The Case for Equality in Athletics

Do women have the right to have the opportunity to participate on an equal basis as members of male teams? If the answer is yes, the effects would have far-reaching consequences in professional and amateur athletics, college and university competition, and public high school athletic programs. The major emphasis of this note concerns litigation by female students in public high schools who have attempted to obtain permission to perform on previously all-male teams. The courts have been careful to restrict their decisions to non-contact sports such as tennis, golf, skiing, track, and swimming. Cases related to con- tact sports such as baseball, and sex discrimination in interscholastic sports in general, are now pending