(The women’s basketball tournament is televised by ESPN.)ĭavid Worlock, the N.C.A.A.’s director of media coordination for the men’s basketball tournament, said the association hopes to create a “March Madness” logo for the women’s tournament that is similar to the logo for the men’s tournament but with distinctions so that it is easy for fans to identify each tournament as they are promoted.įollowing the public scrutiny, N.C.A.A. The use of the term “March Madness” has long been one of the most visible differences between the men’s and women’s tournaments, both for its use on CBS broadcasts during men’s tournament games and its presence on the N.C.A.A.’s website and social media platforms to describe only men’s games. At the same time, the NCAA does not have structures or systems in place to identify, prevent, or address those inequities.” “The NCAA’s broadcast agreements, corporate sponsorship contracts, distribution of revenue, organizational structure, and culture all prioritize Division I men’s basketball over everything else in ways that create, normalize, and perpetuate gender inequities. The report, released in August and prepared by the firm of the civil rights lawyer Roberta A. In most years, the first two rounds of the women’s tournament are played at the home arenas of the top teams, while the men play those rounds at neutral sites. The tournaments were played concurrently in restricted environments because of the coronavirus pandemic - the men played in and around Indianapolis, while the women’s tournament was centered in San Antonio. championships that was prompted by complaints during the 2021 men’s and women’s tournaments. Inclusion of “March Madness” in the marketing of the Division I women’s tournament was one of the recommendations from an outside review of the N.C.A.A. had shortchanged its women’s tournament for years, building up a gender divide within college sports that hindered the growth of women’s basketball. The change, announced Wednesday, was a response to widespread criticism that the N.C.A.A. to brand its Division I men’s college basketball tournament, will also be used next year to promote the top women’s tournament. The lucrative marketing slogan “March Madness,” long used by the N.C.A.A.