The story is well known. Charlie Brown prepares himself to take a kick at the football, and just as his right leg swings out to make contact, Lucy quickly steals the ball away. With both embarrassment and gravity working against him, Charlie Brown falls to the ground, defeated once again.

Today, America has a similar Charlie Brown vs. Lucy quandary on its hands — except this time, the girls are taking much more than a football away from the boys.

Passed in 1972, Title IX provides equal footing for both sexes in federally funded education. Although banning sex discrimination in schools seems like a win-win situation, many critics argue the opposite. If and when schools choose not to comply with Title IX, they lose federal funds. Schools that give women and girls equal access to school athletics are thus being forced to abandon other men’s sports teams for financial reasons.

With this similar complaint, many lawsuits have emerged against the federal government. This has prompted U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige to accept more recommendations from the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, which he will then pass onto President Bush. With this issue reaching national importance, maybe it is time to size up the situation for what it really is.

Since the passage of Title IX, the numbers of girls and women competing in school athletics has increased enormously. The amount of women participating in collegiate sports has increased fivefold, while the number of girls competing in high school sports has grown 10 times its size in 1972. Women have taken advantage of this increased access to sports, and the numbers prove it.

Title IX’s positive effects also reach past the soccer field. According to a Feb. 9 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, more girls participating in sports has led to reduced teen pregnancy, an increase in self-esteem and improved health. Title IX has given female athletes the chance to prove themselves to be competitive and valuable.

Ultimately, Title IX upholds the same notion of equality that America is founded upon. Federally funded education is available to all, as should be its programs. From the foundation of democracy to the basketball courts, equality should and needs to be upheld throughout America.