March Madness brand to be extended to NCAA women’s basketball tournament
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Top line
After a nationwide outcry over gender inequalities in college basketball, the National College Athletic Association announced on Wednesday that the March Madness brand will be extended to include the Division I women’s championship tournament from 2022, a major change which might draw more attention to the group.
Hannah Barber # 5 of Alabama Crimson Tide splits defensemen Ariel Young # 11 and Deja Kelly # 25 of … [+]
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Highlights
The move comes after an external review of gender equity issues conducted this summer by law firm Kaplan Hecker & Fink recommended “substantial changes” to address inequalities between the men’s tournament, one of the most popular annual sporting events in the United States, and the women’s tournament.
The budgets of the men’s and women’s tournaments are also being reassessed.
Key context
This year, the Men’s Sweet 16 has averaged 6.46 million viewers per game, USA Today reported, while the women’s games have averaged just 915,000. This spring, players and coaches have spoken on social media from lackluster workout facilities, after her Oregon teammate Sedona Prince posted a TikTok highlighting the disparities between men’s and women’s weight rooms. The women’s tournament also doesn’t have the big sponsorships that men get. The external report found that the rights to broadcast women’s games are under-sold by tens of millions of dollars. To improve their marketing, the Women’s Division had previously applied to use the March Madness brand, but this was denied by the NCAA, the the Wall Street newspaper reported.
Crucial quote
“March Madness’s brand recognition will expand marketing opportunities as we continue this work to elevate the championship in women’s basketball,” Lynn Holzman, vice president of women’s basketball, said in a statement.
Further reading
March Misogyny: NCAA Hits Women’s Basketball With Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (Forbes)
MaximBet Offers Statewide NIL Agreement to Every NCAA Student Athlete in Colorado (Forbes)
The clock is turning. The time for NCAA reform has arrived. (Forbes)
