The NCAA’s Second Gender Equality Report finds that on average male athletes spend more money than female athletes

The NCAA spends more on male athletes on average than it does on female athletes, especially when it comes to the “small number of championships” seen as a source of revenue, according to a new report.

The law firm hired by the NCAA to investigate the equity issues released a 153-page report Tuesday night that includes a series of recommendations to improve the gap between all sports leagues. It was the company’s second report, following an August 3 report that suggested how to balance the men’s and women’s basketball leagues.

The NCAA did some of those things, including allowing the women’s league to use the term “March Madness.”

“The same structural and cultural issues affecting Division I basketball are pervasive throughout the NCAA and have shaped their handling of other championships,” the report said. NCAA to maximize that revenue and minimize spending so more funds can be distributed to members. “

Tuesday’s report found that spending per Division I and national championship participants, excluding basketball, was about $1,700 less for female participants than male participants over the period. 2018-19. The NCAA spent $4,285 per male participant compared with $2,588 per female participant.

The gap was even larger in six single-sex sports like wrestling and beach volleyball — $2,229 per student-athlete for the men’s versus women’s championships.

The review also found that sports with a combined championship improved better in terms of gender equality.

“We have found that combining at least part of the men’s and women’s championships for a given sport allows for more coordinated planning, increased equity in goods and services, facilities quality and resources provided at championships and eliminate or reduce disparities between the ‘look and feel ‘of the tournament,’ the report said.

Another part of the report shows that the NCAA does not have the infrastructure to encourage equal sponsorship at all championships.

“The report identified key recommendations, which we will prioritize, and the sequence in which they can be implemented to create impactful changes,” the NCAA Board of Governors said in a statement. on the organization’s website. “These changes may require changes to budgets and business models while assessing the balance between resources devoted to revenue-generating championships and resources to championships.”

The review was conducted by Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP, which was hired in March after the NCAA failed to provide similar amenities to teams in the men’s and women’s Division I basketball tournaments. The situation caused a stir on social media amid player complaints and apologies from NCAA executives, including President Mark Emmert.

Tuesday’s report also recommends:

• Establishing a system to collect and maintain standardized data across all 90 championships will facilitate future gender equality assessments and audits.

• Removed branded gender modifiers for tournaments and championships.

• Increase the number of senior staff in the NCAA’s championship structure to improve oversight of gender equality.

• Implement a “zero-based” budget for each championship over the next 5 years to ensure gender disparities are necessary, appropriate and fair.

The report estimates that ESPN is underpaying the NCAA for the right to play for 29 championships, “costing the association significant and important revenue loss.” up to $112 million, “more than twice as much” as the network provides the NCAA right now for all 29 championships.

Rich Ensor said.

The August report highlighted staffing as an issue for championships, where men’s basketball outnumbered women’s. Some sports like baseball and hockey also have more staffing than softball and women’s hockey, the latest review says, although it shows women’s volleyball and soccer championships have number of employees is larger than men.

The report says there is “apparently no formal or consistent definition” of the three categories the NCAA uses to decide on staffing for championships – “equity,” meaning revenue-generating or having can generate revenue; “growth,” which will have the potential to make money over time; and “maintain”, or one lose money.

“There is still little understanding among members of the NCAA and even among NCAA employees about how personnel support is distributed among championships,” the report said.

The law firm also said it could not make direct comparisons between championships because “the NCAA does not maintain records of costs, ticket sales, amenities or other categories in a standardized manner to enable analysis.” so.”

The report says fan festivals are another theme in which gender inequality is present. The women’s soccer fan festival is bigger than the men’s, but a smaller one. The company says men’s baseball and baseball festivals have more sponsors, music and games than women, and the NCAA spends more on them. The 2019 Baseball Fan Fest costs around $274,800, compared with the softball equivalent of $53,900.