Establishing equality in the tournament, basketball and beyond

Almost a year ago, one of the biggest spectacles in sports kicked off, and the contagious excitement of March Madness circulated throughout the country. However, no matter who would end up cutting down the nets, one thing quickly became clear: The NCAA Tournament had failed.

The women’s tournament, held in a bubble in San Antonio, was not branded by the NCAA as “March Madness”, like the men’s tournament in Indianapolis was. Oregon’s Sedona Prince pointed out on Twitter that the weight rooms in San Antonio consisted of racks of small dumbbells, while the men’s tournament in Indianapolis was filled with squat racks, bench presses, and all kinds of equipment. The women’s “swag bags” were significantly smaller than the men’s. COVID-19 testing was also more frequent at the men’s tournament, and women who tested positive were not given as many opportunities to get cleared and return to play.

“(The NCAA Tournament) was personal for me, because I am a women’s basketball player, and to see that my other fellow women’s basketball players aren’t getting equal weight room opportunities, it was really disheartening,” said Peanut Tuitele, a forward for the University of Colorado’s women’s basketball team. “We both shoot the basketball, we both lift weights, why is there a discrepancy? It’s just frustrating to see the inequalities that the NCAA portrayed last year.”

Almost one year removed from last year’s big dance, the NCAA  resolved some of these issues (the “March Madness” branding will now be used for both the men’s and the women’s tournament), but the fight for equality in women’s sports still lives. 

Student journalist Troy Finnegan spoke with Alyssa Charlston, a sports reporter at Fox 13 Seattle and a women’s basketball analyst for the Pac-12 Network, to hear how she thinks the NCAA is addressing gender equity in the future. Charlston is a former basketball player at the University of Idaho and played professionally in Luxembourg for one year.

Could you give me an example of when you’ve seen inequalities between men’s and women’s sports?

Well, the one that jumps out, obviously, is the NCAA (Tournament) last year, when Sedona Prince called out the weight room differences. 

I think bravery is what’s different now, because even 10 years ago, when I graduated in 2014, there were some inequalities then. It wasn’t extreme at Idaho, by any means, but there was just more money for the men, and the amount of fan engagement, even when their season wasn’t going the way ours was, there were just more fans there. 

I remember we were undefeated in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), in my senior year, and we had some great fan support, but you see the differences between the men’s game and the women’s. And I understand there has been more money put into men’s programs for a longer time… But I would say NCAA Tournament wise, that was probably the biggest.

I saw that you were at the men’s tournament last year, was that something that was talked about at all by fans, players, or media?

I remember seeing Sedona’s tweet and being like, ‘Wow, that’s not okay.’ But, typical. It’s kind of what you expected unfortunately. And that’s the difference in generations. In my generation, you don’t really speak out against the NCAA. They were giving us the opportunity to earn a scholarship and to go to school for free, and we were excited to have that opportunity. Speaking out against it seemed really not okay, but that’s something that Sedona did.

From an outsider’s perspective, that incident really got people talking. Can you describe how you think that changed things and kickstarted this movement?

I think for a lot of people it was like ‘Oh?’ Like a shock that that actually happens. Some people didn’t even know that it was unfair. And we would never have known if Sedona hadn’t tweeted that… I think, from top to bottom, from the NCAA President, to basketball operations, to sports information departments, to athletic directors, to coaches, everybody is just more aware of it. And people really do want it to stop because there’s a lot of support that came out in favor of changing that and making things more equal.

You mention that level of awareness, but being around the women’s basketball players a lot, is that something that they talk about, or is it something that is  under the surface?

Right now, I wouldn’t say it’s a constant topic. I think we’re starting to expect it. For me, being a female in sports media, we just need to expect and do the same work. Obviously, there are going to be plateaus and valleys and peaks, but stepping up into it and believing that we belong here… It’s not like we need to continue to fight and scratch and claw. It is a constant battle, but also, own who you are and live up to that.

What do you think the next step is in continuing to move towards equality in sports?

It’s a really tough thing to broach. A lot of it has to come from money, and continuing to garner fan attention. And that, again, falls on the media to keep things as equal as possible and to show and highlight incredible stories in women’s sports, across all levels.

I think a lot of people have an unfair opinion of the WNBA and of NCAA women’s basketball, and it was cool to make fun of it. Even when I was in high school or college it was like, if you go against that, you look really defensive and weak. So I think there has to be a more positive opinion, and it’s 100% starting with the generation beneath us, and it’s spreading up to us. 

I think the way that they’re taking this on, it was really surprising to me last year and impressive. Even outside of basketball and outside of Sedona, it’s female athletes speaking up across the board. And males, in any field, not defending, it’s not like we need the defense, but the positivity, you know, showing other males that ‘your ideas (of women’s sports being lesser than men’s) are outdated. If someone wants to come in and show hate, it’s like, ‘You’re not welcome here.’

As a woman in sports media, what does a perfect world look like to you?

I think, because of the way that I grew up, always competing, there are times where you have lack of confidence here and there, but what I would want as ideal is me never second guessing myself thinking about what a male colleague is thinking about what I’m saying. 

And I’ve noticed that in my career, where it’s like I’m comparing for no reason. You know, I’m never gonna have the 25-30 years of watching football. I didn’t grow up the first 10-12 years of my life watching every game I could, and I know a lot of men in my industry did. So, respecting that knowledge but also not second guessing myself thinking that I don’t have something to bring to this industry.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

The Pac-12 tournament starts tomorrow as the 5 seed Buffs face off against 12 seeded Washington at 1:00 pm MST in Las Vegas. The winner goes on to play Arizona. The game can be streamed via the Pac-12 network.