Emmert: NCAA ‘dropped the ball’ in supporting women’s athletes
NCAA President Mark Emmert said Wednesday that the association “dropped the ball in supporting our women’s athletes” followingreportsofdisparities withamenities and branding between the men and women’s NCAAbasketball tournaments.
“I and everybody else in the NCAA have beensodisappointedintheshortcomingsthat have been starkly abundant and recognized here in San Antonio,” Emmert said at a news conference ahead of the Women’s Final Four, which begins Friday.
“Wecan’tdothat. That’safailurethatshould not exist.”
In comparison to the men’s NCAATournamentinIndiana, thewomeninitiallyhadmuch smaller weight roomsin SanAntonio, less-robust “swagbags” andweretested for COVID19 using antigen tests, a less-accurate process comparedto PCRtests that the menreceived. Reports also surfaced that the food options in San Antonio were also inadequate.
Emmert said he believes the NCAA has rectified the inequities in San Antonio “very effectively” andthatitwill usethis momentas a “pivot point” to determine what the association needs to do better to create an equitable experience for womenathletes.
According to the Associated Press, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association sentalettertoEmmertrequestinga“Commission on Gender Inequity in College Sports” led by people chosen by both the WBCA and NCAA. Emmertannouncedlastweekthatthe NCAAwashiringalawfirmtoreview“potential gender equity issues” in regard to how it conductsitsmen’sandwomen’stournaments.
The WBCA, though, said more than an external review has to be done.
“The issues raised by the treatment of the teamsinSanAntonioaresymptomsofamuch larger attitude that women’ssportsaresecond class to their men’s counterparts,” the letter from the WBCAread.
Emmert said Wednesday he looks forward to meeting with the WBCA.
“I’m anxious to hear from themandtohear their thoughts and views,” Emmert said. “I understandtheirinterestinbeingapartofthat andtogetherwecanfigureoutastructurethat, I think, wecanall feel very comfortable with.”
On top of the differences in amenities and testing, there have been branding disparities.
The logo at center court for men’s tournamentgamesreads“MarchMadness” whilethe logo for the women reads “Women’s Basketball.” Thelogoforthenationalsemifinalgames for the women reads “Women’s Final Four,” while the men’s logo is non-gendered and reads “Final Four.”
Emmert said there is no reason why the women’s side cannot use “March Madness” if they choose (the details behind the decision nottowillbeaddressedintheNCAA’sreview) andthatthedecisiontouseagenderidentifier
for “Women’sFinalFour” is uptothecommittee.
“Those are debates for marketing people and those who want to promote the game,” Emmert said. “But I’m committed to making sure we use the marks of the NCAA as effectively aswecaninpromotingwomen’sbasketball.”
Emmert said he wishes there was “greater attention” given in advance to the disparities betweenthemen’sandwomen’stournaments, andthat the NCAAwassofocusedonthetask of holding championships during a pandemic that theywerenotasfocusedonequityasthey should have been.
“One of the biggest frustrations is that the team that’s down here in San Antonio — the women’s committee, my staff that works on women’sbasketball, all the volunteers around thecommunity— they’vebeenworkingunbelievably hard. It’s just been really, really hard foreverybody,” Emmertsaid.“Andthentohave this incredible eventmarredbytheseincidents is just wrenching. Andanythingthatwecould have done to avoid that I would have happily done and obviously wish wehad.
“These athletes deserve that. They earned it. They deserve it. Andwelet them down.”