Both the women’s and men’s NCAA basketball tournaments have long come to a close, but that does not mean the controversy has.
Sparked by a TikTok clip posted by Sedona Prince, a female athlete on the University of Oregon Women’s Basketball team showcasing the inequalities between the men’s and women’s weight rooms, the NCAA has finally decided to do something about it.
The video showcased the reality of the gender inequity that still plagues sports- even at the collegiate level. While the men were given an elaborate and large weight room, with many different racks of machinery, the women had only one small rack of dumbells.
This is the straw that broke the camel’s back, as the video quickly skyrocketed in popularity. The NCAA was put on blast, rightfully, for their history of treating the men and women athletes differently- reflected even in the gift bags provided to each athlete.
Recently, the NCAA has hired a law firm for ‘”Gender Equity”- in response to their atrocious discrepancies. This is arguably the least that they could do for the female athletes who have continually been mistreated and given unequal opportunities.
The NCAA President has also released a statement taking the blame for the inequities- but this is all far too late. The athletes are competing at the same level, in the same tournament, and thus should be given fair and equal treatment.
The NCAA has work to do- and the women watching are as tired of this as the women playing. Our female athletes deserve far more.