The Equality in Athletics Disclosure Act Report was released, detailing spending for gendered sports at Butler. Collegian file photo.
AUBREY MATASOVSKY | STAFF REPORTER | amatasovsky@butler.edu
Butler recently released the Equality in Athletics Disclosure Act Report (EADA) for the 2024-25 school year, disclosing the expenses and revenue difference between gendered sports on campus, as well as other financial information, including average coaches’ salaries.
The report contains information that universities are required to provide to the Department of Education under Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, which prohibits gender discrimination in sports in education, including but not limited to sex-based harassment, sexual violence and other forms of sex-based discrimination.
The current report reflects the total number of athletes participating in athletics programs at Butler, recording 264 male athletes and 205 female athletes. This is an increase of about 26 athletes compared to last year, mostly seen in the number of female athletes.
Also covered in the report are the total revenue and expenses of Butler’s sports. Over the past year, expenses for men’s and women’s sports landed at about $15.6 million and $9.2 million, respectively.
There is also a difference in generated revenue between gendered sports, with men’s teams earning about $19.3 million and women’s teams earning about $9.7 million. However, the difference in revenue may be a reflection of varying societal attitudes towards men’s versus women’s sports.
Sophomore libero Jersey Loyer sees these societal attitudes in action through the public perception of women’s sports.
“I think there are still some people who undervalue women’s sports,” Loyer said. “You can see that in the media coverage, attendance and the recognition female athletes get compared to men.”
That undervaluation of women’s sports may also impact the salaries of head coaches. Head coaches for men’s sports average $463,055, while the average salary for women’s sports head coaches is $108,935, a difference of about $355,000.
“I definitely think it’s how much money your team brings in and how much support your team has,” Lorey said. “[I] also think that that is something women will sometimes always deal with in the workforce, just the inequality of that.”
This larger societal attitude may also be affecting recruitment for female-dominated coed sports at Butler, as well.
Tanner McCormick-Messer, a sophomore psychology and sociology combined major has been cheering for over three years and is currently a member of Butler Cheer.
“I feel like a lot of the association [with] cheer is that [the] women are popular and bitchy, even if that’s not the case,” McCormick-Messer said. “When it comes to men [there is the expectation] they all have to be gay, [which can make it seem] emasculating to be part of a cheer team.”
However, there is slow progress being made as support for women’s sports increases.
“I do think it’s improving,” Loyer said. “More people are realizing how competitive and skilled and exciting women’s sports are, especially volleyball.”
