sports by blaming Title IX. That certainly is not the intent of the law, and it is almost never the only factor.

"It is important to note that there are schools that have taken their programs to full Title IX compliance without cutting any opportunities. That is an approach the NCAA encourages."

Dempsey said he was encouraged that a preliminary review of NCAA participation data shows that participation for both men and women will be up for the 1997-98 academic year.

"But the hard fact remains that after more than 25 years of federal law mandating equitable opportunities for males and females, women still lag far behind in total participation," he said. "In 1996-97, men make up 61 percent of the total participants while women represent only 39 percent.

"More progress must be made. The NCAA continues to urge compliance with Title IX and encourages schools to be creative in maintaining and growing athletics opportunities for both men and women."

Sport-by-sport participation comparison, 1985-97

Sport 1985-86 1996-97 % Change

Baseball 20,466 18,284 -11

Basketball

Men 12,604 11,253 -11

Women 10,358 9,809 -5

Crew/Rowing

Men 2,318 2,036 -12

Women 2,581 3,778 +46

Cross Country

Men 9,075 8,106 -11

Women 6,563 7,951 +21

Fencing

Men 1,273 659 -48

Women 584 558 -5

Field hockey 5,619 4,296 -24

Football 47,811 44,482 -7

Golf

Men 6,753 5,568 -18

Women 1,147 2,063 +80

Gymnastics

Men 911 399 -56

Women 1,786 1,224 -31

Ice Hockey

Men 4,403 3,434 -22

Women 307 421 +37

Lacrosse

Men 4,998 5,144 +3

Women 2,995 3,636 +21

Rifle

Men 778 341 -56

Skiing

Men 864 532 -38

Women 509 454 -11

Soccer

Men 14,356 12,759 -11

Women 4,510 11,467 +154

Softball 8,862 9,581 +8

Squash

Men 387 367 -5

Women 292 367 +26

Swimming

Men 7,733 6,805 -12

Women 7,455 7,754 +4

Tennis

Men 7,728 6,186 -20

Women 7,024 6,151 -12

Track (indoor)

Men 14,486 13,960 -4

Women 8,282 11,458 +38

Track (outdoor)

Men 18,213 16,305 -10

Women 10,660 13,229 +24

Volleyball

Men 796 811 +2

Women 9,165 9, 053 -1

Water polo

Men 1,112 859 -23

Wrestling 7,975 5,437 -33