TO THE EDITOR:
We both recall the early days of Title IX.
One of us, as a field hockey official, had to threaten a forfeit when encountering an unsafe, remote, unmowed and rutted football practice field as the venue assigned for a varsity field hockey match.
As a district school Board of Education trustee, one of us had to confront an athletic director who tried every scheme to ignore the provisions of the new law.
However, the intention of those who campaigned for and created Title IX was not limited to participation of women in school and university sports. It was hoped then that men and women would jointly support those teams with attendance and interest. With few exceptions, we still have a long road to travel.
Case in point: UNC women's basketball. Student attendance at the games is at best unimpressive.
Twenty-plus among Carolina Fever, a dozen or two in the pep band, eight cheerleaders and a smattering of friends and roommates are about all the student body can muster for a women's basketball program ranked fifth in the nation.
At a recent NCAA playoff field hockey match between Duke and then top-ranked UNC, the Duke contingent outnumbered the Carolina fans. Volleyball attendance is about the same. Occasional women's events draw larger crowds, but the fact that a malaise exists is apparent to us.
Even extraordinary UNC women's sports programs will always be threatened unless they are supported by the student body and the University community at large.
