Some good news last week out of Seaside, Oregon via Title IX Blog, and a reminder that it pays to speak out about gender inequities in sports.

About two weeks ago Title IX Blog wrote:

The Oregonian reports that parent Randy Anderson has filed an intent to sue the Seaside School District to challenge a disparity in athletic fields.  The city recently constructed a state-of-the-art athletic complex, which includes an astroturf football field and baseball field for the high school boys’ teams to play on.  In contrast, the Seaside High School girls’ softball team, on which Anderson’s daughter plays, uses an 11-year-old former baseball field that was constructed on a wetland and prone to flooding.  Anderson says about the new “million dollar field” that “everyone and their brother can play on it — except the girls.”  Moreover, the remedy he is seeking is very modest — he says the city could install a portable pitching mound and move the bases to allow the field to be used for both baseball and softball.  Hopefully, the school district and the city will agree that that’s a much easier solution than litigating what appears to be a strong case.

On Friday, Title IX Blog reported: “school officials announced that Broadway Field would be available to a broader number of high school teams, including the girls softball team, in upcoming seasons.”  Anderson is still moving forward with his suit, alleging that this development does not fully resolve the school’s Title IX violations. 

We know that there are schools at all levels that try to skirt Title IX at times, and this story is proof positive that schools would rather ultimately comply than engage in costly litigation.  Success stories like this show us it’s important to speak out when you see a Title IX violation–it will have a direct effect on female athletes.