Key Title IX Ruling
July 22, 2010
A federal judge determined Wednesday that competitive cheerleading, at least the brand offered at a small Connecticut institution this past season, is not a varsity sport that can be counted for the purposes of meeting gender equity requirements.
Last year, Quinnipiac University announced that, primarily due to budget constraints, it planned to cut its women’s volleyball team and replace it with a competitive cheerleading squad for the 2009-10 season. A competitive cheerleading squad is typically much cheaper to run than a women's volleyball team. Five players from the women’s volleyball team and their coach, however, sued Quinnipiac with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, arguing that its decision to cut their team violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.