Men/Women Scholarship difference

[pillardean]

I never realized that the NCAA allows Women's Basketball to carry 15 scholarship players why Men's teams are only allowed 13.  Can anyone tell me why that is (Title IX)?  It just seems odd to me that a difference exists for the same sport since there is only a difference of 3 DI teams (327 men and 324 women).

Maybe they try to make up the difference from the D2 level or something (277 men and 245 women both getting 10 scholarships).

It just seems odd to me at the DI level and I would like some clarification and hear some opinions as to the difference.

[GGGG]

There are differences in a number of sports in an effort to help schools deal with the Title IX issues that result from football.  For instance, in cross country, there are 12.69 scholarships per program for men...18 for women.

[macman320]

Many schools have to make up for the difference from football scholarships

[pillardean]

Interesting, I was aware that football eats up a lot of male scholarships, I was unaware that the NCAA put scholarship restrictions on Men's athletics in other sports to minimize the scholarship differential at the football schools.

I guess this brings up another point that somewhat bothers me with the logistics of Title IX- not only do male sports not named football take a dip in scholarship availability they are erased from the schools completely so that male athletes that do not play football have an unfair advantage of receiving athletic scholarships. 

I understand why Title IX was necessary at the onset, but I believe now the rule has an unfair auro around it, particularily since without the key men's sports (i.e. basketball, football, hockey-at some schools) other sports would not be able to exist without the funding received from those programs--especially Women's athletics. 

So with my blockheadedness I must ask, why is Women's Basketball alotted 15 scholarships and Men's only 13.  It appears to be another case of an idealistically sound law turned into a restriction to a larger, more interested population.

(If I appear to be sexiest I do not intend it, it is just observation)

[Lennys Tap]

I don't know if you "appear to be sexiest" or not. How about a picture?

[77ncaachamps]

The numbers also have to be weighed due to the unsuccessful numbers of women's professional leagues.

[Marquette Fan]

A lot of schools don't use the full 15 scholarships for women's basketball though.  The most scholarship players I can recall the MU Women having during Terri Mitchell's years here is 13 and usually it's lower than that.

[GGGG]

And by the way, the vast majority of athletic programs in the NCAA don't make money without university, or student subsidies.  The idea that football or basketball "pay for" the women's programs is false 90+% of the time.