Document Type

Conference Presentation

Publication Date

11-17-2023

Abstract

According to the National Association of Collegiate Esports, in 2016 seven colleges and universities had varsity esports teams, as of 2021 there are over 170 varsity programs that belong to the organization (NACE). Many colleges and universities have added esports clubs and varsity programs as a means to attract and recruit students to their campuses (Lyman, 2022). 40% of esports teams are housed in athletic departments and 90% of esports athletes are male despite the teams being labeled coed (Baurer-Wolf, 2019). Given those numbers, several Title IX issues have emerged including the potential for the proportionality to be shifted so that universities become out of compliance with Title IX, unequal distribution of financial aid skewed towards male athletes, and an inability to accommodate the interest of female student athletes. Further complicating the matter is a recent decision made by the court in the Navarro v. Florida Institute of Technology (FIT 2023). The plaintiffs were male rowers who sued FIT for cutting their well-established program in favor of adding a varsity esports team. Citing previous decisions like Biedeger v. Quinnipiac University (2006), the court compared esports to cheerleading and state that it was not in effect a "sport." The decision pointed to the fact there were numerous games (Super Smash Brothers to League of Legends etc.), that all had different rules which were created by the video game companies, and that their national governing body had no control over those rules. The ruling also took it a step further to state that esports require "no athletic ability." With that definition, the court stated that esports would not provide more participation opportunities that the men's rowing program it was cutting and ordered FIT to reinstate the men's rowing program. Keep in mind that FIT is a uniqie case in that their enrollment is 70% male and 30% female. Many other universities have much closer male to female student-athlete ratios, thus it is important to scrutinize the addition of esports teams in athletic departments to ensure that Title IX is being followed. This presentation will discuss the growth of esport programs on college campuses, potential Title IX issues, and the FIT ruling in relation to those issues.

Department

Human Performance

Conference Name

The 98th Annual Conference of the Western Society for Physical Education of College Women

Conference Place

Pacific Grove, CA

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