NCAA President Charlie Baker said yesterday that he is “shooting for unit distribution for the NCAA women's tournament beginning with the 2024-25 season,” according to Andrea Adelson of ESPN.com. Currently, teams that make the NCAA Women's Tournament do not earn anything financially, unlike teams that make the men's NCAA Tournament -- where units are “awarded to conferences for each game played before being distributed to schools.” Adelson noted the potential change comes “thanks in part” to a new eight-year contract with ESPN to broadcast 40 NCAA championships -- including women's basketball. Baker said the change will also “send a huge signal to women's basketball generally about the fact you play in the tournament, you do well, you will benefit financially as well as in the other ways." While nothing has been approved yet, Baker said that the finance committee “targeted 2024-25 after the ESPN deal got done.” There remain multiple committees that need to discuss how exactly the units would be distributed and how conferences would be involved. A full Division I membership vote would then be required in January during the NCAA convention (ESPN.com, 4/7).
A LONG TIME COMING: The AP’s Doug Feinberg noted that women’s coaches “have been asking for years for the system to change as a way to acknowledge the growth of the game.” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley has been a “long-time proponent for bringing financial equity to the sport.” During Staley’s Saturday press conference ahead of the women's title game, she said, “You look at what the 68 teams are going to divide up, I think I saw $170 million between the 68 teams. When you start bringing in revenue like that, it will move your campus in a different direction when it comes to women. So we’ve got to fight for that” (AP, 4/7).
