Softball Ump Helps Score Countywide Title IX Victory in MD

As a softball umpire for over 35 years for Prince George’s County, Maryland public schools, Jack Mowatt was in a position to see a familiar problem first hand: the second-class treatment of female athletes. Over the years, Jack became increasingly concerned about the safety conditions of the school softball fields. Many fields lacked protective fencing or had holes in the middle of the outfields; one even had a piece of pipe sticking out of the ground, which Jack worried could trip an unsuspecting player. Jack didn’t feel comfortable umpiring on fields he knew were unsafe, so he documented the safety conditions of every softball field in the county and presented his findings to the county athletics director. But no changes were made. Jack and other community advocates came to the National Women's Law Center for help.

Working with these advocates, NWLC conducted a comprehensive investigation to document the significant inequities to which female athletes are subjected in the County’s high schools. After notifying the County Board of Education of the ways in which it was violating Title IX, the federal law that requires schools to treat male and female students equally, NWLC then successfully negotiated an agreement with the Board that will not only fix the safety problems on the softball fields but also bring the school system’s athletics program into full compliance with Title IX. The groundbreaking agreement covers each of the County’s high schools and middle schools.

By signing the agreement, the Board promises to, among other things:

• Improve the softball fields so that they are both safe and equal to the baseball fields;

• Provide equal participation opportunities for all male and female athletes;

• Provide equal funding to girls’ and boys’ teams;

• Provide equal equipment, uniforms, coaching, and publicity for girls’ and boys’ teams; and

• Produce an annual public report outlining the progress made towards fulfilling the requirements of the agreement.

This agreement will lead to real improvements for young women in Prince George’s County, the 18th largest school district in the nation, and represents an important investment in their future. Studies show that girls who play sports have higher grades, are less likely to drop out and have higher graduation rates than those who do not play sports.

Female athletes are less likely to smoke or use drugs, and have lower rates of both sexual activity and pregnancy than their non-athletic peers. Playing sports also decreases young women’s chances of developing heart disease, breast cancer and depression. The agreement also serves as a model for other school districts across the nation, and can be replicated by parents, school personnel, and advocates who want to ensure that their schools comply with Title IX.

Visit NWLC’s web site for more information. Click here for more information about this agreement: