Inequality in the NCAA - It's Worse Than You Think

It’s not surprising that the majority of the sports news right now has focused on March Madness, aka the Men’s NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament.  But there’s another event in sports going on right now, one that is of the same caliber, playing the same sport, and being put on by the same organization: the Women’s NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament.  My prediction is that most Americans, even Americans who are passionate about sports, have not invested any time, attention, or energy in this event versus its counterpart, inspiring people to enthusiastically fill out brackets and go to sports bars to cheer on their favorite teams. It’s tragic, yet it’s tradition - not all sports are created equal.  

Today I’m going to shed light on gender inequality in the NCAA, starting with the March Madness scandal that broke the news recently and ending with examples of gender inequality I witnessed during my years as an NCAA athlete at UCLA and UNC.  

A few days ago, I was scrolling through Instagram when pictures of a set of barbells, which looked like what you would find at a Best Western hotel gym, began flooding my feed.  The pathetic “weight room” I was looking at turned out to be the equipment accommodations provided to the women athletes at the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament in San Antonio. These pictures were soon trending with a side-by-side comparison of a grand weight room full of racks and equipment - the accommodations provided to the men athletes at the Men’s NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. Shortly after these pictures surfaced, more evidence of inequality was getting posted - the discrepancies in the food being served and in the swag bags and marketing sponsorships.  Nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping women athletes, including The Virago Project, Voice in Sport and The Hidden Opponent, began posting calls to action for the NCAA: do better. 

The NCAA issued a half-assed statement apologizing for the weight-room inequity, citing that adequate space was the reason behind it. Oregon Ducks star Sedona Prince quickly debunked this statement by posting a TikTok showing all of the available space - it was a lie.  The exposure gave the NCAA the perfect opportunity to be accountable for their actions and express genuine remorse for their actions.  They didn’t, and they failed female athletes in the process.  

This March Madness scandal is just one case study of how the NCAA perpetuates gender inequality and creates unequal opportunities for men and women.  After being an NCAA athlete for the past three years, I have some first-hand knowledge of how individual schools within the NCAA discriminate against women and violate Title IX in the process.  Inequality is present at big NCAA events like March Madness, and also in the everyday lives of student-athletes at their respective campuses.  Here are some examples of what I witnessed during my time at UCLA and UNC, two of the largest and most prestigious NCAA Division I institutions. 

Right before I got to UCLA in the fall of 2017, the school had just constructed a brand new football facility on campus. The Wasserman Football Center houses a locker room, athletic training area, strength and conditioning facility, coaches offices, team meeting rooms, equipment rooms and video rooms. UCLA spent over $100 million creating an oasis for its most prized athletes and sport, excluding women from participation. Except for men’s and women’s basketball, all other sports share a weight room and athletic training room.  They don’t have their own restaurant-quality dining hall.  I think it’s important to note that UCLA’s football team is the school’s worst sport - it never even gets a ranking. The special treatment of UCLA football had nothing to do with its skill or ranking and everything to do with the business enterprise that is NCAA sports and the inherent sexism in these sports. 

While an athlete at UNC, I was also exposed to gender inequity between many of the sports.  Perhaps most poignant is the discrepancy in treatment between our men’s and women’s basketball teams.  UNC Men’s Basketball plays its games at the Smith Center, aka the Dean Dome.  This arena is recently renovated, huge and beautiful - it’s one of the nicest NCAA basketball arenas in the country.  UNC Women’s basketball does not have this luxury.  They train and play games at Carmichael Arena, a dingy and aging stadium. What explanation is there for this other than gender discrimination by the school administration and athletic department? I can’t think of any.  

It’s 2021 and we can all do better - the NCAA, the schools themselves, and the students and fans who fail to speak up. Let’s create a world where we hold our institutions to higher standards and where gender doesn’t dictate opportunity in athletics.