The Trump administration’s new Secretary of Education is settling into her new job. Linda McMahon says part of her agenda is winding down this cabinet level agency as Donald Trump vows to dismantle it. That has educators and the general public watching to see what happens next to program like Title IX that guarantees equal treatment for women in sports and education. One person who might be impacted is easy to spot, with her sombrero, handlebar moustache, and bib overalls…
“The sombrero actually started at one of Sarah Patterson's first peak meets at Alabama gymnastics,” said Emily Pitek Clifford. She's a big fan of women's sports in Alabama. Pitek often shows up on YouTube in her trademark costume.
“And it happened to be in my car, and I think it was 2006 or 2007 or eight, we were playing Stanford in a Super Regional,” she recalled. “And it was a back and forth game, and everyone was like, get out your rally hat. And I didn't have a hat on at the time, but I knew I had the Sombrero in the car.”
Clifford's interest in women's sports goes beyond cheering and wearing a sombrero. She knows how certain student athletes have to compete against higher profile sports, like football. Clifford says Alabama's women's softball team wins a lot of championships, but that doesn't seem to be enough.
“So I think undervaluing the program's consistency is something that's a little bit of a detriment, but that we have the softball program has very, very faithful fans who understand each and every year what type of product is going to be out on the diamond, and will support that,” she said.
One way women's sports and educational opportunities remain available is through what's known as Title Nine. It's a federal program that guarantees female students and student athletes equal access compared to their male counterparts. That's becoming a concern with Donald Trump's interest in ending the US Department of Education.
“I think people are trying to be as calm as they can,” said Katherine Knott. She's the news director of the website Inside Higher Ed. Nott says Title Nine is a hot topic on her beat.
“There seems to be an understanding that the old assumptions about how unlikely it is for colleges to unsettle funding or those assumptions can't be relied on anymore,” she contends.
Knott believes supporters of Title Nine and its equal protections for female students and student athletes may have something to worry about, but the loss of the program isn't it. She says, Even if Trump kills the Department of Education. Enforcement of Title Nine is still there.
“You know, those plans require a Department of Education, but at the same time, they're talking about shutting down the Educate department. So that gets a little confusing,” Knott explains. “But the project 2025, plan actually calls for moving enforcement of federal civil rights law to the Department of Justice. So see, that would be the agency that would be in charge of enforcing these laws. What does concern (people) here is a scenario where colleges and universities draw inspiration from Trump's stance against diversity programs and taking action on their own.”
Nott says it's happened already.
“We have seen colleges change their policies and kind of and, you know, limit or, like, not allow transgender athletes to play sports,” she said. “So we're already seeing those, like policy changes happen on the ground. Think I'm thinking, I've heard some examples from the University of Pennsylvania. Obviously the NCAA has changed their policies, so people are already acting out, needing an investigation.”
“The cool thing about softball and softball in Alabama is you come to one game, you're going to see the speed,” said Emily Clifford. We met her at the start of story. She agrees that women's softball lives in the shadow of Alabama football. But Clifford says, As long as the softball team keeps winning, fans will keep showing up, and that's all the team and mega fans like her can do just naturally.
“I think our tendency as a human being is to turn to the next thing that's going to give us joy,” she said. And if Alabama starts winning, I really hope that that can be the source of joy for people who love the crimson and white and supporters of the title nine program will keep watching and waiting to see if this effort continues to level the playing field for female students and athletes.”
