There are many things about which the National Collegiate Athletic Association should be criticized. “Equity” between the organization’s treatment of men’s and women’s sports is one of the most exaggerated, not that that’s stopping Democrats in Congress from chasing it.
Three Democratic House members are introducing a bill to create a commission that would “present a final report” on the NCAA’s equity issues (real and perceived), offer recommendations on how to fix the issues, and propose reforms Congress should impose for more oversight for the organization’s equity.
“For far too long, NCAA collegiate programs have sidelined gender equity for the sake of profit,” said New York Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney.
Some of these equity issues are indeed real. The women’s basketball tournament was not able to use the “March Madness” branding until recently. But, all in all, the “equity” issues across the NCAA between men’s and women’s sports are a matter of revenue. Just as college football is treated differently than men’s hockey, for example, so is men’s hockey treated differently than women’s hockey.
Women’s basketball does indeed have valid complaints about its role. As Emma Baccellieri detailed for Sports Illustrated, distribution rights for women’s basketball could be worth between $81 million to $112 million, but the sport is tied in to the NCAA’s championship package with 28 smaller sports, which in total earns $34 million annually. But that package was agreed to back in 2011, two years after the least-viewed championship since ESPN began broadcasting it. That deal runs through the 2023-24 season, and changes will likely be on the way thereafter.
Women’s college basketball is indeed gaining steam, but it still sits well behind the men’s game. ESPN’s most-viewed women’s championship was in 2004, earning 5.6 million viewers. The 2021 championship was considered a success with just over 4 million, the most since 2014. The 2021 men’s championship was a bit of a disappointment, the second least-watched going back to 1975. That disappointing viewership figure was just under 17 million — more than four times as large as for the women. The public, not the NCAA, decides what sports it wants to watch.
Even an external review of the NCAA found it treated men’s and women’s championships equally except for sports with a significant revenue gap. Naturally, more resources and energy were spent on championships that bring in more revenue. That doesn’t mean that women’s basketball, for example, should be treated poorly, especially as it appears to be picking up steam. But men’s basketball is a juggernaut. There should be no expectation the two are treated identically.
The NCAA has plenty of other issues. “Name, image, and likeness” rights for college athletes was a big battle that was finally won. Congress is already looking at limiting NCAA investigations into university infractions. But most of the equity issues being brought up are actually revenue issues, and Congress is not going to do much to change how popular certain sports are. There should be far better uses of the legislature’s time.
