Latest News

« back to 2010 | Back to NCAA News Archive Index

GLIAC scheduling change reflects push for equity

By Gary Brown
NCAA.org

The Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is reversing the order of its men’s and women’s basketball games during conference doubleheaders this year in response to an inquiry from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights that may have implications for other NCAA conferences in all divisions.

GLIAC Commissioner Dell Robinson announced on July 30 that beginning this year, men’s games will lead all weekday and weekend conference doubleheaders, with women’s games to follow. Traditionally, the order has been reversed. During the 2011-12 season, women’s basketball teams will return to playing first. The order of play will alternate annually.

The change came after the OCR asked the conference to reconsider how it traditionally schedules doubleheaders. Basketball was the only sport in question, since most other sports don’t combine genders in a given day’s contest window.

In its inquiry, the OCR cited a complaint filed against the GLIAC stating that scheduling the women’s games first made them appear as “warm-up” contests for the men’s games. The complaint came from a special-interest group in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which is where the GLIAC is based. That group also helped influence a similar decision the Michigan High School Athletic Association made a few years ago.

While the OCR didn’t say whether it had jurisdiction over the GLIAC (it would if it could be determined that the conference directly receives federal funding), it did indicate that it has jurisdiction over GLIAC member schools. Rather than pursue action through individual campuses, though, the OCR first asked the conference to consider a change since it knew that the league office facilitates the scheduling of conference games.

‘Right thing to do’

The GLIAC acted quickly, notifying member schools through its committee structure that a request had been made. The issue was vetted through league presidents, legal counsel, athletics directors, faculty representatives and senior woman administrators, among others.

Coaches also provided feedback, and while not one of them was unhappy with the current scheduling pattern, they also did not resist the idea of change.

Robinson said the primary concerns regarded materials that already had been printed with game schedules on them, and potentially confusing the fan base and affecting attendance. But members also warmed to the idea of the GLIAC being regarded as a pioneer for a change that would enhance gender equity.

“In the spirit of cooperation, our members collectively decided that it would be better to spearhead the change,” Robinson said.

That change came after considering two options, one of which was to split the rotation over a season, with the first half being one way and the second half the other. But members thought that would be even more confusing to the fan base, so they opted for the annual approach.

“Everyone is OK with the decision, even though as with any change there is some anxiety to see how things will go,” Robinson said. “But ultimately, we all believe that the new system will catch on.”

It may catch on with other conferences, too, according to Janet Judge, a consultant with Sports Law Associates who helped counsel the GLIAC in this issue. She already has been contacted by three other leagues, since many in Divisions II and III schedule basketball doubleheaders this way.

While the OCR hasn’t indicated whether it will pursue more widespread action, Judge said this version of OCR under the Obama administration is more active in enforcing Title IX regulations and that it would be advisable for conferences in similar situations to take the matter seriously.

Judge said the GLIAC acted nobly.

“The conference took the lead but did so in a non-autocratic way that involved all member institutions,” she said. “Regardless of whether the conference is subject to OCR jurisdiction, the bigger issue for the GLIAC was what is the right thing to do, which was a noble approach to take.”

Great Lakes Valley Conference Commissioner Jim Naumovich, who is immediate past president of the Division II Conference Commissioners Association, said he was aware of the situation with the neighboring GLIAC and has shared that with his CCA colleagues. He said he is not aware of how many conferences prescribe which gender plays first when schools host doubleheaders. His own conference does not, he said.

“In the GLVC, our soccer and basketball contests are scheduled as doubleheaders but it is left to the discretion of each institution to determine which gender plays the first game,” Naumovich said. “We have no conference policy in place that mandates who takes the first contest.”

Robinson’s advice to his peers is to tackle the issue head-on.

“You are better off expending your energy on figuring out the right thing to do rather than on fighting to maintain the status quo,” he said.

Prime time equity

The debate over which gender plays when emerged from a discussion of whether both the men’s and women’s teams had the chance to play in so-called “prime time” windows.

Judge said “prime time” means different things to different people, and can even be interpreted differently within groups of the same gender.

“But the OCR understands that the earlier you schedule contests, particularly on weeknights, the more effect it will have on attendance,” she said. “If the doubleheaders are at 5:30 and 7:30, or 6 and 8, many people couldn’t make the women’s game. So the OCR is trying to gain an equitable opportunity for both women and men to have their games seen.”

Judge said that for any group deciding whether its policies are equitable, the best test is if at the end of the day either group would be just as pleased if the decision were to be flipped. “If everyone is still happy, then you’ve achieved an equitable situation.”

In effect, that is what the GLIAC accomplished with its annual rotation, Judge said. She also praised the conference for protecting its members by explaining to them why the change was necessary, rather than wait for the OCR to pursue action locally.

Robinson said league members hope the new schedule will create opportunities to highlight the high-quality brand of women’s basketball in the league, many of which have enjoyed more success than their men’s counterparts.

He believes the change won’t dramatically affect attendance, either.

During the 2009-10 season, the GLIAC ranked seventh among NCAA Division II conferences in women’s basketball home attendance. The GLIAC attracted 97,384 people to its women’s basketball games last year, an average of 563 fans per contest. Michigan Technological University led the GLIAC and ranked ninth among Division II institutions with a total of 29,230 fans for its 19 women’s basketball home games, an average of 1,538 fans per game.

The GLIAC, which has sponsored men’s basketball since the 1972-73 season and women’s basketball since the 1974-75 season, totaled 122,384 in men’s basketball home attendance last season, an average of 744 fans per contest. Michigan Tech also led GLIAC men’s basketball teams with a total of 14,801 fans for its 11 home games, an average of 1,346 fans per game.