South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley issued a statement on Friday about the NCAA’s uneven accommodation at the women’s basketball tournament in San Antonio.
Staley said the problem goes beyond adequate training equipment and gift bags for teams participating in the tournament.
“The issue here is bigger,” said Staley. “Let’s start with the official verified NCAA Twitter account @marchmadness. The latency line leaves no room for misinterpretation – the NCAA March Madness’ official destination for all things in Division I / NCAA Men’s Basketball.” Those words mean one thing – March Madness is ONLY about men’s basketball.
“As an organization that claims to care about the experiences of student athletes from ALL member institutions, it may have a copyrighted term that just” represents “one genre.”
Staley’s comments come after videos and photos circulated on social media showing the disparate conditions between the male and female weight rooms in their respective NCAA tournaments.
“They (NCAA) did not think or did not think that female players deserved the amenities of men,” said Staley. “We cannot, as leaders of young women, allow Mark Emmert and his team to use and our student athletes at their convenience.
“All the teams here have dealt with the same problems as the men’s teams this season; but their payoff is different. It’s sad that the headlines in the women’s tournaments have turned into disparities and nightly encounters about trying to fix what shouldn’t be needed adjusted. “
Early Friday, the NCAA Women’s Athletics Committee sent President Mark Emmert a letter, asking the league to investigate uneven accommodation.
The letter, sent by committee chairwoman Suzette McQueen, addressed the problems that women’s teams are facing. In response to public complaints from various team performance coaches and WNBA players about accommodations, an NCAA representative said The Washington PostMolly Hensley-Clancy’s on Thursday he thought there would not be enough space for the weight rooms because the convention center that hosts the women’s tournament is smaller.
According The AthleticChantel Jennings, teams advancing to Sweet 16 will have access to more fitness equipment. However, it will still be less than what the men’s teams have in their weight room.
Staley said it was time for the NCAA to take responsibility for the problem.
“We need Mark Emmert and his team to recognize the error and resolve these issues and the general issues that exist in our sport,” said Staley. “Women’s basketball is a popular sport whose stock and presence continues to grow globally.”
More coverage of March Madness: