Inequities seen in NCAA are not a game

Equity doesn’t know from calendars, but Women’s History Month is a reliable reminder to check on progress and setbacks in a given year. Conveniently, 2021 offered a stark example of inequity during March Madness. A viral video illustrated the differences in workout equipment made available to the men’s teams in Indianapolis and the women’s teams in San Antonio. You don’t have to guess which was superior.

Once the issue was identified (and efforts made to rectify it executed more quickly than an ESPN commercial break), other problems were flagged as well, including the jarring detail that the men were given more reliable COVID-19 tests than the women.

It’s a problem as old as the sport itself. Women’s programs were routinely saddled with nicknames that simply slapped “Lady” in front of the men’s handle. In some cases, it has been even worse, resulting in surreal monikers such as the Sugar Bears in Central Arkansas, the Northland LumberJills (which becomes the Ladyjacks at Stephen F. Austin State) and the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes.

Many of these problems are casually dismissed. While the UConn women are lauded in the national media as the finest program in the land, they also are routinely referred to as the “Lady Huskies.”

Maybe it should become a tradition to flip the monikers during Women’s History Month so the men’s program gets the secondary label. Then we could root for the “Gentleman Huskies.”

Even the phrase “March Madness” is a brand reserved only for the men. Try not to see the phrase during a televised men’s game, and take note that it doesn’t exist in the arena hosting the women, where center court is merely labeled with “NCAA Women’s Basketball.”

All of this comes at a time when workplaces are drafting diversity and inclusion teams.

This fitness room issue was raised by Ali Kershner, a sports performance coach with the Stanford women’s basketball team. Athletes and coaches tend to notice these kinds of things.

“We’ve been fighting for gender equality for a while now,” UConn junior Christyn Williams said.

“That just goes to show that we have a lot of work to do. And I’m calling out the NCAA, there’s no excuse for that. It’s unacceptable, and they need to do better.”

There are plenty of lessons here that can apply outside of the world of sports. Instead of waiting for a complaint, it’s always a good practice for companies to invite employees to anonymously cite issues of potential concern.

Companies of any size should strive to ensure all people are treated the same in a workplace. That can mean hiring practices, promotions, salaries (women still earn an estimated 81.6 percent of their male colleagues), benefits or quality of the physical work space provided.

In the case of the NCAA, the disparity in workout rooms should be a reminder to examine all practices. Pretending the problem of equity was mended by hastily adding some equipment would be true March madness.

Maybe it should become a tradition to flip the monikers during Women’s History Month so the men’s program gets the secondary label. Then we could root for the “Gentleman Huskies.”