In Beasley v. Alabama State University, 966 F. Supp. 1117 (M.D. Ala. 1997), the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama addressed systemic inequities in collegiate athletics under Title IX and the Fourteenth Amendment.
The plaintiffs were women’s basketball players for Pepperdine University, a university receiving state funding from California. They alleged that when the basketball coach became aware of their lesbian relationship, they were harassed and forced by the athletic coordinator to either end their relationship or quit the team. Pepperdine University motioned to dismiss, citing the plaintiff’s failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted.
