Stanford’s sports performance coach Ali Kershner tweeted a photo of the “weight room” in San Antonio for the women’s basketball teams. It showed a single dumbbell rack and yoga mats — and not even enough for an entire team at once. By comparison, the men had an all-out training room equipped with multiple dumbbells and other machines.
Women’s @NCAA bubble weight room vs Men’s weight room… thought this was a joke. WTF is this?!?
— Sabrina Ionescu (@sabrina_i20) March 18, 2021
To all the women playing in the @marchmadness tournament, keep grinding! pic.twitter.com/K04KTv6s46
There were also issues with testing for COVID during that time. It was revealed that men had a more reliable form of testing than women.
“From the beginning, I saw that we were going to be using two different kinds of testing systems (and) that the testing system on the women’s side was a little bit different than on the men’s side,” longtime UCONN Women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma said. “I don’t know why there’s a difference. I don’t know why one is one way, one is the other.”
From healthcare and childcare for the women with kids, all the way to the “swag bags” given to the players, it was apparent that the women’s basketball players were an afterthought to the NCAA.
The NCAA isn’t offering support for childcare and breastfeeding children count against the 34-person traveling party limit, putting women coaches in an impossible spot. Cool, cool. https://t.co/iY6LKDi4uz pic.twitter.com/2F0FVyz8nK— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) March 19, 2021
From what I have been shown it appears the swag bags that the Men receive from the @NCAA are much more substantial than the Women as well. @ncaawbb @marchmadness. C'mon NCAA do better. Be better! pic.twitter.com/tDRjI9e5UJ
— Dan Henry (@danhenry3) March 18, 2021
Now, let’s be real, most of us should know that the reason women were treated like second-class citizens was because of the money.
Traditionally, Men’s basketball on all levels has been a bigger draw than Women’s basketball. Regarding fans, viewership, and endorsement, the men are the cash cow.
Which means there will be more attention given to them. It’s not fair, but that’s the way it is.
Over the years, women have struggled to gain a fraction of the success that men have experienced. Not just in the fans and viewers, but in respect and money. A lot of times, women professional basketball players must go overseas just to make a decent salary.
However, with most struggles, there is also some sign of progress, and that came this year in the Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. The “March Madness” for Women was record-setting.
The National Title game that featured Louisiana State University (LSU) and the University of Iowa was the most viewed National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) women’s basketball game. Not to mention it came with a conversation and a little bit of controversy afterward that featured two of the players on the respective teams.
The drama, the fans, and the views, women’s basketball needs it all. But more than anything, it needs to level the playing field with the men. Or at the very least get to the point where people are consistently paying attention. It might not happen immediately, but it may happen eventually.
However, it should be noted, that regardless of what happens in the future, this moment, this stage, and this tournament belonged to the Women.