Separate and Unequal

When the most eyes are on the sport, the disparities are blindingly obvious between the men's and women's game.

March 20, 2021

The NCAA should be applauded for what has been an exciting and successful start to the men’s basketball tournament. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the state of affairs for the women’s basketball tournament. On Thursday, Oregon’s Sedona Prince amplified the disparity between the treatment given to the men’s tournament in comparison to the women’s by showing off the “weight room” for all 68 teams that traveled to the San Antonio area.

The NCAA had initially stated that the lack of space available in the facilities was a contributing factor. Obviously, that was not fully accurate. By Friday, NCAA Senior Vice President Dan Gavitt took responsibility for the situation, as reported by Natalie Weiner.

This newsletter and the Field of 68 network at large is admittedly focused on the men’s basketball game. Both have worked to include voices that focus on the women’s game, including the Christy’s Court podcast, featuring Maryland basketball legend Christy Winters-Scott. This is not enough. The situation with the NCAA women’s basketball tournament is yet another reminder of the disparities in opportunity women in sports face. Without action, however, this is just a space to shame the NCAA. Look to this space to commit to better reporting on and featuring of the women’s game. The NCAA women’s basketball tournament first round kicks off Sunday.

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Tournament Tracker

It’s The Big Dance! Let’s take a look at NCAA Tournament action and what lies ahead.

  • #5 Colorado vs. #12 Georgetown (12:15 p.m. EDT on CBS)

  • #4 Florida State vs. #13 UNC-Greensboro (12:45 p.m. EDT on truTV)

  • #3 Kansas vs. #14 Eastern Washington (1:15 p.m. EDT on TBS)

  • #8 LSU vs. #9 St. Bonaventure (1:45 p.m. EDT on TNT)

  • #1 Michigan vs. #16 Texas Southern (3:00 p.m. EDT on CBS)

  • #5 Creighton vs. #12 UC Santa Barbara (3:30 p.m. EDT on TRU)

  • #2 Alabama vs. #15 Iona (4:00 p.m. p.m. EDT on TBS)

  • #6 USC vs. #11 Drake (4:30 p.m. p.m. EDT on TNT)

  • #2 Iowa vs. #15 Grand Canyon (6:25 p.m. EDT on TBS)

  • #7 UConn vs. #10 Maryland (7:10 p.m. EDT on CBS)

  • #4 Virginia vs. #13 Ohio (7:15 p.m. EDT on truTV)

  • #8 Oklahoma vs. #9 Missouri (7:25 p.m. EDT on TNT)

  • #1 Gonzaga vs. #16 Norfolk State (9:20 p.m. EDT on TBS)

  • #6 BYU vs. #11 UCLA (9:40 p.m. EDT on CBS)

  • #3 Texas vs. #14 Abilene Christian (9:50 p.m. EDT on truTV)

  • #7 Oregon vs. #10 VCU (9:57 p.m. EDT on TNT)

The Mixtape

The Field of 68 team puts out lots of great content each week. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

  • The return of the NCAA Tournament was everything and more that hoops heads could want after a two-year wait. Oral Roberts knocked off 2-seed Ohio State in overtime! North Texas took down 4-seed Purdue in overtime! Loyola-Chicago and Sister Jean relived the magic of 2018 as they took down Georgia Tech. A 10-seeded Syracuse team advanced to the second round yet again! Rutgers won a game in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 3 decades! It was an incredible day of action and Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman broke it all down.

  • Michigan enters the NCAA Tournament with optimism against Texas Southern this afternoon but with anxiety over the loss of forward Isaiah Livers. Dylan Burkhardt joins the Go Blue with Stu podcast with Stu Douglass to talk about potential matchups facing the Wolverines on their quest to survive and advance.

  • The Welcome to the Jay with Jahenns Manigat podcast welcomes former Blue Jay and teammate Isaiah Zierdan. The two discuss the less than stellar end of the regular season and then look ahead to Creighton’s path in the NCAA Tournament. The two also reminisce about life around the NBA and battling injuries.

  • The Rock Chalk J-Hawk podcast with Jeff Hawkins welcomed former NCAA Tournament Champion and 4-time Big 12 Champion Tyrel Reed to take a look back at past glory and ahead to the NCAA Tournament for the current squad. Can the Jayhawks regroup after the COVID scare and make waves in the NCAA Tournament?