The Intromissibility of a Paretian Athletic Director

The intercollegiate teams of a college comprise about 500 players. Most other students who enjoy participating in athletics gain satisfaction through intramural and recreational programs. Varsities have recently provoked something of a commotion. It has been alleged that in fielding varsities, most colleges discriminate “on the basis of sex” in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. This sweeping claim is the outcropping of an interpretation lying several layers below in a strata of government regulation. Atop the outcropping has grown a conversational tangle. My purpose here is to expose the weaknesses in those strata and to suggest several interesting considerations about efficient resource allocation, local justice, and social choice that the tangle has hidden. These considerations point the way to a consensus view of equal opportunity.