The issue of gender equality in sports has been a hot topic over the past week as the NCAA came under fire for disparities between the men and women’s basketball tournament amenities.
In a viral tweet, Stanford sports performance coach Ali Kershner posted photos that displayed the stark contrast between the weight room for the men’s basketball players versus the one for the women’s basketball players. The women’s weight room in San Antonio, Texas contained only a single rack of dumbbells and some yoga mats. Alternatively, the men’s weight room in Indianapolis, Indiana was fully stocked with rows of weight machines and other fitness equipment that the women’s teams did not receive.
University of Oregon forward Sedona Prince also pointed out the weight room inequality in a TikTok video which has now garnered over 2.7 million likes.
“If you aren’t upset about this problem, then you are a part of it,” Prince said in the TikTok.
The NCAA has now issued an apology and allocated proper equipment and space for the women’s teams, but the conversation about equality for women in sports is ongoing. Several female athletes at Northwood have been keeping up with the situation and offered their opinions on the matter.
“While I am very disappointed by the NCAA’s showing for the incredible female athletes in the tournament this year, I feel that it was almost expected,” senior basketball and volleyball player Jillian McNaught said. “I’ve recognized for a while that women’s sports are not given the same recognition as men’s sports, especially at the collegiate level. It just seems that men’s sports are more likely to be featured on TV, more likely to be talked about and more likely to be watched.”
Northwood female athletes have had to deal with some of their own struggles as well. Sophomore soccer player Brooklyn Pease can relate to the problem the NCAA players faced with inadequate equipment.
“One time in middle school, the girls’ soccer team didn’t have enough jerseys, and the ones we did have were falling apart,” Pease said. “Instead of getting us [the girls’ team] new ones, they bought the boys’ team new jerseys and gave us the boys’ old jerseys.”
The repeated issue the female students brought up was the general attitude the public has towards women’s sports and the minimal amount of attention they receive compared to men’s teams.
“I’ve played basketball for ten years and have always felt overshadowed by the boys in tournaments and for gym time,” senior basketball player Rae McClarty said. “There are fans at Northwood who will go way out of their way to support the boys, but can’t even post about the girls. No matter whose record is better, the boys are going to get more recognition. It comes from the old idea that women will never be as good at sports as men. It makes me upset because I want my teammates and I to be held [to] the same level, but girls are usually seen as inferior, and when we try to mention it, it’s taken as a joke.”
“The biggest thing that needs to be done at Northwood is a culture change,” senior swim team and track and field team member Elizabeth Cremeans said. “Students don’t want to go to women’s sports because they aren’t seen as large social events like [the games of] their male counterparts. There is no promotion done for women’s sports or smaller sports in general.”
Even as the NCAA controversy over inadequate equipment begins to calm down, female athletes want to continue the conversation and make sure the problem is resolved.
“Inequality in sports has been an issue for a long time and I am glad that it has come to light recently,” senior track and field team member Reese Cantrell said. “It is really important that these issues are talked about and shared because that allows space for change. We have to change our mindsets that one gender is better than the other and put everyone on equal footing.”
Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Pease. Pictured Pietra Mantovani Rocha.
