Law may call for equity, but fan support needs to follow

Just over 50 years ago, Title IX was passed by former President Richard Nixon, legislation which prohibited sex-based discrimination in educational opportunities and athletic programs. Today, society is still prompted with the question: are athletic opportunities truly accessible and celebrated for all? 

Oshkosh West’s Activities Coordinator Brad Jodarski proudly believes that West provides equal opportunities, despite it looking different depending on the sport’s specific needs. 

“Athletic equity isn’t necessarily saying everything is the same, but it’s trying to be as similar and consistent as possible,” he said. “We take a look at the number of offerings we have for boys and girls and try to keep it as even as possible, and we’re always keeping an eye out for new sports out there.” 

One way Jodarski has been considerate of such needs is by funding the addition of a turf field. This serves boys and girls soccer, track and field, and boys football. When designing the field, they kept interest in expanding the athletic offerings at West in mind. 

“We’ve been very responsive to the desire to improve our facilities, which are older, so we still have some work to do,” he said. “When we put in the new turf field we added the lacrosse lines to take a step towards that. We’re never going to satisfy everybody, but we do the best we can.” 

In recent years, Jodarski has worked with the Oshkosh Area School District to increase funding for West’s athletic programs. This eliminates the need for each athletic program to fundraise for their basic necessities, making fundraising an optional way to afford additional desires. It also reduces the cost for each participant, allowing students to immerse themselves in athletic culture regardless of their financial standing. 

“We asked all of the head coaches to give us an idea of what it costs to fund their programs. We shared that information with our district office, and they gave us some generous additional funding,” he said. “The last step was putting equitable numbers out there, we try to ensure we stay even between girls and boys sports with uniform rotation, but there are sports, like football, who receive more funding because of the higher equipment cost.”

The opportunities strive for utmost equity, but the Wildcat community falls short when it comes to supporting and recognizing the students who seize them. Sports broadcasting teacher Scott Thurwatcher is disappointed by the discrepancies. 

“I don’t think we celebrate the girls here enough, and I don’t know if people realize how strong our volleyball, track, and girls swim teams are,” he said. “I think there’s an effort, but students gravitate towards the sports that are commonly televised, like football and basketball.” 

Thurwatcher is trying to flip the script with the Wildcat Rewind, a project his students in sports broadcasting (a class that encompasses sports broadcasting, TV production, and movie production all in one) are responsible for producing. 

“We make sure that every sport is accounted for, and we get all the stats from players and coaches, write our own scripts, and make sure everyone is getting the accolades,” he said. 

The Wildcat Rewind is unique to Oshkosh West, and Thurwatcher urges his students to dive beyond stats and scores. 

“What sets us apart is that we do a lot of segments where we interview athletes and talk about how the season is going or the upcoming season ahead of them,” he said. “I feel like you can get the statistical stuff anywhere, and we want to make it a little more personal.” 

The Wildcat Rewind has a lot to celebrate, as individual athletes continue to thrive. However, Jessica Hansen, who teaches Mental Strength, a class designed to aid athletes over mental obstacles, feels the team cultures require reforming. 

“If you look at the statistics, we have individuals doing very well in every sport, and send a lot of our athletes to state,” she said. “However, when we take those individuals and put them into a team setting, there’s a lot of jealousy, comparison, pointing fingers, and blame games happening.” 

While Hansen attributes the tensions to the desire to be seen, it’s difficult for a team to share a single spotlight. 

“It’s hard, because everyone wants to play,” she said. “The athletes have to put the team above themselves and recognize when it’s their turn to be the encourager instead of the star.” 

This extends to the fans as well, as merely showing up is not enough, Hansen has seen. 

“Sometimes I feel like we heckle more than we support,” she said. “We, as a community and as a fanbase, can do better at the supportive part. We show up in numbers, but now we need to show up vocally, and in a positive way.”

by Jazmine Blustin

Published April 28th, 2025

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue VII