You probably missed that WSU has a wrestling team, and while you were on spring break they were hard at work claiming the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) DII Championship. Let’s celebrate that WSU just brought home a National championship with two 2x All-Americans – Brett Johnson (165 pounds) and Dave Stratton (285 pounds).

One of the reasons you may just be finding out about Wazzu Wrestling is because it is not recognized by the WSU athletic department.

WSU had an NCAA Division I (DI) wrestling program once, but it dissipated in 1986 due to its lack of potential for profit and the implementation of Title IX compliance. Is Title IX a bad thing? Absolutely not. For those needing a refresher, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities by recipients of Federal financial assistance.

Gender equity in athletics is an exciting achievement to celebrate. So how does an Athletic Director ensure their department is in compliance? Three major components are available as a summary guide: First, the student-athlete participation rate of each sex must be proportional (within 3 percent) to full-time undergraduate enrollment percentages. For WSU, both women’s enrollment and participation are around 49 percent of the total population.

Second, the percentage of athletically related financial aid awarded to women must be within 1 percent of their student-athlete participation rate. At WSU, women receive about 45 percent of total athletically awarded financial aid – four percent below their participation rate.

Third, there must be equivalency of treatment in support of women’s programs (i.e. coaching, equipment, facilities, etc.). You’ll have to ask the female student-athletes how they feel about equivalency.

So, is Title IX all about women? The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) disagrees and has “never required nor recommended institutions to eliminate or cap men’s teams to comply with Title IX” (N. Cantu, Asst. Sec. Civil Rights, 1996). Moreover, the “OCR clarifies that nothing in Title IX requires the cutting or reduction of teams to demonstrate compliance, and that the elimination of teams is a disfavored practice.

Why?

“Because the elimination of teams diminishes opportunities for students who are interested in participating in athletics instead of enhancing opportunities for students who have suffered from discrimination, it is contrary to the spirit of Title IX” (Report of the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, 2003). Yet, from 1988 to 2002, 616 NCAA DI men’s teams were dropped resulting in a net loss of 174 men’s teams.

The majority of these men’s programs were non-revenue sports like wrestling. The 20 plus years WSU was absent wrestling cannot be recaptured, but WSU can move forward with restoration.

And moving forward it is – on two fronts. For one, the Washington State Wrestling Foundation (WSWF) was established as a 501(c)(3) non-profit to promote and raise funding to support college wrestling in the state of Washington. The WSWF is working with Washington legislators to create a unique funding stream of which WSU Wrestling will be a recipient.

In the House, HB1830 – sponsored by Rep. Dick Muri – was referred to the Transportation Committee and, if passed, would establish the sale of a specialized license plate with a portion of funds being provided to WSWF to fund new and existing college wrestling programs. Senator John Braun introduced the Senate version (SB5948), which was also referred to the Transportation Committee.

Secondly, if WSU adds an NCAA DI softball program to its athletics roster, based on the 292 NCAA DI softball programs and the Equity in Athletics Data Analysis tool, it will add about 20 new women participants, four full-time coaches and staff, and $171,635 in game day operating expenses (minus salaries and benefits) per competition season.

Meanwhile, the 70 NCAA DI wrestling programs average 32 participants, four coaches and staff, and are one of the cheapest sports in terms of operating expenses ($142,567). Cal State Bakersfield, Duke, Boise State, and UNC’s NCAA DI wrestling programs are operating on average expenses of $54,200.

If WSU adds both softball and wrestling as NCAA DI athletics programs, the student-athlete participation rates for both sexes remain within 1.4 percent of the enrollment numbers for men and women. So, my question is as follows: Will Title IX principles remain a two-way street?

WSU has the precedent to “satisfy unmet interests that may require the addition of a new [men’s] sport [through the gathering] of relevant evidence includ(ing) surveys of the student body and incoming students, club sports participation levels, student requests to add or elevate sports, and sports participation levels in high schools in recruitment areas” (Equity and Title IX, 2012).

Doesn’t Washington state have the country’s largest high school wrestling state championships and the country’s only Tribeca Film Festival wrestling entry (“On the Mat”)? Yet, no graduating senior in Washington has the opportunity to compete in their home state for their beloved Cougars? #smh