By Amani Kimball-McKavish

2021’s March Madness looked different than normal, as have most things during the pandemic. However, one thing remained the same on the women’s side of college basketball: the lingering discrepancies between female and male treatment in the sports world. Videos and tweets from women’s college basketball players floated around the internet detailing the sub-par weight rooms, lack of equal gifts from sponsors, and variation in hotel amenities, while the men received luxurious treatment in their COVID-19 bubble. This year, the NCAA worked to bring more equity to March Madness, arguably one of the most profitable and visible events in college sports. 

In 2021, the women’s Division I basketball tournament was mostly played in San Antonio, Texas, featuring four fewer teams than the men’s tournament. Prior to 2022, the women’s tournament could not be called “March Madness” because of NCAA branding choices. It is standard for the NCAA to set up a practice court and weight room in the hotel for players, but players quickly noticed the stark differences between the resources given to the men versus the women last year. Women’s college players shared on social media that the “weight room” in the conference room of their hotel only included yoga mats and a small dumbbell rack. The men were given a full weight room with racks, dumbbells, and stretching materials, with enough equipment for entire teams to work out together. In addition, the food that the women’s teams were given was significantly less nutritious and appetizing than that given to the men’s teams. Tournament sponsors gifted the men with food, drinks, clothing, shoes, bags, and a plethora of free items with the March Madness theme. The women’s athletes were given a single t-shirt, a pair of socks, and necessities for their stay, such as shampoo, deodorant, and toothpaste.

A photo of the men’s weight room (top) and women’s weight room (bottom) during 2021 March Madness. Photo credit: Ali Kershner, Sports Performance Coach for Stanford University.

It was not long before University of Oregon forward Sedona Prince, among other influential athletes, took to social media to share her concerns. Sedona spoke passionately about the NCAA’s faults and how their inability to provide their athletes with equal opportunities was unacceptable. As this information was buzzing throughout the internet, the NCAA made a statement claiming that the insufficient weight room was “due to the limited space.” Female athletes inside of the bubble—certain areas within the hotel and basketball arena where athletes were confined to specific floors, with strict visitation guidelines to keep athletes from catching COVID-19—quickly demonstrated that this claim was false when they released pictures showing plenty of empty space in their so-called weight room. 

This lie from NCAA’s executives led to even more scrutiny. Dan Gavitt, the Senior Vice President of Basketball for the NCAA, responded to the controversy by saying, “I apologize to the women’s student-athletes, coaches, and committee for dropping the ball on the weight room issue in San Antonio. We’ll get it fixed as soon as possible.”

While women’s basketball players were grateful for the NCAA’s response to their demand, players recognized that it should not have been an issue in the first place. 

On top of the differences with hotels, gear, weight rooms, and food, the NCAA’s branding strategies for males and females are vastly different. The organization claims that their goal is to “demonstrate commitment to fair and equitable treatment of both male and female student-athletes,” and they are legally required to do so through Title IX. However, when exploring the promotional strategies between the men and women’s tournaments, the NCAA clearly favored men’s basketball in media coverage, branding, and budget allocations. From an imbalance in photographs, to less television coverage, to fewer posts on social media, and more money spent on men’s advertisements, women’s college basketball athletes were not given an equitable amount of support as compared to the men. Lawsuits against the NCAA were filed, which pushed the organization to make changes. 

A photo of the women’s food versus the men’s food during 2021 March Madness. Photo credit: Instagram via @overtimewbb.

Aside from March Madness, the NCAA owns the NIT—another Division I basketball tournament— but it does not own the WNIT. This means that participating women’s teams have to pitch in their own money to sponsor and run their tournaments, while men’s teams receive complete coverage for their tournament’s cost from the NCAA.  

With all of this in mind and 2021’s tournament behind them, the NCAA worked to make 2022’s March Madness a better experience for all of their basketball players– both male and female. Whether or not these changes were adequate or made by force is up to the players, and the public, to decide. 

The first change that the NCAA made in 2022 was to title both the Men’s and Women’s Division I Basketball Tournaments “March Madness.” Previously, the NCAA reserved all March Madness branding for men’s teams only, which immediately created a boundary between women’s and men’s teams, making it impossible for the two to be seen as equal. This change allowed the women’s tournament to attract more attention, pick up more sponsors, and feel like the NCAA was working to value them just as much as the men.

And, to the NCAA’s benefit, the women’s side of 2022’s March Madness raked in more revenue than it ever had and set all-time viewership records. On average, the women’s basketball tournament brings in about $34 million a year, but a report by Kaplan showed that Women’s March Madness has the potential to drive in up to $112 million per year—if the NCAA decides to invest in, uplift, and support their female athletes. In addition, Women’s March Madness viewership rose 16% since 2021, reaching an all-time high of 5.91 million viewers. 

On top of taking steps towards closing the gap in branding investments, the NCAA guaranteed that women and men would receive the same “swag bags,” with March Madness logos and goodies from sponsors. The organization also decided to allow the same number of teams to compete in the women’s March Madness as the men’s, now allowing 68 teams instead of 64. Another change to equalize treatment is to give women’s teams who are in the Final Four access to family lounges, which is standard for men’s teams. 

The NCAA has rightfully taken credit for these initiatives, and they are working hard to equalize the playing field for men and women’s sports. But it is important to ask: What do female athletes and coaches think about these changes? 

In an interview after winning the national championship this spring, University of South Carolina’s women’s head coach Dawn Staley said, “when you treat women’s basketball like a sport, it’s so freaking fulfilling.” She acknowledged the NCAA’s incredible efforts to support the women’s side of the tournament, while also challenging them to continue broadening their reach. She brought up the point that the women’s side of the tournament lacks what the men’s side has: competition among television networks, which is what allows them to drive in more revenue. UCLA’s women’s head coach Cori Close shed light on the NCAA’s opportunity to profit off of women’s basketball. She says that by working towards equity, it “would show that the NCAA really values the marketability of women, and that it’s not just a cause, but it’s a product and an asset worth investing in.”

Camille Hobby, a junior for North Carolina State’s women’s team, echoed the thoughts of everyone when she said, “This is a step, but I think there could still be more things in the future for us.” In agreement with Coach Staley, Hobby urged the powers that be to “have more women’s sports on [network television],” as it will grow the game immensely. She finished her interview with the indisputable fact that women’s Division I basketball players are “some of the best athletes that there are.”