By Kevin Guan (285) & Afiah Antara (285)

Central not only offers strong academics but also has great sports teams. However, one thing Central lacks is a boys’ badminton team. The girls’ badminton season is yet to start, and many can only wonder: why isn’t there a boys’ team? 

We asked around Central, and the overall opinion was that there should be a boys’ badminton team too, and when Central boys were asked if they would participate, all agreed. 

In an interview with Mr. Johns, the girls’ badminton coach, we asked about the performance of the girls’ badminton team. He replied that they’ve done very well and have won the Public League Championship back-to-back in 2022 and 2023. We asked if he believes the same success would be achieved by a boys’ team, and he responded yes, noting that badminton is a very popular sport here at Central and also internationally. However, when asked if there is any effort towards creating a boys’ team, Mr. Johns replied that there is not. He explained that there are “currently no boys’ badminton teams in the Public League due to the Title IX federal law,” and that “there are currently an equal number of sports teams for both boys and girls in the Public League, and this must be maintained under Title IX.”

Title IX, as Mr. Johns introduced, is a federal law under the Education Amendments of 1972, where educational institutions funded by the federal government must provide equal opportunities for both boys and girls. This is to prevent sex-based discrimination in education. For example, if there are 16 girls’ sports and 17 boys’ sports, this would be a violation of Title IX. Therefore, to adhere to this law, Central cannot have a boys’ badminton team unless another boys’ sports team is expelled. 

A boys’ badminton team is not plausible for Central, as the number of girls’ and boys’ sports teams is currently equal. Although it would be a very popular sport that Central boys would enjoy, it cannot happen due to the rules in place.