Title IX: Straining Toward an Elusive Goal

(1 Willamette Sports L.J., no. 1, 2004). This article examines Title IX’s legislative history and background, then focuses on the current legal treatment of gender equality in school sports. It analyzes the treatment of females seeking to play on all-male teams, and vice versa. The author focuses on the role of the Equal Protection Clause in overcoming Title IX’s “contact sports exception” rule, as shown in the 2001 decision Mercer v. Duke Univ. The article concludes with suggestions for steps toward more equality in sports.