The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship in San Antonio is currently the subject of unflattering national attention. We have heard directly from member coaches who are fortunate enough to be there and who are experiencing the conditions first hand.
We know that it has been a massive undertaking to make this championship possible — to relocate the entire tournament to a single location in a short period of time and to navigate through constantly evolving local government and medical protocols. However, we must also acknowledge that certain details were overlooked. As a result, there are inequities between the conditions experienced by our student-athletes and coaches versus those of their counterparts at the men’s championship in Indianapolis. This is disheartening and unacceptable.
Last evening we participated in a videoconference conducted by the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee and staff with representatives of the 64 participating teams. The teams shared their concerns. The committee and staff were contrite and promised they are working swiftly to address them. Today we are pleased to learn that improvements have already been made and more are underway. We have made clear to NCAA leadership our commitment on your behalf to help guarantee the premiere event in college women’s basketball not only provides the best experience possible for but exceeds the expectations of everyone who works so hard to get there.
Let us use this moment to reflect on the status of the game we all love and how we can work together to make it equitable for future generations of student-athletes. Let us unite, coaches and administrators, to move our game forward together.
We wish all 64 participating teams the best as they compete for a national title!
# # #