Lengths of Athletic Careers in Ivy League Sports and the Title IX Controversy

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Abstract

We present data on the length of athletic careers in a number of varsity sports for male and female athletes in the Ivy League. We argue that the number of years that these athletes choose to compete reflects their interest and commitment to their sport and is relevant to testing the validity of the Title IX requirement that opportunities for varsity sports participation for male and female students be proportional to their respective undergraduate enrollments. We find virtually no difference in the length of athletic careers by sport for male and female Ivy League athletes in basketball, soccer, golf, lacrosse, tennis, and cross-country from 1999–2013.