With respect to the Elite-8 games played in the men’s NCAA tournament, the game of the night in college hoops was played in San Antonio between top seeded UCONN and number-2 seed Baylor.
A clash of the titans in women’s basketball.
March Madness at its finest!
While I might be allowed to use that term in describing the action, the women’s tournament cannot. The NCAA won’t allow it. Trademarked in 1993, the application of “March Madness” is approved for tournament games for both men and women, but, to date, has only been used to describe the men’s tournament.
Channel surfing Monday night, I noticed the giant March Madness logo at center court for the men’s game. A smaller march madness logo appeared in the upper right of my television screen.
At center court of the women’s Elite-8 games was the NCAA logo next to the words “Women’s Basketball”. No on-screen logo.
What’s the difference? The March Madness handle on Twitter has 1.5 million followers. The official handle for the women’s tournament has fewer followers…by about a million.
In typical reactionary fashion, the NCAA has hired a law firm to analyze the gender equity issues which continue to be played out on social media. From practice facilities, to weight rooms, to meals, the NCAA has a hand in the litany of ways the men’s tournament trumps the women’s tournament.
But the NCAA has never been about equality, and it never will be so long as Mark Emmert sits in the President’s chair.
Men’s and Women’s.Power-5 versus mid-majors. Divisions 1, 2 and 3.
So long as the cash is flowing in, Emmert will continue to paddle his canoe down the river toward retirement without properly addressing what’s right and what’s wrong.