A recent Tik Tok coming from Oregon’s Sedona Prince has gotten a lot of buzz for calling out the unequal amenities for the women at the NCAA Tournament. Multiple NBA stars including Steph Curry have followed up by calling out the NCAA for the disparity.
Sedona calls out the unfairness of weight room for women compared to men. The NCAA came out with a statement saying the differences in weight rooms were due to space not money, however, Prince showed clear evidence of ample space that could be used for an equal-sized weight room. Therefore, the NCAA has no excuse for the discrepancy.
This is not the first time there has been clear evidence of the NCAA favoring the men’s programs. In 2017, it was revealed that 42% of funding goes to men’s programs where a mere 21% goes to women’s. Among collegiate sports, the NCAA’s annual revenue is approximately $19 billion per year, more than enough to fund equal amenities and opportunities for both programs.
While profits are tied to the disparity, it begins with the opportunities given to the women. The women’s games are televised and advertised at a significantly lower rate, therefore, are unable to gain more of a following or make more of a profit. Their program isn’t given an equal chance to succeed with the lack of support from the NCAA.
After all the backlash over the video, the NCAA has promised to improve the women’s weight room. Ideally, this will spark a series of events for more equality regarding the men’s and women’s college basketball programs.
This is not the first time Prince has gone after the NCAA after suing them over the share of TV and social media earnings this past June. The NCAA has a long way to go, but this change is at least a step in the right direction.
