\ud83d\udd19 The backdrop<\/h3>\n
Sedona Prince\u2019s TikTok was the straw<\/strong> that broke the camel\u2019s back.<\/strong> Her 37\u2013second video<\/a> not only documented the vast difference in the men\u2019s and women\u2019s weight rooms during the 2021 NCAA basketball championships, it also exposed a history of sexism<\/a> in college sports that has left women\u2019s athletics consistently underfunded and undervalued.<\/p>\n Public outrage prompted the NCAA<\/strong> to undergo a gender equity review <\/strong>that same year, and to no one\u2019s surprise, the findings weren\u2019t pretty<\/a>. According to the review, the NCAA didn\u2019t have a system or infrastructure in place to ensure gender equity, and its habits proved as much.<\/p>\n The NCAA\u2019s business practices were also flawed.<\/strong> It didn\u2019t consider women\u2019s sports to be revenue-producing (*rolls eyes*<\/em>), and consequently undervalued the value of women\u2019s sports\u2019 TV contracts.<\/p>\n The findings of the review were a wake-up call<\/strong> for the NCAA<\/strong>, which followed up with some major business changes. For the first time last year, the women\u2019s tournament finally<\/em> enjoyed equal branding<\/a> with its male counterpart \u2014 it was able to use the title \u201cMarch Madness,\u201d and both Final Fours have either \u201cMen\u2019s\u201d or \u201cWomen\u2019s\u201d in the official name.<\/p>\n SOURCE: ANDY LYONS\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Once the NCAA gave women\u2019s basketball the opportunity,<\/strong> they took it and ran with it. Women\u2019s March Madness set all kinds of records last year. Nearly 5M people watched the final<\/a>, which became the most-watched college women\u2019s hoops game since 2004, while the tournament averaged 634K viewers per game, up 16% from 2021.<\/p>\n The trend is continuing this year.<\/strong> Regular season TV viewership increased 11%<\/a> from 2022, while ESPN\u2019s broadcast of South Carolina\u2013LSU became the most-watched college women\u2019s hoops regular season game since 2010 with 1.5M people tuning in<\/a>. But\u2026no one watches women\u2019s sports.<\/p>\n Sponsors, of course, have taken note.<\/strong> ESPN sold all of its advertising inventory<\/a> a few weeks before the women\u2019s tourney tipped off both last year and this year. And now that college athletes<\/a> can sign name, image and likeness (NIL) deals with companies, the gals have taken advantage of the opportunity.<\/p>\n SOURCE: MICHAEL REAVES\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n While the college basketball gender gap<\/strong> is closing,<\/strong> room for improvement remains. Look no further than the NCAA\u2019s revenue distribution program<\/a>: the college sports organization will dole out $638M to DI schools in funding and support this year, but $171M will be distributed based solely<\/em> on how schools performed during men\u2019s<\/em> March Madness.<\/p>\n The NCAA still hasn\u2019t budged<\/strong> on the college basketball HC gender pay gap, though.<\/strong> South Carolina\u2019s Dawn Staley is the highest-paid HC in women\u2019s hoops, raking in $3.1M a year<\/a>. However, the top five men\u2019s basketball HCs all collect significantly more<\/a>, with top earner John Calipari of Kentucky earning more than double the salary of Staley.<\/p>\n SOURCE: DAVID E. KLUTHO\/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED VIA GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The times are definitely <\/strong>a-changin\u2019<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> Women\u2019s March Madness is poised to break even more records this year, which is sure to support the argument that the tournament\u2019s TV rights should be sold individually. A decision will likely arrive this year<\/a>. The anticipation.<\/p>\n College hoops\u2019 relationship with the WNBA<\/strong> is also transforming <\/strong>due to the NIL era. Junior Paige Bueckers missed this season with a knee injury, but despite being eligible to enter the W draft this year, she already confirmed she\u2019s returning to UConn<\/a>. Between the injury and the pandemic, Bueckers still has three years of NCAA eligibility.<\/p>\n\n
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\ud83d\udcc8 The impact<\/h3>\n
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\ud83d\uded1 The roadblocks<\/h3>\n
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\ud83c\udd95 The evolving landscape<\/h3>\n
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