Dumbbells

And in this day and age, yet

IT’S ABOUT time Arkansas is shaking up brackets again. This year, even during a pandemic, the University of Arkansas (the big one, the one in Fayetteville) shook off the dust, and both the men’s and women’s teams made March Madness. Whether you followed Justin Smith or Chelsea Dungee, you had reason to cheer. For a while. (Where is Wright State, anyway?)

But even in this day and age, even with Title IX, even with social media making certain nobody gets away with nuthin’, even with more and more women’s basketball (and other sports) on the television more often, and even as women’s soccer and women’s tennis oftentimes surpass the popularity of the men’s side . . . . Still, we have The Story of March Madness. And it isn’t good.

Men ballers from across the country drove, rode or hiked to Indianapolis to play the NCAA championship tournament. They got swag bags, good food, the best of facilities . . . . what you’d expect.

The women rolled into San Antonio, saw their facilities and got what you’d expect—if you were talking about athletics in 1982, not today. Whereas you could see the men work out in Glamourous Fitness rooms filled with all kinds of equipment, the women posted pictures of their workout room, which consisted of a few loose dumbbells and not much else.

While the men were living in style, one lady player said she had a hot dog for breakfast. For goodness sake, a Wall Street Journal columnist noted that the men were getting the better PCR covid-19 test while the women were given the less-reliable antigen test.

You have got to be kidding.

In the very, very least—and we mean the least—those running the NCAA show ought to have some PR skills. Somebody in the room should have said that serving the ladies “uninspiring box meals” (according to NPR) while serving the men’s teams steak fillets and lobster mac ‘n’ cheese would catch the media’s eye.

Did the NCAA think the ladies would take it without comment? Please, let us introduce you to female athletes in 2021.

Others, though just as angry, were less surprised than some of us. For example, Muffet McGraw, former Notre Dame coach, said the fact that “there’s a huge disparity between men’s and women’s sports is hardly breaking news. The NCAA had an opportunity to highlight how sports can be a place where we don’t just talk about equality, we put it on display. To say they dropped the ball” would be an understatement.

After much twittering and Facebooking and media calls to NCAA headquarters, magically the women’s weight room was enhanced. Overnight, the NCAA found a satisfactory number of workout benches and machines. And the food quality at the San Antonio hotels had been “addressed immediately.”

This being sports in America, let us make a wager: We’ll bet that next year, the NCAA will make an extra effort to make the ladies feel more appreciated. According to a story in last week’s Wall Street Journal, the women’s side of March Madness is growing in popularity, “with TV ratings and ticket sales improving rapidly.” It’s what those in business call a growth stock. The NCAA should buy now.

Because what happened this spring is madness, madness.

March madness, madness.