A lawsuit filed by former girls basketball head coach Jim Izard against Indiana University was recently settled in IzardÆs favor, awarding him $76,000 to settle the sex- and age-discrimination lawsuit (Meyer, 2002, 1). Izard, age 53 at the time he was fired, alleged that the University violated federal employment discrimination law, firing him after 12 years despite the most wins of any Indiana basketball coach (Meyer, 2002). Izard claimed the school violated discrimination law by hiring a female coach seventeen years his junior. Izard also claimed the school violated ôequal-payö law, by giving the new coach, Kathi Bennett, a five year contract with an annual salary amounting to an average of $33-35,000 higher than his salary (Meyer, 2002, 1). The settlement comprised $26,065 for emotional distress, $20,000 for regular wages, and $30,710 in attorneysÆ fees, (Meyer, 2002).
There are a number of laws and regulations applying to this case, including The Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, prohibiting discrimination in employment on the basis of sex and many other aspects (Employment, 2005). All of these laws basically prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of a variety of aspects, including age, pay rate, and sex. The Izard lawsuit was successful because the court ruled that his firing and the hiring of a younger woman at a higher rate of pay did amount to discrimination in employment on the basis of age, sex, and pay. The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) interprets and enforces the above Acts and others, established and granted power from Congress under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Employment, 2005).
There have been a number of lawsuits pertaining to discrimination in employment in the sports environment. This is true in other aspects of discrimination not covered by the Izard case. For example, Title IX...