NCAA drops the ball with Women's Basketball for March Madness.
In the words of four-time Grammy award winner Drake, I’m Upset.
I’m upset because the inequality within the world of sports have been going on for way too long, and it’s about time to call these organizations out. On Thursday, Stanford University sports performance coach Ali Kershner posted a photo comparing the weight room set-up for the NCAA women’s and men’s basketball tournaments.
While the set-up for the men’s teams included several power racks with Olympic bars and weights, the women were provided with a set of dumbbells and yoga mats for the three weeks they will be in the tournament bubble.
The post created another sort of March Madness.
Coaches such as South Carolina’s Dawn Staley and UConn’s Geno Auriemma, whose teams are both №1 seeds, said the situation reflects general inequality women’s programs are accustomed to dealing with. The NCAA also has faced questions about differences in the so-called “swag bags” given to the men’s and women’s players, the food options available, and the type of COVID-19 testing being done for both.
“We have intentionally organized basketball under one umbrella, with the goal of consistency and collaboration, said NCAA president Mark Emmert. “When we fall short of these expectations, that’s on me.”
NCAA vice president for women’s basketball Lynn Holzman commented on the issue, saying, “I think there are inherent questions and appropriate challenges relative to equality,” Holzman said. “I have lived in this world. I’ve experienced when you don’t have something that’s the same. This is also why it hits such a nerve with me. It’s our responsibility to give them a great championship experience, and one they can be proud of. It’s disappointing. I don’t even have the words to describe how painful it is personally.”
Later on Twitter, Staley stressed that it is unacceptable that there be any disparity in available weight-room facilities and amenities for the women’s basketball teams, urging “Mark Emmert and his team to own this mistake and address these issues and the overarching issues that exist in our sport.”
“It is sad that the NCAA is not willing to recognize and invest in our growth despite its claims of togetherness and equality,” Staley wrote in her post. “We all came to San Antonio with one goal: it’s time for us to turn our attention to preparing our teams for that. But it is also time for the NCAA leadership to reevaluate the value they place on women.”
Staley also posted a photo to Instagram on Friday evening of a prepackaged meal in a takeout container given to her team at the women’s NCAA tournament bubble as a way to highlight the disparity in the dining experience between the women’s and men’s tournaments.
Dozens of NBA and WNBA players also voiced their criticism of the NCAA on Twitter and elsewhere after the inequality between the men’s and women’s tournaments were publicized on social media.
“It can’t happen in our society,” Nets guard Kyrie Irving said after Friday night’s game. “It is way overdue. It has been happening for years, and we have social platforms to be able to amplify it, but we need to make a change not only in the NCAA but in youth sports with girls.”
Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry added on his Twitter page: “wow-come on now! @marchmadness @NCAA yall trippin trippin.”
Even though the NCAA is not covered under Title IX, a law that protects people from sex-based discrimination, universities are responsible for ensuring that the organization treats their male and female athletes the same way.
“What I am happy to see is that the athletes themselves are the ones that are pushing back on this,” said Nancy Hogshead-Makar, civil rights attorney and founder of Champion Women, a non-profit providing legal advocacy for women in sports. “They’re supposed to be spending equal amounts of money and equal effort on women’s teams.”
It’s a pretty simple measurement; anything the men get, so should the women. This includes equal opportunity, equal scholarships, and equal treatment.
