Basketball fans love the month of March because that means it’s March Madness and there’ll be nonstop basketball games for a few weeks. Sports fans look forward to creating brackets trying to predict upsets and who will end up in the sweet sixteen during this time.
However, this year’s March Madness tournament has been a little different because of the continuation of having to follow COVID-19 guidelines along with people across the country calling out the NCAA for the poor treatment of female athletes.
Sadly, seeing women treated in a lesser light compared to men is not something that should surprise many of us, but thankfully, men and women in the United States have spoken out against this inequality. Professional athletes such as NBA’s Stephen Curry and US women’s soccer player Alex Morgan took to social media to speak out against the unfairness these female athletes were experiencing from the NCAA.
The problem came to light after women at the NCAA San Antonio bubble began sharing videos and pictures of the meals and workout equipment that was provided for the athletes. Sedona Prince, the forward for the Oregon Ducks, began posting on Twitter and Tik Tok concerning the meals and weight room equipment the women were provided.
“It’s sad that the NCAA had to wait until it became an internet sensation before they did anything about the issue,” Morgan Alexander, a senior mass communication major said.
The women were met with a single rack of dumbbells and yoga mats, whereas the men in the tournament were provided an entire weight room. The NCAA spokesperson stated that the organization did not think there would be enough room to provide the same workout equipment for the women like they did the men.
Alongside the issue with the workout equipment, the gear that the women were provided did not match the quality or quantity of the men’s. Additionally, all athletes had to be tested for COVID-19. However, according to the Washington Post, the men were receiving the PCR test whereas the women were being administered the rapid antigen test, which would give a better chance of missing an infected person causing the virus to spread.
“It’s depressing to see the women’s tournament treated without the same respect as the men’s tournaments,” Marrin Brooks, a junior business administration major said, “Situations like these should not require people to speak up.”
As a response to the complaints from athletes, coaches and sports fans, the NCAA was finally able to provide adequate workout equipment for the women athletes. However, there is a lot of talk that the NCAA did this originally because of budget issues.
It is true that the men’s March Madness tournaments generate more profits in comparison to the women by far. But, in the end, the NCAA was able to provide the same standard equipment as they provided the men athletes. If they were able to make this happen, they should have been able to do it before being shamed by the internet.
Zachary Clary, a junior sports management major said, “I believe women’s sports should get more attention as there are tons of female athletes that most Americans have not heard of. Even on our own campus we have some phenomenal female athletes that don’t get the attention and support they deserve.”
Moving forward, maybe the NCAA will be mindful of the way they treat their athletes and will now take into account the disrespect these female athletes felt as they were met with subpar conditions.
Graphic by Katelyn Miller
