Why did the Energy Department issue a Title IX rule?
Kara Arundel
June 16, 2025
The proposed athletics rule would rescind a prior requirement on coed sports tryouts — but only for colleges receiving U.S. Department of Energy grants.
Some colleges would no longer have to allow students to try out for a noncontact sports team that doesn’t align with their gender if there is no equivalent team for their gender, under a Title IX regulation issued recently by the U.S. Department of Energy — not the U.S. Department of Education.
The rule change is to go into effect July 15 unless “significant adverse comments” were received by June 16. The change would only apply to colleges that receive grant funding from the Energy Department.
Specifically, the rule — called a “direct final rule” — would rescind the requirement that team sponsors offering teams for only one gender must allow members of the opposite gender to try out if no team exists for their gender, unless it is a contact sport. The rule defines contact sports as including boxing, wrestling, rugby, ice hockey, football, basketball and other sports that involve bodily contact.
