- Jun 22, 2008
- 3,438
- 48
Do you want an emotional reaction or simply the facts?
The law is that schools receiving federal funds must give an equal opportunity for boys and girls to participate in sports based upon their desire to play sports. A child can't demand one sport or another, but the "slots" for participating in sports have to be proportional to their desire to play sports.
Prior to the 1990s, schools believed that girls didn't want to play sports. It turned out, after lots of surveys, that the schools were wrong. The interest by girls and boys to play sports is roughly equal.
E.g., if a school has 100 slots for boys varsity athletics (60 for football, 15 for basketball, 25 for baseball). Then, the school has to provide a 100 slots for girls athletics. So, schools end up with more girl sports than boy sports simply to balance it out.
Don't know where you get your information, but girl's teams have been big in HS sports since long before I graduated in 1970.