[UltimateCard]

Sally Jenkins (Stanford '82) calls BS on the NCAA's claim that the women's tournament does not make money.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/20...t-revenue/

Excerpt:

  You know how much revenue NCAA Division I women’s basketball generated collectively in 2018-2019? Almost a billion dollars.

336 D-I teams + 224 D-II + 272 D-III  = 832 teams  (2020-2021, so it likely is down)
$1B =  $1.2M per team  or about $100K per player
Of course that's before expenses, like meals and rental costs for weight rooms at the NCAA tourney.

However, I'm sure the NCAA shares that money with other sports, like Men's Wrestling.

Long interview with Tara on inequities in women's sports, including on finances:

 The NCAA earns most of its money from tickets and TV rights for the men’s tournament. They pass most of this money back the conferences, and the conferences distribute the winnings among the schools. When a men’s team wins a game in the national tournament, the team earns a “unit” for its conference. This year, each unit was worth $337,141. These units are paid out over six years, making this year’s units worth a total of $1.68 million for the conferences by the time they are paid in full in 2027. This tournament’s winnings for the Pac-12 (the conference for my beloved Oregon State Beavers), which fared very well in the tournament, over six years will be $38,434,074.

You’d think that means the Pac-12 also did very well financially in the women’s tournament where the championship game was two Pac-12 schools—but you’d be wrong. The women earn absolutely nothing for the conferences for their wins.
This creates a perverse incentive for schools to invest heavily in men’s basketball, according to VanDerveer. “There’s no financial gain for a women’s team to do well versus a men’s team. So, there’s a lot more incentive by the NCAA to put money into a men’s program.” The men’s tournament has its own contract with one of the major networks, she noted, while the women’s tournament is lumped in with all the other NCAA sports for TV contracts.

https://msmagazine.com/2021/05/11/sexism...en-sports/

[UltimateCard]

Sally Jenkins (Stanford '82) calls BS on the NCAA's claim that the women's tournament does not make money.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/20...t-revenue/

Excerpt:

  You know how much revenue NCAA Division I women’s basketball generated collectively in 2018-2019? Almost a billion dollars.

336 D-I teams + 224 D-II + 272 D-III  = 832 teams  (2020-2021, so it likely is down)
$1B =  $1.2M per team  or about $100K per player
Of course that's before expenses, like meals and rental costs for weight rooms at the NCAA tourney.

However, I'm sure the NCAA shares that money with other sports, like Men's Wrestling.

Long interview with Tara on inequities in women's sports, including on finances:

 The NCAA earns most of its money from tickets and TV rights for the men’s tournament. They pass most of this money back the conferences, and the conferences distribute the winnings among the schools. When a men’s team wins a game in the national tournament, the team earns a “unit” for its conference. This year, each unit was worth $337,141. These units are paid out over six years, making this year’s units worth a total of $1.68 million for the conferences by the time they are paid in full in 2027. This tournament’s winnings for the Pac-12 (the conference for my beloved Oregon State Beavers), which fared very well in the tournament, over six years will be $38,434,074.

You’d think that means the Pac-12 also did very well financially in the women’s tournament where the championship game was two Pac-12 schools—but you’d be wrong. The women earn absolutely nothing for the conferences for their wins.
This creates a perverse incentive for schools to invest heavily in men’s basketball, according to VanDerveer. “There’s no financial gain for a women’s team to do well versus a men’s team. So, there’s a lot more incentive by the NCAA to put money into a men’s program.” The men’s tournament has its own contract with one of the major networks, she noted, while the women’s tournament is lumped in with all the other NCAA sports for TV contracts.

https://msmagazine.com/2021/05/11/sexism...en-sports/