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Ted Leland and Cynthia Cooper, co-chairs of the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, today issued the following statement regarding the commission's work and the final report:

"Today, the Secretary's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics will present its final report on Title IX to Education Secretary Rod Paige. We are very proud to have served Secretary Paige and believe our report reflects the broad consensus for modest changes that will make the law work better for all athletes, men and women.

"Without a doubt, Title IX has been a great American success story. Millions of young women know countless opportunities--athletic and otherwise--because of this sweeping civil rights law. But with respect to athletics, some have claimed the law has increased opportunities for women at the expense of men. And some college administrators express confusion and dismay at what the law requires of them.

"Our charge was to examine Title IX's enforcement and look at ways to increase opportunities for all athletes. For the past eight months, we've heard from thousands of people--through expert panels, public comment periods and written statements. After months of deliberation, it's clear to us that Title IX enforcement needs reformed in order to make the law more clear, fair, enforceable and truly open to all, while maintaining the extraordinary progress set in motion by Title IX.

"Just as in the public at large, we on the commission had our share of undeniably passionate and heartfelt disagreements about how to improve Title IX enforcement. But at the end of the day, the commissioners were able to agree without objection to 15 recommendations for common sense reforms. This is not the work of radicals out to destroy a good law--it's good, practical governance.

"Four themes frame our final report: commitment, clarity, fairness and enforcement. Among our recommendations are that the Department of Education reaffirm its strong commitment to equal opportunity for all men and women. We've also recommended that the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights provide clear and consistent guidance to schools, so they know exactly what Title IX requires of them.

"In addition, we've recommended that any policy changes not undermine Title IX's enforcement, and we believe that institutions must be told in no uncertain terms that cutting teams is not a favored practice for meeting the law. We have also recommended that the law be more strongly enforced, including sanctions for institutions that do not comply.

"The process we chaired to ultimately arrive at the final report was open, fair and inclusive. It wasn't always elegant, but all of the commissioners had input and recommendations for making the process work better, including suggestions for invited experts and panel topics. Understandably, time constraints and the need to accommodate 15 individual commissioners prevented any one commissioner or group of commissioners from unduly influencing the process.

"The commission's report is the first step in a lengthy public dialogue that is certain to continue long after this commission disbands. Extremists on either side of the debate won't be happy with the final report. But we are confident that the commission we chaired and the process we followed to achieve this report was fair, and we are proud to offer Secretary Paige our findings and recommendations, and believe that Title IX at 30 offers great hope to men and women athletes alike."

Ted Leland is the athletic director at Stanford University. Cynthia Cooper is the WNBA's all-time leading scorer and led the Houston Comets to four straight WNBA championships.

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