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Participation and Level of Interest Tables
Table 1 compares the total number of
teams per sport in 1991 to those available in 2001 per NCAA participation
figures. The numbers for soccer, golf and rowing clearly skew the average
percent increases in opportunities. The interest in women’s golf and soccer is
a direct reflection of the increase in popularity of the youth leagues.
There is no such data substantiating the increase in rowing opportunities. All
three are by-products of the TITLE IX phenomenon. The 1996 TITLE IX
clarification states that an institution should fully and effectively
accommodate the interests and abilities of the student population. In 1998,
Northeastern University in Boston, MA determined that athletes who had never
rowed before were more deserving of an opportunity to compete in college than
dedicated and accomplished gymnasts with proven interest in continuing with a
sport that they had committed most of their lives to. This example of
institutional decision-making has severely hurt the sport of women's gymnastics
while most other female sports have flourished.
Table 1 - Numbers of NCAA Teams
| |
1991 |
2001 |
%
increase |
|
Basketball
|
786
|
995
|
26.59
|
|
Cross Country
|
666
|
874
|
31.23
|
|
Field Hockey
|
217
|
239
|
10.14
|
|
Golf
|
145
|
402
|
177.24
|
|
Gymnastics
|
103
|
89
|
-13.59
|
|
Lacrosse
|
118
|
229
|
94.07
|
|
Rowing
|
12
|
132
|
1000.00
|
|
Soccer
|
318
|
824
|
159.12
|
|
Softball
|
580
|
850
|
46.55
|
|
Swimming & Diving
|
396
|
454
|
14.65
|
|
Tennis
|
711
|
852
|
19.83
|
|
Track, Indoor
|
447
|
564
|
26.17
|
|
Track, Outdoor
|
553
|
673
|
21.70
|
|
Volleyball
|
741
|
947
|
27.80
|
|
Average Increase
|
|
|
117.25
|
In
Table 2, all high school participation numbers come from the National
Federation of High Schools (NFHS) Participation Report except for the number of
schools offering gymnastics and number of gymnasts participating in high school.
*The number of gymnastics
schools is a sum of 1,529 high schools on the Report, 4,452 private gymnastics
schools and 239 YMCAs with competitive gymnastics programs appearing on the 2001
USA YMCA census. The total number
of gymnasts is a sum of 20,886 athletes appearing on the High School Report,
13,500 USAG member athletes, 1,750 YMCA gymnasts as well as 8,856 athletes which
represents 10 percent of the Competitive Spirit Squad members on the NFHS
Participation Report. It's plain to see that gymnasts have the least
number of opportunities available.
Table 2 - Participation vs Opportunities available
| 2000-2001 |
Number
of Teams |
Number
of Participants |
| |
High
School |
NCAA |
% |
High
School |
NCAA |
% |
| Gymnastics
|
6220*
|
89
|
1.43
|
44992*
|
1397
|
3.10
|
| Outdoor
Track
|
14789
|
673
|
4.55
|
415666
|
18339
|
4.41
|
| Golf
|
7581
|
402
|
5.30
|
59546
|
3256
|
5.47
|
| Basketball
|
16756
|
995
|
5.94
|
452728
|
14439
|
3.19
|
| Volleyball
|
13597
|
947
|
6.96
|
390814
|
12978
|
3.32
|
| Softball
(Fast)
|
12177
|
850
|
6.98
|
350197
|
15041
|
4.30
|
| Cross
Country
|
11736
|
874
|
7.45
|
158516
|
11721
|
7.39
|
| Swimming
& Diving
|
5733
|
454
|
7.92
|
139601
|
10108
|
7.24
|
| Tennis
|
9606
|
852
|
8.87
|
164282
|
8231
|
5.01
|
| Soccer
|
8934
|
824
|
9.22
|
292086
|
18584
|
6.36
|
| Field
Hockey
|
1613
|
239
|
14.82
|
60918
|
5152
|
8.46
|
| Ice
Hockey
|
378
|
60
|
15.87
|
5603
|
1319
|
23.54
|
| Indoor
Track
|
2042
|
564
|
27.62
|
44970
|
15962
|
35.49
|
| Lacrosse
|
783
|
229
|
29.25
|
32403
|
5070
|
15.65
|
| Fencing
|
56
|
45
|
80.36
|
847
|
670
|
79.10
|
| Rowing
|
71
|
132
|
185.92
|
2359
|
6111
|
259.05
|
|