NCAA issues apologies to female teams for unfair weight room practises
(AP) SAN ANTONIO — After disparities between the men’s and women’s tournaments went viral on social media, NCAA basketball officials apologised to the women’s basketball players and coaches and promised to do better moving forward.
After images from the previous day revealed the differences between the weight rooms at the two tournaments, Dan Gavitt, senior vice president of basketball for the NCAA, promised to improve during a Zoom call on Friday morning.
Women Student Athletes
Gavitt said, “I apologise to the women’s student-athletes, coaches, and committee for dropping the ball on the San Antonio weight room issue; we’ll get it fixed as soon as possible.
Other discrepancies were brought up during the call, including the fact that the men’s field has 68 teams while the women’s field has 64, and that the men’s National Invitation Tournament is funded by the NCAA while the women’s NIT is not.
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Conjunction with Membership
The NIT and field size would be decided in conjunction with membership, according to Gavitt. “We couldn’t decide those things on our own. It is appropriate to bring up those issues once more because they are good questions.
In an effort to address the lack of a weight room, the NCAA converted a portion of the convention centre into a practical workout area. That task ought to be finished on Saturday. The NCAA had offered to build a weight room next to the practise courts, but the coaches refused because it would mean other teams would be present while they were working out.
“This year, we fell short in our efforts to get ready for the 64 teams that would be in San Antonio over the previous 60 days. We recognise that,” said Lynn Holzman, the NCAA’s senior vice president for women’s basketball and a former college basketball player. “Last night, we did hold a conference call with our coaches and team administrators to get their thoughts and experience up to that point.
Including the Weight Room Issue
The first day that our teams had the chance to practise was yesterday, she said. “That call included seeking input on possible remedies to address some of those issues, including the weight room issue.”
Players questioned why the gift bags they received were different from those given to the men. The NCAA assured The AP that the bags’ value was fair.
The NCAA had specifically stated in the manual that weights wouldn’t be available until after the second round of the tournament, despite the fact that the difference between the men’s and women’s weight facilities was obviously startling.
Every game in the women’s tournament is being played at neutral venues for the first time. The opening rounds used to be held on campuses so that teams could schedule times to use the weight rooms there.
According to Gavitt
According to Gavitt, the NCAA will take advantage of this opportunity to improve coordination between men’s and women’s basketball.
“We tried to do in weeks and days what we pull together in months and years,” he said. “That meant there were some flaws. I’m sorry and I feel terrible about anything that doesn’t live up to our high standards. Some of those flaws were also present in Indianapolis.
The NCAA, conference commissioners, and others are already debating how to prevent this from happening in the future.
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NCAA Season Long Messaging About ‘’Togetherness’’
America East Commissioner Amy Huchthausen said, “I hope it opens a broader examination of how we invest in, support, and make decisions in the sport of basketball at all levels within our system. “There are certainly difficulties and conflicts, but circumstances like this should make us reconsider how we got here.
Not just swag bags or dumbbells are involved in this. In order to provide our student athletes with a top-notch experience, we must ensure that the outcomes of our decisions can meet our fundamental expectations for fairness and equity.
In a statement published Friday night on Twitter, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley criticised NCAA President Mark Emmert and said it’s unacceptable for anything to fall short for just the women.
What we now realise is that the NCAA’s season-long messaging about “togetherness” and “equality” was merely a convenient talking point developed in the wake of George Floyd’s slaying. “As female role models, we cannot stand by and let Mark Emmert and his squad use us and our student-athletes as they see fit.
This season, all of the teams here face the same problems as the men’s teams, but their’reward’ is different.
