The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is facing adverse reactions to the difference in treatment between male and female players at its March Madness tournaments.
On Thursday, Stanford University sports coach for women’s basketball and golf, Ali Kershner, posted a video on Twitter showing a stark difference between the women’s weight room in the NCAA Bubble in San Antonio and the men’s weight room in San Antonio. NCAA balloon in Indianapolis.
“In a year defined by a fight for equality, this is a chance to have a conversation and improve,” Kershner wrote in the picture, which showed that the men’s weight room was not only bigger than the for women, but had even more equipment and weight options for athletes to train with.
In response to Kershner’s image and the images shared by other athletes, NCAA Vice President of Women’s Basketball Lynn Holman issued a statement saying the difference in facilities was due in part to “limited space and the original plan was the expansion of the training area once more space was available later in the tournament. “
However, after listening to the needs of participating teams, Holman says the NCAA is now actively working to increase existing resources in practice courts, including additional weight training equipment.
Following Holman’s statement, the University of Oregon player Sedona Prince shared a video on Twitter showing how big the training ground for women is and “all the extra space” they have for a better and bigger gym.
“If you’re not upset about this problem, then be a part of it,” Prince said in the video, which went viral instantly.
In addition to the weight room images, several other college athletes from various women’s basketball teams shared images and videos showing a difference in treatment when it came to food options, as well as swag bags.
To date, the NCAA has not issued a statement on allegations of a difference in food and bag options. But several NBA and WNBA players, including Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry and Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson, took to Twitter to share their disappointment with the NCAA and the apparent lack of resources for women athletes. .
This difference in treatment, according to many athletes, says a lot about the lack of investment and funding for women’s sports programs that they often receive, despite Title IX requiring universities to provide equal treatment for men and women players.
In the last year alone, women athletes from various colleges have spoken out about the issue, including athletes from Clemson University, saying earlier this month that they intend to file a class action lawsuit against the school if no more financial aid is provided.
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