In the Saturday story “From weight rooms to COVID-19 tests, the NCAA’s lack of care for women athletes is on full display” Jessica Sutherland wrote, “I couldn’t even find a ‘Woman’s March Madness’ on Getty Images”.
It turns out that this was no accident. In “NCAA Withheld Use of Powerful ‘March Madness’ Brand From Women’s Basketball”, the Wall Street Journal’s Rachel Bachman, Louise Radnofsky and Laine Higgins write that the NCAA has systematically excluded the women’s tournament from using the brand. For example, the men’s courts in Indianapolis sport a giant “March Madness” logo, while the women’s courts either have no logo, or just say “NCAA Women’s Basketball”.
“March Madness” is one of the most powerful brands in sports. Although women proudly participate, they don’t get to benefit from the brand.
You thought the NCAA was run for the benefit of athletes and treats them fairly? Wrong-o! The NCAA isn’t even bound by the equal-access rules of Title IX, because the Supreme Court gave the NCAA a free pass to discriminate against women in NCAA v. Smith (1999).
I’m rooting for Maryland’s stellar sophomore guards Ashley Owusu and Diamond Miller and their team’s bid to defeat Alabama this afternoon. Let’s all cheer on our favorites as they play each other, and as they continue to battle against this unfair treatment. The NCAA has no excuse for this.