ABSTRACT
In July 2002, U.S. Secretary Rod Paige announced the thirtieth anniversary of Title IX noting that “Title IX has opened many doors of opportunity to generations of women and girls to achieve, to compete, and to pursue their American Dream.” Secretary Paige’s comments lacked a celebratory tone for women’s rights groups as his statement was followed by an announcement of a committee of experts to look at the “explosive growth” in women’s sports and evaluate what is currently “fair” under Title IX for those “facing the difficult issues in athletics every day.”1 Couching a review of Title IX under a discourse of “fairness” and “open to all” justifiably makes many civil rights advocates nervous given President Bush and his administration’s interpretations of fairness and equal opportunity.
