September 25, 2002    Ted Leland and Cynthia Cooper, Co-Chairpersons  Commission on Opportunity in Athletics  U.S. Department of Education  400 Maryland Ave., SW  ROB-3, Room 3060  Washington, DC 20202    Dear Chairpersons Leland and Cooper:    USA Wrestling is upset and appalled by the recent comments from a member of the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, Donna De Varona.    In a column written by Ron Rappaport of the Chicago Sun-Times after the Chicago commission meetings, De Varona was quoted as saying the following:      Who killed wrestling?  To the argument by wrestling coaches that Title IX is killing their sport, De Varona said: ''I think wrestling has died a natural death. A lot of wrestling programs were dropped from 1984 to '88 when Title IX enforcement was dormant. Insurance costs are very high in that sport, and it could have been a lack of interest.  ''We're all sympathetic to the sports that have been dropped, and we're sorry that women have been blamed.''      Not only is this statement completely inaccurate, but it is also a very inappropriate comment from a Commission member prior to the completion of the work of the Commission. It brings serious questions about her judgement, as well as to whether she can objectively evaluate the testimony brought before the Commission.    I have attached a complete copy of the article, which seems to indicate that her mind was made up on this issue even before the first meeting was held. She also seems to challenge the motive and integrity of others working on the commission.    Concerning her ridiculous attack on the sport of wrestling, we refute the entire message:    * Wrestling has not died. There are currently 229 total NCAA wrestling teams, and when NAIA and junior college programs are added in, the total is well over 300. The sport is certainly not dead in college athletics. There has been college wrestling since the late 1890's and the first NCAA Wrestling Championships was held in the 1920s. The sport is alive and has a great tradition on the college level.    * Wrestling is ranked No. 4 money-making event among NCAA Div. I Championships, and the event is annually sold-out in major sports arenas.     * Youth and high school wrestling are continuing to grow, as shown by the attached statistics from the National Federation of State High Schools and USA Wrestling. The number of participants at major wrestling events also continues to grow at all levels. This refutes her statements concerning wrestling's death and lack of interest.    * Between 1983-84 and 1987-88, the number of NCAA wrestling programs dropped from 342 to 289. This period of lost programs is not significantly different than other years. Attached is the NCAA sports statistics on the number of wrestling programs. Any objective view of the wrestling trends shows that the loss in opportunity has been consistent, a handful of programs a year. Neither can it be proven that Title IX was not a factor in the decisions to drop sports during the years noted by DeVarona.    * We can confirm of no colleges that have cited "high insurance" as a reason for dropping a wrestling program. Perhaps De Varona is confusing wrestling with another sport.    We contend that it is the job of a commissioner to listen to testimony, make appropriate inquiries, study the facts presented and when the hearings have concluded, then come up with a position on the issue. Clearly, this is not the case with the approach taken by Donna De Varona. It could be compared to a member of a jury voting on the innocence or guilt of a defendant before a trial has been completed.    This is not the first time that she has taken a public stance on the issue during the process. After the Department of Education announced the members of the Commission in June, the Women's Sports Foundation released a position statement concerning the Commission and its work which quoted De Varona (as well as commissioner Foudy). This was before even the first Commission meeting was held.    Just recently, De Varona appeared on FOX television on "The Best Damn Sports Show," hosted by Tom Arnold, concerning Title IX. She debated Mike Moyer of the National Wrestling Coaches Association on the show. During the show, she took specific positions on the Title IX issue and discussed the work of the Commission.    Certainly, people have the right to their opinions on issues. However, for an individual assigned to a government commission studying an important social issue, it is not professional or appropriate to make judgements prior to the completion of the testimony. In addition, attacking a specific sport, such as wrestling, and providing inaccurate and misleading information clearly crosses the line.    There has been a call within the wrestling community, as well as other segments of the Olympic sports community, for the removal of De Varona from the Commission based upon her actions. We agree that this suggestion should be seriously considered.     At a minimum, USA Wrestling requests a public apology from Donna De Varona for her attack on our sport. In addition, we ask that she cease from making judgmental statements about the work of the commission until the hearings are over.     We applaud the Department of Education for creating the Commission on Opportunity In Athletics, and we appreciate the opportunity to be part of the process.     Sincerely,    Rich Bender  Executive Director    cc:  Rod Paige, Secretary of Education  Gerald Reynolds, Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights  Deborah Price, Executive Director of the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics  Brian Jones, General Counsel  Lou Goldstein, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education for Policy  Members of the Commission on Opportunities in Athletics    Attachments:   Chicago Sun-Times article  Women's Sports Foundation position statement  NCAA Wrestling statistics  National Federation wrestling statistics  USA Wrestling statistics