NCAAW Tournament
Then v. Now
By: Adela Rakoski '23
March Madness. A time of the year in which gamblers, basketball players, and middle school children come together to bet against their rivals. During this time, men’s college division one players are treated like kings. They are showered with money, vast buffets and shiny new shoes. One year ago, it came to light that the women in the same sport, have received none of said wealth. What has changed?
During the March Madness tournament in 2021, Sedona Prince, forward for the University of Oregon Ducks, took to social media about the team's living space inside the bubble, referrig to the players' basketball isolation. Although they were supposed to be treated like kings, they were barely deemed plebeians. Weight lifting equipment was a mere rack of hand weights and a yoga mat. Buffets of food were mere ‘instant meals.' Mountains of merchandise were a few t-shirts. So what happened?
The first big change: collegiate athletes are getting paid for their own brands. If a student-athlete so chooses, they can make content on social media, or sell merchandise of their choice. In time, they can be paid for it. Athletes across all sports are ecstatic about this rule, as it means that they are being treated as equals with the pros. In addition, the women now have 68 teams participating in the tournament, in comparison to the 64 during previous years. Although this may not seem like much, change starts with little victories. “I am very excited to witness history being made, as the game continues to develop,” a UC freshman varsity basketball player exclaimed. Little changes will in time lead to equality in sports, and inspire generations of girls to come.
In short, the NCAA said that these inequalities resulted from a lack of space for the women, not a lack of funds. In the video, Prince showed a large amount of empty space directly next to the court on which the teams train. This led to further questions on how the NCAA is operating. “These women want and deserve to be given the same opportunities,” Kershner, the sports performance coach at Stanford, Kershner wrote. “Not only that — three weeks in a bubble and no access to [dumbbells] above 30s until the sweet 16? In a year defined by a fight for equality this is a chance to have a conversation and get better.”