April 9, 2021 2:15 PM by Penny Gross
March Madness 2021 may be relegated to those who keep statistics and sports trivia for roll-out at future tourneys, but perhaps the most important result of this year’s NCAA tournament is a renewed focus on women’s basketball and, in turn, women’s sports overall. The glaring inequities about the women’s weight and training area in San Antonio may have been the catalyst for a lot of discussion and NCAA apologies last month, but apologies and lip service don’t cut it. Expeditious change is needed, now.
The first NCAA men’s basketball tournament was held in Evanston, Illinois, in March 1939. The tournament was won by the Webfoots, now known as the Ducks, of the University of Oregon, who defeated Ohio State, 46 to 33. (In the spirit of full disclosure, my parents met that same year at Oregon, and I am a second generation “Duck.”) More than 30 years after that first men’s tournament,
Sarah Rubinstein is a freshman journalism major at MU. She is an opinion columnist who writes about politics and societal observations for The Maneater.
When recounting this year’s March Madness tournament, it is impossible to ignore the NCAA’s obvious sexism.
The attention started when Oregon’s Sedona Prince posted a TikTok comparing the men’s and women’s weight rooms for the NCAA March Madness tournament.The men’s workout area was one large space decked out with equipment and the women’s small area was supplied with a single rack of 5-pound dumbbells and some yoga mats. The NCAA responded by expanding the weight room, but the incident never should have occurred in the first place.
Ten Gold Medalists Headline 2021 USA Women’s AmeriCup Team Trials Invitees
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Twenty of the nation’s top collegiate athletes, including 10 who have captured a combined 21 gold medals competing on past USA Basketball teams, have accepted invitations to attend the April 18-21, 2021 USA Basketball Women’s AmeriCup Team trials.
Invitations to the trials, which will be held at the University of South Carolina, were issued by the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team Committee and USA Women’s Senior National Team Committee.
Due to COVID-19 precautions, no media or guests will be allowed to view trials sessions. USA Basketball will provide media with images and b-roll for non-commercial, editorial use on a daily basis.