Nineteen Fifty-Six Vol. 1 No. 5 Winning Season

T
he NCAA has kicked off their
annual basketball tournament,
which is famously referred to
as March Madness. The tournament
generates great attention and
excitement from sports fans across
the country. However, the highly
anticipated tournament had a rocky
start as the NCAA encountered a
brief backlash in the media. On March
18, 2021, Stanford University sports
performance coach Ali Kershner
posted a photo on her Instagram page
showing the distinct differences in
weight room amenities at the NCAA
tournament.
MADNESS
UNFAIR TREATMENT IN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
In the post, Kershner shared her
thoughts on the women’s weight
room in comparison to the men’s
weight room. Kreshner pointed out
that the two weight room setups
were noticeably different. The men’s
teams were supplied with almost
triple the amount of workout space
and equipment compared to the
women’s teams.
Following Kershner’s post, Sedona
Prince, a current member of the
University of Oregon’s women’s
basketball team, posted a viral TikTok
speaking on the unequal weight
rooms at the NCAA tournament. In a
follow-up Twitter post on March 19,
2021, Prince reposted the TikTok with
a tweet acknowledging the irony of
the weight room situation occurring
during Women’s History Month.
“If you aren’t upset about this
problem, then you’re a part of it,”
Prince said in the viral TikTok video.
The news quickly spread across social
media with both female and male
athletes expressing their disapproval
of the NCAA’s negligence. NBA
players like Kyrie Irving and
Steph Curry came to the women’s
basketball team’s defense and said
that the unequal treatment at the
NCAA tournament was “unfair” and
“unacceptable.” Vannessa Bryant, wife
of the late NBA star Kobe Bryant, also
shared the controversial story on her
Instagram while asking for helpful
ways she could get involved.
The University of Alabama’s women’s
basketball team has been gearing up
for their own competitive season.
The team provided their input
on the NCAA tournament weight
room situation in a pre-game press
conference before they played
against North Carolina on March 22,
2021.
According to Kristy Curry, head coach
of Alabama’s women’s basketball team,
she and her team often have open
discussions regarding basketball and
how their team can help promote
positivity and inclusiveness. Curry
also said that the girls are focused on
keeping their heads in the game.
“There are some areas [in which] we
need to improve and we need to be
on an equal playing field with men’s
basketball,” Curry said. “We want to
focus on the things we can control,
but we will also continue to speak and
create a platform for every little girl
who wants to be treated exactly the
same [as their male counterparts].”
The conversation about men’s
basketball in comparison to women’s
basketball arose again in a post-game
press conference on March 23, 2021.
Alabama women’s basketball players
Jordan Lewis and Hannah Barber
gave their thoughts on whether they
believe women’s basketball receives
less attention in the media compared
to men’s basketball during March
Madness.
“In my opinion, I think it’s just how
you look at it [considering] the
things that have been talked about on
social media,” Lewis said. “The most
important thing is to come here and
win games and continue to strive to
be the best you can be. I think as we
continue to perform on the court the
awareness will grow and more people
will want to watch.”
Barber agreed with Lewis’ views by
adding that performing well on the
court will ultimately result in good
feedback from fans and media.
“By putting good product on the
floor, [we’re] going to attract more
fans and spectators,” Barber said.
“So, that’s what we’re really focused
on— just continuing to play hard,
bringing a lot of energy, and putting
on a good game out there for people
to watch.”
The unfair treatment at the NCAA
tournament extended beyond the
weight rooms as more pictures
surfaced online. The viral photos
compared other accommodations
between the two teams, such as
prepared and catered food, swag
bags and more.
The NCAA has since released a public
statement apologizing for initially
“dropping the ball” in their recent
accommodations for the women’s
basketball team.
“We fell short this year in what we’ve
been doing to prepare in the last 60
days for 64 teams to be here in San
Antonio, and we acknowledge that,”
said Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice
president of women’s basketball.
The NCAA upgraded the
women’s weight room
amenities shortly
after the backlash.
N C A A
senior vice
president of basketball Dan Gavitt
also apologized for the organization’s
error in the following statement:
“We have intentionally organized
basketball under one umbrella [at
the NCAA] to ensure consistency
and collaboration. When we fall
short of these expectations, it’s on
me,” Gavitt said. “I apologize to
women’s basketball student-athletes,
coaches and the women’s basketball
committee for dropping the ball on
the weight rooms in San Antonio.”
The NCAA weight room controversy
has since sparked a greater
conversation surrounding sports,
gender and equality. It has now
become even more apparent that
inequality still remains an issue in
sports and must be addressed sooner
than later.
21 NINETEEN FIFTY-SIX MAGAZINE
MARCH 2021
22