2007 athletics cuts leave lasting impact

By MADISON HRICIK & SAVANNAH REGER The Breeze

Brian Freitag took a midday nap, woke up, and his life changed. It felt that fast.

The JMU men’s swimmer (200408) liked taking naps in between classes and practices, but after waking up, he joined other studentathletes in the Convocation Center. There, he’d be given the news he never thought he’d hear.

JMU Athletics eliminated multiple sports to stay in compliance with Title IX requirements. The announcement came Sep. 29, 2006, and the decision went into effect July 1, 2007.

“As we walked out, it was on the news that JMU was doing this,” Freitag said. “So it was really kind of strange how that day went: You wake up from a nap, and all of a sudden, you find out that, in some ways, your life is changing for good.”

Sixteen years later, JMU still looks back on the decision with a mournful disposition. Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne said it was one of the hardest decisions he’s ever made. Freitag hasn’t returned to JMU since he graduated. The decision sparked conversations across the country and made its way to the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Forever part of JMU Athletics’ history, the complex, controversial decision influenced how the program has developed into what it is today.

Title IX, and the decision to cut

“The fact is, we had to comply with the law.” see TITLE IX, page 14

Those were the words former JMU president Linwood Rose (19982012) said during the 2006 press conference that changed the lives of 155 people and the face of JMU Athletics to satisfy a complex policy.

Title IX is an education amendment that “prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs receiving Federal financial assistance,” according to the U.S. Department of Education. Title IX created opportunities for equal play in men’s and women’s sports, but it was a balancing act.