Despite what legislatures and anti-trans activists would have you believe, transgender inclusion in sports is not a threat to womens sports. Instead, the biggest threat is schools themselves, which are underfunding womens’ sports relative to mens to the tune of millions of dollars.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of Title IX, a recent report by USA Today revealed that colleges and universities have yet to live up to its promise.

Examining expenditures on travel, equipment, and recruiting for six sports with comparable men’s and women’s teams (basketball; softball and baseball; swimming and diving; soccer; golf; and tennis) at 107 public colleges and universities in Division 1

Across the six sports assessed, schools spent an estimated 71 cents on women’s sports for every $1 spent on men’s sports.

All in, schools spent approximately $125 million more on men’s sports than women’s sports
Were expenditures on football to be included, the disparity would be far greater, with schools spending over $1 billion on men’s sports ($1.16 billion to be exact), over twice that of what they spent on women’s sports ($576 million)

Schools spent substantially more on men’s sports than women’s sports in all three categories assessed

Travel: 40% more for men than women ($77million additional)
Equipment: 40% more for men than women ($26million additional)
Recruiting: 51% more for men than women ($22million additional)

In 4 out of the 6 sports, schools spent millions more on women’s sports than men’s sports, with the biggest disparity seen in basketball.

Overall, schools spent $0.63 cents on women’s basketball for every $1 spent on men’s basketball.
- In the area of recruitment alone, schools spent 72% more on recruiting male basketball players than female basketball players

This was seen even in schools where women’s basketball is a powerhouse –
- For example, the University of Connecticut spent approximately $1.2 million more on their men’s basketball team than their women’s basketball team, despite U Conn being home to the most successful women’s basketball team in the country

In the 15 states which have passed or have pending anti-transgender sports bills, and which had data included in the USA Today report, schools spent an additional $64 million on men’s than women’s sports – or approximately $0.70 on women’s sports for every $1 spent on men’s sports

Total spent on travel, recruitment, and equipment on men’s and women’s sports, adapted from USA Today.

Using the US Department of Education Equity in Athletics database, which tracks expenditures and revenue for all sports at 2,072 schools from all divisions and all 50 states, the same trends emerge:

Across all programs, schools spent over $3.9 billion more on men’s sports than women’s sports in the 2018-19 athletic season–translating to approximately $0.55 cents on women;s sports for every $1 spent on men’s sports

Men’s sports = $8,682,160,677
Women’s sports = $4,747,061,487

Among basketball programs, schools spent an additional $732.7 million on men’s basketball than women’s basketball

4 of the top 10 states with the largest disparities in funding between mens’ and womens’ basketball are states which recently passed anti-transgender sports legislation, or which has such a law pending
- Kentucky: $0.42 on women’s basketball for every $1 spent on men’s basketball, the second largest disparity across all 50 states + DC
- Utah: $0.43 on women’s basketball for every $1 spent on men’s basketball, the fourth largest disparity across all 50 states + DC
- Arizona: $0.48 on women’s basketball for every $1 spent on men’s basketball, the 7th largest disparity across all 50 states + DC
- Tennessee: $0.55 on women’s basketball for every $1 spent on men’s basketball, the 10th largest disparity across all 50 states + DC

The Human Rights Campaign reports on news, events and resources of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation that are of interest to the general public and further our common mission to support the LGBTQ+ community.