Thirty-two female athletes filed a lawsuit against the University of Oregon on Friday, claiming the school is violating Title IX.
The plaintiffs, all of whom are members of the varsity beach volleyball team or the club rowing team, accuse the school of “depriving women of equal treatment and benefits, equal athletic assistance and equal opportunity to participate in varsity intercollegiate athletics.”
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon, seeks correction of the alleged violations and unspecified damages.
The lead advisor for the women is Arthur H. Bryant of Bailey & Glasser, who is known for his legal efforts to enforce Title IX, the federal law that prohibits gender inequality by educational institutions that receive federal funds.
The beach volleyball players indicate that they have no facilities to practice or compete. Instead, the team must practice and compete in a public park with inadequate facilities.
“For example, the public park has no spectator stands, has doorless bathrooms near the stalls, and is often littered with feces, drug paraphernalia and other discarded items,” the players allege in the lawsuit. “No men's team faces anything remotely comparable.”
Oregon released a statement saying an on-campus beach volleyball facility is currently in the development stages. It also said Oregon is “committed to providing a quality, positive experience for all of our student-athletes.”
Many of Oregon's men's teams, including the fifth-ranked Ducks football team, have state-of-the-art facilities, take charter flights to games, eat catered food and have other amenities. The Ducks played Washington in Las Vegas in the Pac-12 championship game on Friday night.
Of the twenty varsity sports in Oregon, only beach volleyball does not offer scholarships, although NCAA rules allow the school to give the equivalent of six full athletic scholarships to the team. Players say they wear discarded uniforms and are not given any name, image or likeness.
“Based on the way the beach volleyball team has been treated, female athletes in Oregon do not need much food or water, proper or clean clothing or uniforms, scholarships, medical treatment or mental health care, their own facilities, a locker room, good transportation or other basic needs . Male athletes are treated incredibly better in almost every regard,” team captain and lead prosecutor Ashley Schroeder said in a statement.
Schroeder said the team couldn't practice this week because someone died at the park.
In its statement, Oregon said it “provides all student-athletes, including our female athletes, with academic support, tutoring, student-athlete development, medical care, mental health support, meals and snacks, and nutrition and sports training.”
The school also said it has previously committed to increasing scholarships.
“The university believes it is in compliance with Title IX. UO has not yet received a copy of the complaint and therefore we cannot comment on further details,” the university statement said.
Beach volleyball has been recognized by the NCAA since 2010, and Oregon's program was founded in 2014. The first Division I championship was held in 2016.
The rowers say the university is failing to provide equal opportunity for athletic participation by not having a varsity women's rowing team.
The lawsuit, which stemmed from an investigation published in July by The Oregonian newspaper, cites statistics from the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act showing that 49% of Oregon student-athletes are women, but only 25% of athletics dollars and 15% of U.S. athletics funding. recruitment dollars are spent on it.
NCAA President Charlie Baker has previously addressed potential inequities in NIL deals, saying he was concerned about the potential impact of Title IX because NIL opportunities appear to go disproportionately to male athletes.
The NCAA in 2020 lifted the ban on college athletes earning money for sponsorship deals and endorsements.