Outside the Lines did an excellent report yesterday about the shrinking numbers of women coaches in women’s college basketball. Women’s collegiate athletic programs have grown exponentially since Title IX forty years ago. That growth has never been more evident than in women’s college basketball. Due to pioneers like Pat Summit the women’s college basketball programs have turned into very desirable jobs for both men and women. Because the jobs at these programs are of higher profile now the women in these positions has gone down drastically. As ESPNW per a Brooklyn college survey by professors emerita R. Vivian Acosta and Linda Jean Carpenter reports that in as of now the number of women coaching women’s programs has plummeted to 42.9 percent. Well, the main reason why the number is declining is because men now want to coach women programs. However, women do not have that opportunity to coach men making it more difficult women for to breaking into the coaching ranks.
There was one segment of the story that was particularly troubling. Virginia Tech’s Dennis Wolff who had coached men’s team at Boston University was hired for the head women’s basketball coach because AD Jim Weaver amongst other things like the fact that Wolff’s daughter had played basketball at UCONN and he liked the way Wolff related his daughter. Basically what the AD is saying that Wolff got a Division I coaching job because his daughter played at UCONN. How many women have had son’s or daughter’s that have play Division I sport and not have the opportunity to coach at such a high level. I have no problem with Wolff having the opportunity to coach but AD Weaver’s reason why Wolff got the job is absolutely ridiculous.
Men have ability to choose to coach women or men. For a woman who choice is not available. I’m not saying that men should not be applying for head coaching jobs. It is up to AD’s of these university to start to think outside the box and give a woman an opportunity to coach men. There is nothing biologically that keeps a woman for coaching a men’s team just like there’s nothing that makes a man better at coaching women. 40 years after Title IX women are still struggling for equality. Below is a link to the Outside the Lines Report http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8052151
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