The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is facing backlash due to the disparity in treatment between male and female players during the March Madness tournaments.
On Thursday, Ali Kershner, Stanford University sports performance coach for the women’s basketball and golf team, posted a video to Twitter showing a big difference between the women’s gym in their NCAA bubble in San Antonio and the men’s gym at their NCAA. bubble in Indianapolis.
“In a year marked by a struggle for equality, this is an opportunity to have a conversation and get better,” Kershner wrote below the image, revealing that the men’s gym was not only bigger than that of women, but also more equipment and weight options for the athletes to train with.
In response to Kershner’s image and images shared by other athletes, Lynn Holman, NCAA vice president of women’s basketball, released a statement saying that the difference in facilities is partly due to “ limited space and the original plan was space was available to expand the training area later in the tournament. “
However, after listening to the needs of the participating teams, Holman says the NCAA is now “actively working to improve existing training ground resources, including additional weight training equipment.”
Following Holman’s statement, University of Oregon player Sedona Prince shared a video on Twitter showing just how big the women’s training ground is and “all the extra room” they have for a better and bigger weight room.
“If you’re not upset about this problem, then you’re a part of it,” Prince said in the video that immediately went viral.
In addition to images of the weight room, several other college athletes from different women’s basketball teams shared photos and videos that showed a difference in treatment when it came to food options and swag bags.
So far, the NCAA has not issued any statement regarding the allegations of a difference in food and swag bag options. But several NBA and WNBA players, including Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry and Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson, have taken to Twitter to share their disappointment with the NCAA and the apparent lack of resources for female athletes.
This inequality in treatment speaks volumes for many athletes to the lack of investment and funding of women’s sports programs that are often received, despite Title IX requiring universities to provide equal treatment for male and female players.
In the past year alone, female athletes from various colleges have spoken out on the issue, including female athletes from Clemson University who stated earlier this month that they intend to file a class action lawsuit against the school if there was no financial aid. is offered.
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