With the midpoint of college basketball approaching, many are looking forward to the season’s second half and the playoff tournament games. Both the Division 1 Men’s and Women’s college basketball teams are concluding their seasons with the March Madness NCAA tournament. However, though games for both the men’s and women’s brackets are widely viewed each year, only the men’s teams have received a share of the revenue generated by the games. For years, the conference and each men’s team participating in the tournament received payments as “performance units” for each game played during March Madness. During the men’s 2024 March Madness tournament, each performance unit was worth about $2 million. This generated high revenue for teams that had long runs in the tournament.
Women’s college basketball has significantly become more popular in recent years. This past season, women’s basketball drew in more viewers than men’s. The record-breaking average of 18.7 million viewers with a peak of 24 million made a game between Iowa and South Carolina the most-watched women’s NCAA college basketball game ever. This total contributed to the tournament’s most successful year in history, even outperforming the men’s NCAA championship game, which averaged about 14.82 million viewers. Yet, only the men’s teams were compensated for their performances.
However, with the NCAA’s effort to advance gender equity in collegiate sports, women’s teams will also be compensated beginning with the 2025 March Madness tournament. At the NCAA Convention on January 15, 2024, it was officially decided that women’s teams would earn financial rewards for their conferences. Starting this season, there will be $15 million in performance units awarded to the women’s teams in the NCAA tournament. Though this total is still much less than the amount allotted for the men, it will grow with future tournaments. The beginning value will increase to $20 million in the 2026 season and $25 million in the 2027 season. After the threshold of $25 million in funds is reached, the total will continue to increase at the same rate as other NCAA Division 1 funds, which is about 2.9% per year. The money for these performance units will comprise about 26% of the women’s basketball media revenue deal.
Women’s college basketball is becoming increasingly popular, generating high revenue from increased viewership and attendance at games. With the recognition of this popularity, the NCAA has taken measures to ensure equality between both men’s and women’s college sports. Particularly in collegiate basketball, the inclusion of women’s teams in performance units is a testament to their efforts in recognizing both male and female athletes equally. Leveling the inequalities among men’s and women’s sports has progressed in recent years, but there is still room for improvement within the NCAA to make the playing field more equitable.
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